The Walt Disney DIS-owned Marvel Studios and Sony’s SONY co-production Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to flex its dominance at the box office for the third weekend in a row.

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film collected $52.7 million over the New Year’s holiday frame, increasing its domestic tally to $609 million

Marvel Comics sold the film rights of Spider-Man characters to Sony in the 1990s. In 2015, Sony and Disney entered into a deal that stated that the Marvel Cinematic Universe could incorporate Spider-Man in its movies, with Sony retaining the rights. Disney and Sony renegotiated this deal in 2019, splitting production costs and box office receipts.

The next most successful Disney and Marvel movie, after Spider-Man: No Way Home is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,  was released in August 2021. The film collected around $224 million domestically.

Without any real competition, until ViacomCBS VIAC-owned Paramount’s Scream is released on Jan 14, 2022, Spider-Man’s latest is anticipated to keep making money at the global box office.

Scream, distributed by ViacomCBS-owned Paramount Pictures, is an American meta slasher movie franchise.

The ViacomCBS’ Paramount Pictures-distributed movie franchise also includes a television series, games and merchandise.

 

 

Expanding Partner Base & Content Portfolio to Aid Top-Line

Recently, Disney — currently carrying a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) — signed a deal with Cox Communications. Per the agreement, Disney+ will be available for customers on Cox’s Contour TV and Contour Stream Player.

Per a Variety report, the agreement will allow Contour subscribers to stream new Disney+ releases like Marvel studios’ Hawkeye, Black Widow and The Beatles Get Back and Disney classics and documentaries.

Separately, Comcast CMCSA launched Disney Plus (and EPSN Plus) on Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex earlier in 2021.

The agreement will provide Comcast customers access to the Disney+ library of TV series and movies from Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and National Geographic.

Comcast customers will also have access to more than 10,000 live sports events and original programming from ESPN+.

Disney has been taking consumer preferences and stakeholders’ expectations of the brand very seriously, shifting its focus on creating positive, fun and inclusive content that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

The company recently revealed that it would increase its total content budget by $8 billion year over year, reaching a total of $33 billion in 2022. The decision was based on the intention to support its direct-to-consumers services, which primarily includes Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.

As Disney channels its efforts on direct-to-consumer business models, it has been stepping up its commissioning across the board and its content production to aid Disney+, Hulu and others

The company plans to broadcast approximately 50 titles for theatrical release and streaming in fiscal 2022. Walt Disney Animation Studios will release Baymax and Moon Knight next year, its first-ever animated series. It also plans to launch a new Marvel series on Disney+ in fiscal 2022.

DIS also has a range of upcoming films scheduled to be released in 2022, which includes Disenchanted, Turning Red, Lightyear, Strange World and Avatar 2, among others.

Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming 2022 release list includes Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Marvels.

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