'Deadpool & Wolverine' helps Disney beat earnings forecasts

Los Angeles: Walt Disney reported earnings that topped Wall Street's estimates on Thursday, propelled by blockbuster ticket sales from the rude and irreverent summer Marvel film Deadpool & Wolverine, and provided an upbeat forecast for the coming year.

Shares of the company jumped 7.4 per cent in premarket trading.

The company projected adjusted earnings-per-share percentage growth in the high single digits in fiscal 2025, even with capital expenditures of roughly $8 billion. It also said it expects to buy back $3 billion worth of stock.

The entertainment giant's recent success at movie theaters helped offset a decline in operating income at the company's Experiences and Sports divisions. Lower attendance at international locations dragged on theme parks results, and higher programming and production costs hurt ESPN.

Disney reported adjusted per-share earnings of $1.14 for its fiscal fourth quarter that ended in September. That compares with consensus estimates of $1.10 per share, according to analysts polled by LSEG.

Revenue reached $22.6 billion, slightly ahead of Wall Street forecasts of $22.45 billion. Operating income rose 23 per cent from a year earlier to nearly $3.7 billion.

Chief Executive Bob Iger, who returned to the company from retirement in November 2022, undertook aggressive cost-cutting and worked to revitalize the company's film and TV units after a period of misfires.

"Thanks to the significant progress we've made, we have emerged from a period of considerable challenges and disruption well positioned for growth and optimistic about our future," Iger said in a statement.

Disney last month said it would name a new chief in early 2026. The new boss would replace Iger, who returned to the company to take the top job after the board fired his handpicked CEO.

Operating income at the Entertainment unit, which includes film, television and streaming, more than doubled to $1.1 billion in the quarter, reflecting the return of Hulu's Emmy-nominated comedy Only Murders in the Building and summer movies including Deadpool & Wolverine, the first R-rated Marvel film, and Alien: Romulus. The Deadpool movie brought in $1.3 billion at global box offices.

Disney's flagship streaming video service, Disney+, boasted more than 122.7 million subscribers outside of India, a gain of 4.4 million from the prior quarter. The company intensified efforts to crack down on password sharing in September.

Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ produced operating profit of $321 million for the quarter, marking the streaming services' second straight quarter of profitability.

Disney's Experiences segment that includes parks and consumer products declined 6 per cent to $1.66 billion.

The company reported a 32 per cent drop in operating income at international parks, reflecting the costs to build new attractions and competition in Paris from the Olympics.

At the Sports unit, which includes the ESPN network and Star India business, operating income fell 5% to $929 million. ESPN experienced higher programming and production costs for college football broadcasts.

In addition to the fiscal 2025 projection, Disney said it expected double-digit adjusted EPS growth in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

"If you add it all up, our strategies are working, working very well, and we've got good visibility on where those strategies are likely to lead us," Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said in an interview.