FORBES Questions Disney's STAR WARS Profits and Purchase, Are They Right? - THE GEEK BUDDIES

[@ainsleyperry5192]

Lads, One thing to remember before Disney purchased Lucas Films, George Lucas was'nt doing all that much with Star Wars or Indiana Jones. He was spending a lot of his time following the Formula 1 circuit around instead of writing the next Star Wars script. Disney might have made all it's money back on all the Lego, Star Wars kits sold world wide. Tax breaks for movies all companies use them. Thats why the Avatar films are made in New Zealand. Not just because James Cameron likes to live there, but I'm sure it helps. Cheers, Chris Perry.

[@childeroland2569]

Include the merchandise, theme park attractions, and other ancillaries, and they're doing fine. The article conveniently leaves out a lot of stuff that doesn't fit the writer's agenda.

[@TheNeomaul]

Thx Shannon 👍🏾 for your review on the article. Feel like I don’t need to bother reading it with all that obvious mistakes

[@paulschmitt8666]

Right purchase? yes. Craftsmanship? No.

[@RokBraker]

Shannon's right on his perception - if you don't fact check what you present, don't even bother presenting because you can't trust anything in it. Kind of a 101 thing, at least outside of Forbes.

[@jamesdavison1942]

To Vogel's last point, there have been many eras where Disney has struggled: post-war pre Cinderella, which now makes up the centre piece of their parks, pre renaissance era, prior to relauncing their animation division with Tangled, and prior to all their acquisitions - the thing that got them back on track was taking the big risks that from a financial perspective wouldn't be the "smart" play, but all of paid dividends down the line. He also makes a great point about NIghmare Before Christmas, I listen to the Bancroft Brothers animation podcast (they are former Disney employees), and they had Henry Selick on to discuss NBC and at the time they (Disney) weren't sure about the project and didn't even really want it to be associated with the brand until years later when it has become a beloved classic - they also had an episode talking about the animation industry in Ireland, and how it has had this sudden boom with a lot of new studios being established, which was largely due to the tax incentives the government provides (seriously if you listen to the episode tax credits is the term probably mentioned more than any other). So, do I think Disney has taken a hit recently? Yes, however they have been in similar positions before and recovered, and also you can't always appreciate something in the moment because not everything hits at the same time, and somethings do take time before you can appreciate their full value. This was a fantastic discussion (I know i singled out Vogel, but John and Shannon also made excellent points), and to John's reference at the start of the show - I am one of those people who sees new Geek Buddies and automatically hits click 🤙

[@chrismarasso6494]

Notice this Forbes report comes out AFTER Disney investor call? Someone is playing both sides...

[@handsomecobra1135]

I think & believe that Baby Yoda help make Disney a lot of money, especially with the merchandise alone. So yes, Star Wars was a great purchase for them.

[@Jobo89]

Of course they did, just with the movies, like them or not, plus all the merch, toys, park, games…

[@JadenCole77]

Shannon was cooking this episode lol

[@MatthewPalanca]

There’s no way Disney hasn’t been profitable from Star Wars. I could see the streaming shows being somewhat of a money pit. But all the merchandising, games, parks, and box office combined are huge

[@TheNeomaul]

Yeah it’s idiotic not to include ALL of money made from all that 🤦🏾‍♂️ #agenda #clickbait

[@jim1242]

Didnt the Galactic Starcruiser looses $300 million for Disney? For galaxy's edge, its hard to say how much money it broght in as guests dont pay extra to visit it as far as I am aware, and how many guests paid to go to disneyworld or disneyland just for galaxy's edge..

[@chillininthebasement]

Steaming wasn't somewhat of money pit. That's all Disney Plus has been since it's inception. This year is the year it's finally supposed to be profitable. We'll see.

[@MatthewPalanca]

@@jim1242 Yea, Starcruiser was a colossal failure that's true. Still, I think Disney has been AT LEAST marginally profitable from all of their SW properties combined. A profit is a profit.

[@aprilnewell5434]

This article makes no sense to me. If 4 out of 5 movies makes over a billion dollars is not profitable then I dont think any studio makes a profit. I guess Dune 2 is a bust too. This math is not mathing.

[@chillininthebasement]

Shareholders don't care about their dividends in 2050. They care about their dividends next quarter. Also, Star Wars is nowhere near as popular with kids now as it was with the prequels. Just accept that Disney, to this point, has been mismanaging Lucasfilm.

