2 February 2026
If you are covering Disney’s latest financial results, please find below a comment from Ben Barringer, head of technology research at Quilter Cheviot:
“Disney’s results are pretty much in line with expectations following a good but not great first quarter. The Parks business, where a lot of the market’s eyes are looking right now, grew 6%, with profits up by a similar amount. The company did stress that there are some headwinds around international visitors to its US parks. Some of this will be due to macroeconomic pressures that continue to play out, but it will also be interesting to see if there is any political element too as that may intensify over the course of the next couple of years as a result.
“While Disney+ continue to hum along, arguably needing a fresher and improved content slate and product, Disney is focused on new experiences for consumers via the likes of Bluey and the upcoming Toy Story 5 movie. These sorts of experiences should help to drive earnings this year despite the pressures on visitor numbers. Disney is also partnering with OpenAI for content on the Disney+ platform – a move that could pay off if it gets it a right and is a true test of what artificial intelligence can produce in the creative world.
“We also await information around the successor to Bob Iger as CEO. That news could come as soon as this week, and will dictate the direction of Disney going forward. Following the problematic succession plan the last time Bob Iger departed the role, Disney has to get this right this time.”
