Across-the-board Disney decline: Parks, films, TV, toys, hotels

By Jason Williams
Williams is a writer, commentator and founder of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon.

Disney went political, while producing lousy content, and now fans are fleeing.

Consider these recent declines in Disney.

• Disney+ TV: Subscribers to Disney+ streaming service is down by 11 million subscribers. The service has yet to produce a profit since it started in 2020.

• Theme Parks: By one measure Disney park traffic is down 23%. Some say the theme parks have been like a ghost town.

• Movies: Disney films have lost $890 million over 8 recent movies.  That is 8 big recent Disney films that failed to make a profit.

• Disney toys: Disney Star Wars toys are down 65%.   Retail space for Disney is down 40%.

• Hotel: The $1 billion dollar new Star Wars hotel closed after only 2 years in operation.   Disney’s public budget numbers show a drop in overall hotel occupancy.

One reason audiences are dropping Disney is because of their politics.

How has Disney been political?

Disney’s President Bob Iger is a top Clinton/Obama fundraiser who has ambitions himself to run for President.  He has involved Disney in a lot of political issues (gun control, $15 minimum wage, opposing the California recall, etc..).  Disney fiercely protected their special tax breaks as a quasi-government entity that was clearly an abuse of government power as well as something that was denied to their rivals when they asked for the same, and then proceeded to deny funds to any lawmaker that refused to back their special tax break abuse-of-government status.  Disney used anti-competitive actions to limit other theater chains from hosting rival films. Disney employees complain of widespread censorship against people who do not have a liberal view and pleaded for a politically neutral workplace.  Disney’s Captain America called the 2010 Tea Party movement (low taxes, debt reform) racist.  Just this year alone, one Disney film name dropped socialism, while two other Disney films pilloried capitalism.  Last year, Disney released the most anti-parent film for kids ever produced (the target audience was middle schoolers).  Disney’s film, Strange World, was so overloaded with environmental politics that audiences couldn’t stand it — the film lost $100 million. Disney’s Snow White remake production showed signs of politics and anti-police politics.