[@Frank-ui3gh]

A lot of big IP movies will make money in the long run. Like, Snyder’s DC movies were even profitable in its time. Years later, the constant McFarland toys sell outs, 4K blue rays sales etc. Those films are still making money for the company.

[@jewsco]

when has Hollywood ever been truthful about the numbers? some all time classic movies supposedly haven't made a profit. add in this article mentions nothing of the books, comics , merchandise sales etc.... baby Yoda a lone was a huge profitable seller for Disney

[@owenharrison761]

Normally I would trust objective data, but for a while now these reputable sites have been making clickbait or overly dramatic articles, that doesn't mean they never have real information, but many times they move between these shades of gray. Now even as a fan I would be lying if I said Lucasfilm is in good shape, whether creatively or in business, but they are also not a bankrupt company like many would like(disney haters and extreme conservatives). Without mentioning that Voguel is right, the numbers are never black and white, Hollywood has always been characterized by lying about those, and yet they are still in the entertainment business.

[@RDramatica]

Love you guys…..LOVE 💕 ❤ MY GEEK BYTES😊

[@ShogunOrta]

I just don't see the Sequel Trilogy having decades long legs. Maybe TFA, but other than that it's like saying the last Indiana Jones movie is going to stand the test of time.

[@bajansamurai]

Most of that article could have been rebutted with two words: Baby Grogu. He equated to toy sales, clothes, D+ subscriptions, games, etc. That represents what the point and profitability of purchasing Star Wars really is: Own one of the most recognizable IPs ever Even if you fire a few duds, figure out what will be hot a decade later When combined with what was positively received, all of that future profit from better content, merchandising, rides, etc. will pay back 3 fold. The only question is truthfully: did one have enough of other good IPs that they would have made that same money other ways. That's the real debate.

[@nickalexander7618]

I like the little opening for a shorter episode!

[@jenmatl6923]

I want to go to Disney with the Geek Buddies!

[@ShogunOrta]

One thing I think you can argue though is did Disney do SW a disservice? Has it lowered in value? And mind, that doesn't mean SW sucks now. Now that just means it lingers somewhere around ok. But classically, ok is not ok for Star Wars.

[@KnightFoxx1190]

Disney took a huge hit last year with their movies. But I think with the right people and stories, they will recover. I will say Kathleen Kennedy respective of her career, needs to retire from Star Wars.

[@jboy2621]

It was not a good bet. Lucas without George was a downfall of a studio. Disney is great at movies but stuck close to the script for Indiana and Star wars

[@venenders170]

The purchase of the IP was a great business move as the content already previously made under the IP was worth a massive amount of money that you can now resell/regurgitate to the audience. The potential money in now having the IP and making new content and merchandise was also worth the purchase as the price tag is limitless. The problem is and always has been execution and implementation of Star Wars content. When general consensus is only 1 of 5 movies you made is good (perhaps more if you’re generous) and one of these movies took a fan base and splintered them into diametrically opposed camps and created ripple effects Lucasfilm is still trying to swim against today. They haven’t put out any movies in years from said ripple effects and have been relagated to streaming shows with varying degrees of quality/success which seem to be heading in a forward trajectory the longer they go. So to sum up was it a good investment to buy Star Wars? Yes. Is it the fault of the IP or Or of the purchase of Star Wars that they haven’t perhaps made their money back? No that’s a problem that rests entirely on execution of Star Wars projects. Is the writer of this article heavily biased? Yes. Did Disney probably fudge numbers and not show everything? Yes but not because they’re Disney but because all Corporations do that unless they’re being purchased and show the buyer everything they’re getting. Do I believe Disney hasn’t made their money back since buying Star Wars? While this article has its problems I 100% could believe that they haven’t made that money back based on the quality and public reception to Star Wars content they put out most of which has at best been Mid. Could they have made their money back from the purchase? Sure but not through movie profits alone and majority of it is probably from merchandise sales of toys and statues and stuff and perhaps second is video game related like Fallen order series or licensing to Fortnite or something.

[@brucecrawford_17]

If you ever watched the video essay “Star Wars Sequel Anti-Trilogy” on KZbin, they mentioned that the prequels never stopped using miniature sets, but they were more known for CGI because of the marketing. Also, The Force Awakens had more CGI shots than The Phantom Menace did. Just wanted to share.

[@philrm99]

Great SW discussion

[@chillininthebasement]

She didn't include merchandise. She also doesn't have how much they've lost on Disney Plus, which know has been a money pit for years. The bottom line is that Disney has been fucking up Lucasfilm & now some of the money backs up the viewership.

