Disney slips despite surprise profit, surge in streaming
Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg News
VIDEO SIGN OUT
Walt Disney Co. posted a surge in Disney+ subscribers and lower losses at its COVID-crippled theme parks, helping the worldâs largest entertainment company return to profit in the latest quarter.
Subscribers to the family-oriented video service grew to 94.9 million in the period, Disney said Thursday. That exceeded the 90.7 million average of Wall Street estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales and earnings also topped projections.
But Disney remains mired in a slump, with big movie releases in jeopardy and some of its parks still closed. Investors, who bid up the stock 25 per cent last year, gave a muted response to the latest news. The shares fell as much as 2.3 per cent to US$186.56 in New York trading Friday, after rising as high as US$198.77 in extended trading after the results were announced.