Reawakening the Magic: Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company
Yet by December 2015 the tide had turned (Exhibit 1). The much-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens was set to become the highest grossing film ever in the U.S. and earn over $2 billion worldwide. Frozen had just surpassed $1 billion in box office to become Disney animation’s biggest success ever. In live action movies, Disney franchises, like Pirates of the Caribbean and Marvel’s Iron Man, had produced multiple blockbuster hits. ESPN, ABC and other cable and broadcast properties were producing record profits. Attendance was up at Disney parks and cruise ships, while the Shanghai Disney Resort, the company’s third and largest theme park in Asia, was scheduled to open in June 2016. Iger thought back to the Hong Kong Disney parade, reflecting on how far the company had come and the lessons he had learned about reawakening the Disney magic.
Keywords: strategy; franchise management; brand management; culture change; business units; acquisition strategy; technological change; Disney; ESPN; cord-cutting; media; Bob Iger; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Diversification; Integration; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Consumer Products Industry;
Citation:
Collis, David, and Ashley Hartman. "Reawakening the Magic: Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company." Harvard Business School Case 717-483, March 2017. (Revised March 2018.) View Details