[@ShogunOrta]

Is Disney owning SW a good thing? It's not making them money. Period. And it's been 12 years so you can't pull that In enough time card.

[@ShogunOrta]

Has Disney refuted this articles claims if it's so wrong then?

[@chillininthebasement]

Was it a perfect article? Nope. Does it illustrate how Disney has mismanaged Lucasfilm to this point? Absolutely.

[@luminarygx]

Isn't this article an obvious attempt to chip away at Iger? Why would this writer be so meticulous about researching the movie finances, and completely ignore merchandising which is the real strength of the IP? Probably because there is an agenda behind the article.

[@C-Bee]

I’m just so tired of the Disney hate and misleading news stories. Literally saw a channel this morning that masked itself as a Walt Disney World news channel that was actually a hate channel. Forbes I’d been giving a raised eyebrow to for a while.

[@Iam2flycam]

Yes I'm sure Everyone is just A disney hater 🙄 and everythingis going great right? You disney Lovers are just as guilty with the misinformation campaigns

[@chillininthebasement]

Marvel took their chances. We got Phases 4 & 5. Sometimes it had to be back to basics.

[@drizzyfreckles]

Right now can be better? Yes Long game is was this a good…. Great purchase? Yes

[@Aussie27Legend]

I watched rebel moon part 2 on saturday and yeah disney's star wars movies aren't so bad lol (Andor once season 2 is out, barring a total disaster dus to the writers strike I suppose, will be peak star wars better than the original trilogy for me. Just my opinion)

[@aprilnewell5434]

Thank you for stating this. What if star wars was in the hands of Netflix, you get rebel moon. Such a great point.

[@ChaseWulff]

Sounds like she doesn’t like when governments, whether city, state/province or federal, give tax credits to companies who don’t directly benefit the taxpayers. So bringing that up is a way of backhandedly shitting on companies who seize that opportunity. Like they didn’t somehow make money because they took the credit. She should really be mad at whatever government for offering tax credits in the first place. It is, obviously, good business practice to save money wherever possible. But I can’t be sure. I haven’t read the article.

[@jrhaile320]

Ike the Devil 😂

[@ShogunOrta]

Look at what y'all are saying. Hear your own words. You're wanting investors to wait decades to see if an IP will turn a profit. IMO, as to whether Disney buying SW was a bad idea, you just answered your own question.

[@louissanchez4073]

Im #2 on hitting the like button sons…NUMBER 2 mofos

[@Iam2flycam]

Disney Star wars.... such a shame

[@betopower5275]

There is a huge difference between the prequels and the sequels, the prequels have a story. Watching 1-3 gets you somewhere. The sequels go absolutely nowhere. Even if the prequels had subpar acting, too many green screens, a forced romance, there is a good story underneath. The sequels have nothing for them to remain popular in the future. Rise of skywalker is the most pointless sw movie in history, it makes phantom menace and attack of the clones look like citizen kane’s

[@bryantsfx10]

Forbes leans right-libertarian on economic issues so they were going to attack Disney in this regard totally predictable

[@xmanxowarx7172]

Why is it so hard to understand that they haven’t made back their money? The profits on the movies tanked after TFA (with ROS only making a $90 million profit and SOLO losing money), they built a giant hotel that lasted less than a year that no one went to, they’ve had disappointing attendance for GALAXY’S EDGE, D+ has been losing money (to the tune of billions) for a few years, so those $200 million shows they’re making aren’t translating into money. The HIGH REPUBLIC initiative was a total failure. Merch sales are in the toilet. How do I know? HASBRO has said as much - they’re currently being kept in business by Magic, Monopoly and Baldur’s Gate 3 as their toy sales have cratered. Of the merchandise HASBRO and other companies have been making…practically none of it features the sequel characters. Why? They’ve ADMITTED no one buys it and now overall SW sales have stalled out. So…yeah.

[@Poisonous_Plants15]

Even though Disney has made money from the Star Wars purchase its pretty obvious they lost themselves tons of $ w/ how they handled the new trilogy and everything on disney+ excluding The Mandalorian.

[@Tware8100]

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[@commandZee]

I don't know about everyone else, but they've lost me since TRoS, I canceled my D+ subscription when I got home from the theater that night. My personal boycott extends into all of Disney's stuff, I don't pay to watch any of it, even FX and Hulu. The only thing I might pay for are movies tangentially related to Disney, like Searchlight films. _Deadpool & Wolverine_ might be the first MCU movie I'll pay for in a very long time.