A vast portion of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has been offloaded to Disney.
That’s the headline that continues to send shockwaves across the four corners of the Internet, and the Mouse House is just getting started. Having drawn up tentative plans to consolidate its newly-acquired Marvel characters under the one umbrella (read: the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Disney is about to redraw the superhero genre as we know it. And at least according to CEO Bob Iger, whose time with the company will extend into 2021, this cross-pollination won’t impede on Fox’s own slate of adult-oriented and, in the case of Deadpool, hilariously crude superhero flicks.
But costumed crusaders weren’t the only motivating factor behind Disney’s acquisition. As we learned mere hours ago, the House of Mouse will soon gain control of Predator, Alien and a number of other high-profile film franchises, while USA Today has gone ahead and listed those TV properties hoovered up as part of its $52.4 billion deal. In short, Disney is now an absolute powerhouse – not that they weren’t one already, mind you – and are without a doubt Hollywood’s biggest studio.
How big, you ask? Well, according to a new report, Walt Disney Studios now represents 27% of the entire film industry. That may not seem like a lot, but considering that the next biggest is Warner Bros. Pictures, who have 15.36% market share, it’s a ton. Following those two, you’ve got Sony at 12.22%, Universal at 11.49% and Paramount Pictures at 10.89%, with the remainder of the industry being made up of independent studios and what not.
So, Disney has quite the lead over its competitors, then, and with the assets they now own, they’ll only continue to get bigger. And though some have voiced their concerns about a media conglomerate controlling so many film properties, the Mouse House’s handling of Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm (Star Wars) leaves us quietly confident that its high-ranking executives will treat the studio’s new franchises with the respect and care they deserve.
What are your thoughts on all this, though? Do you think the landmark deal between Disney and Fox will have a positive outcome for the industry, or are you against it? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts down below.