Two weeks ago, we came to you with the news that Disney was being sued by TSG Entertainment Finance for allegedly inflating profits and gypping the finance company out of (at least) $40 million dollars across hundreds of major Hollywood blockbusters. Today, a mere eight days after the aforementioned lawsuit was filed, the Mouse House is being sued once again for accusations of inflation, this time by one of its own investors.
Legal woes are nothing new for Disney (Ron DeSantis, Scarlet Johansson, the state of New York, to name literally just a few), and frankly, the company doesn’t always end up on top. Maybe that explains why it’s so determined to keep Disney World open amid a Category 3 hurricane.
Elsewhere, you’re looking at the first rumblings of a major Disney Plus MCU rumor that, a year ago, would have gone down like sour milk. However, in the aftermath of Secret Invasion, it’s somehow become the subject of unadulterated praise.
Eight days after recovering from the last lawsuit, Disney, Bob Iger, and Bob Chapek are sued for lying about Disney Plus subscriber growth
Investing in a huge business venture such as a brand-new streaming service (Disney Plus) requires a lot of front-end money, patience, and back-end profit. One of Disney’s investors, Stourbridge Investments LLC., has launched a legal battle against the company along with specific mention of CEO Bob Iger, his successor/predecessor Bob Chapek, former CFO Christine McCarthy, and Chapek’s right-hand man Kareem Daniels. There’s a lot to unpack, but the real meat and potatoes involve accusations that Disney purposely tried to “inappropriately shift costs” and lie about the number of subscribers it had by debuting shows such as The Mysterious Benedict Society and Doogie Kameāloha M.D. on Disney Channel when they were specifically created as Disney Plus originals, all to make Disney Plus appear more profitable than it really was.
The investors are specifically upset with Chapek’s claims from 2020, in which he not only said the platform would have 86.8 million subscribers by Dec. 2, 2020, but that it would turn a profit by the end of 2024. This lawsuit marks the second time in eight days Disney has been accused of “inflating” numbers to appear more profitable. Although Iger is mentioned alongside Chapek and other top-level execs, a deep dive into the lawsuit (which you can read here, courtesy of Deadline) will show just how badly the Chapek-era of Disney hurt the company and how furiously Iger is trying to clean up the mess.
This, combined with everything that’s happened at the box office this year, and one could easily surmise that Disney is going through one of its biggest rough patches in decades.
Idalia who? Disney World carries on despite a category 3 hurricane dampening the park’s magic
Hurricane Idalia has been barreling towards the state capitol of Florida for several days now, and although Tallahassee is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Orlando, Disney World has decided to keep its doors open to the public. It reminds me of my public school days in California, where a literal fire could be ravaging the mountains just a few miles north of the campus, but money is money, so students were still required to be in their seats when the bell rang. According to Disney’s website, last updated on the morning of the 30th, the park is “currently operating under normal conditions.” Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf, and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf may be closed down, but most of Disney World is wide open.
I don’t know about you, but if a hurricane was in my vicinity (which it was just last week, i.e., Hurricane Hillary in California), the last place I would be is at Disneyland. What can you say? Sometimes, the no-wait times at Space Maintain and Rise of the Resistance are simply worth the risk.
The Marvel show everyone hated but now loves eyes a possible second season on Disney Plus
Remember when She-Hulk: Attorney at Law came out, and everyone bagged on the show’s CGI and complained about the infamous twerking scene? Remember when it was dragged through the mud as being one of Marvel’s worst shows to date? Well, then Secret Invasion happened, and now the prospect of a second season is simply what the doctor ordered. Remember, Marvel has made nothing official, but we have it on good authority (and by we, we mean Marvel scoopers) that Jennifer Walters hasn’t bid adieu to the small screen just yet.
If season two of She-Hulk does pan out, perhaps we’ll be treated to some better CGI now that Disney’s VFX artists are fighting to unionize. At the very least, it can’t be as bad… right?