The Walt Disney Company DIS had a magical weekend with many company updates shared at its bi-annual D23 Expo along with "Deadpool & Wolverine" continuing to perform well at the box office.
What Happened: Disney's "Deadpool & Wolverine" was the top-grossing film domestically over the weekend, bringing the Marvel film closer to becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
The film has grossed $535.2 million domestically and $494.3 million internationally, good for $1.03 billion worldwide, as reported by Deadline.
"Deadpool & Wolverine" is now likely less than a week away from passing the $1.08 billion global total of 2019's "Joker," which is currently the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. "Deadpool & Wolverine" is only the second R-rated film to pass the $1 billion milestone.
Expectations for the Marvel film were high and as Benzinga previously shared, the film had a shot at breaking records. The film also comes after Disney's "Inside Out 2" passed the $1 billion milestone. In 2024, Disney has achieved two $1 billion global films, after not reaching this milestone with any releases in 2023, breaking a long-running streak.
More Movie Magic Coming: Disney has several other highly anticipated movies coming in 2024 including "Moana 2" and "Mufasa: The Lion King." These films were among the highlights at Disney's D23 Expo over the weekend.
Disney also shared an update that "Frozen 3" is set for a release in 2027 with the company also teasing that two films are needed to tell more of the story, suggesting that "Frozen 4" could also be in the works, as shared by WDWMagic.
The media giant also shared updates on "Incredibles 3," "Avatar: Fire and Ash," "The Mandalorian and Grogu," and "TRON:Ares."
While "Deadpool & Wolverine" broke records for an R-rated film, Disney fans and shareholders might be excited about another film in the Avatar franchise with the third film "Fire and Ash" set for a Dec. 19, 2025 release date. The previous two films in the franchise rank among the top three grossing films globally of all time.
Theme Park Updates: Disney's D23 Expo was also full of announcements about the company's theme parks division, a major focus during the recent third-quarter financial results discussion.
Among the biggest announcements were the expansion of Avengers Campus and the introduction of Villains Land at the theme parks, as reported by Deadline.
Disney's California Adventure will expand Avengers Campus to include Stark Flight Lab and Avengers Infinity Defense. Spider-Man will also have new attractions at Disney's theme parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Robert Downey Jr., who played Tony Stark/Iron Man for Disney's movies, returns to voice Stark for the new Avengers Campus area.
Magic Kingdom's new Villains Land will include attractions, dining and shopping based on the bad guys from many hit Disney films.
Among the other updates were "Avatar: The Way of Water" land coming to Disney California Adventure, "The Lion King" new area at Disneyland Paris, a "Cars" area at Magic Kingdom in Florida, the first-ever ride based on "Coco" coming to Disneyland in 2026, an "Indiana Jones" attraction at Animal Kingdom in Florida, the first-ever "Encanto" ride coming to Animal Kingdom, "Monsters Inc" land coming to Hollywood Studios in Florida and a new Starlight Parade set for Magic Kingdom in Florida beginning in Summer 2025.
Outside of its theme parks, Disney also announced it is adding four new Disney Cruise Lines to the fleet, with arrival dates between 2027 and 2031.
Fortnite Update: Disney announced a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games, the company behind hit games like "Fortnite" earlier this year. At the time, Disney said it was working on new games and an entertainment universe that would include content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and other franchises.
Disney’s investment in Epic Games was highlighted at the D23 Expo, with a segment on their collaboration and upcoming “Fortnite” partnerships.
Hit battle royale game "Fortnite" will be getting "Maleficent," "Cruella de Vil" and “Captain Hook” as the first Disney animation villains in the game. The game will also get characters from "The Incredibles" and "The Mandalorian," including Baby Yoda/Baby Grogu as a Back Bling, as reported by IGN.
A new "Fortnite" season will also star "Doctor Doom," a Marvel villain who will be featured in several upcoming films, portrayed by Downey Jr. on screen.
As for Disney's new gaming universe built in partnership with Epic Games, the company said the launch is still several years away.
DIS Price Action: The Disney D23 Expo comes on the heels of third-quarter financial results and with the stock down 12% over the last month.
Disney stock trades at $86.12 on Monday, versus a 52-week trading range of $78.73 to $123.74. Disney stock is down 4.8% year-to-date in 2024.
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