You might not view Walt Disney (DIS -0.89%) as a holiday play, but the media giant is built for December. It's a conglomerate ripe for this time of year. Its theme parks see a seasonal bounce this time of year, particularly later this month, when schools let out for two weeks. Disney also always seems to have a blockbuster or two hitting theaters as the calendar year comes to a close. As the majority stakeholder in ESPN, it even sees a boost in audience levels as the college and pro football seasons start to heat up.
After a challenging summer, the stock has been rising in the fall. Disney shares have moved higher for three consecutive months, recently hitting seven-month highs. Momentum is on its side, and it has a few events slated for December that could stretch that winning streak to four months. Let's take a closer look.
Dec. 2
Now that Disney+ is profitable, investors can applaud the arrival of fresh content on the premium streaming platform without worrying about how it will affect the company's bottom line. Its next potentially promising series will hit the service on Monday night.
Disney has tapped its wildly successful Star Wars cinematic franchise as a source for spinoff shows it can stream exclusively through its namesake service. The first big hit on Disney+ was The Mandalorian, when the platform launched five years ago. Subsequent entries, though, have seen mixed subscriber reactions. Now, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is the latest series, set in the franchise's timeline after the events of Return of the Jedi.
This one takes a different approach from previous spinoffs. Despite featuring series star Jude Law prominently on the cover art, the new show is more a coming-of-age movie of four young protagonists. The fresh approach could pay off, and it comes now that Disney+ is in a good groove financially speaking.
Image source: Disney.
Dec. 11
Let's stay on Disney+. Pixar's Inside Out 2 has become this year's highest-grossing film, collecting nearly $1.7 billion in ticket sales worldwide. The popular animated feature began streaming on Disney+ in late September, but now there's a new way for fans of the original and subsequent sequel to dig deeper into the franchise.
The new animated series centers on the dream makers in the story. It also brings back many of the key characters and voice actors of this summer's popular movie. You can be sure that Disney's consumer-products segment is happy to see new opportunities to cash in on Inside Out with the new series.
Dec. 17
Disney World is the entertainment behemoth's largest theme park resort, and the Magic Kingdom is the world's most visited gated attraction. It's a hotbed of vacationing families over the holidays, and in two weeks it will increase its on-site capacity.
Island Villas at Disney's Polynesian is a new hotel tower opening at the iconic Polynesian Resort. The 10-story tower will expand the lodging options for members of the Disney Vacation Club timeshare program by 268 rooms. The tower opening to overnight guests in two weeks comes just as the telltale travel season arrives, with guests paying a premium to vacation in the House of Mouse.
Dec. 20
There's no denying that Disney is killing it at the multiplex this year. It has this year's two biggest box office winners, and soon it could have the top three. Moana 2 is off to a strong start, despite falling short of its predecessor's critical review raves. The film grossed an estimated $221 million in North America, a new record for a five-day opening weekend.
But Disney's not done yet. It has three films coming out this month. The big draw in December should be Mufasa: The Lion King.
An origin story for a main character in one of Disney's biggest animated franchises should roar at the local movie theater later this month. Timing the release just as schools let out and families gather isn't a coincidence. Mufasa is expected to be another big hit for Disney, and by the time the final ticket sales are tallied, Disney should have put out four of this year's five highest-grossing films.
Dec. 21
Disney is also making waves in the ocean. It was already set to double its cruise ship capacity by the end of next year before announcing even more new boats at this summer's D23 enthusiast conference. It's not just that more ships are coming. The new vessels are larger than its predecessors.
The newest ship will have its maiden voyage when Disney Treasure starts entertaining passengers on Dec. 21. Cruising has become one of the more resilient travel industries of this year, and Disney is diving in with new ships that offer exclusive experiences. The media stock isn't afraid of water.
