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Tag: Frozen

  • Disney FY-2104 op inc grows 21 per cent; Studio Entertainment segment op inc up 234 per cent

    Disney FY-2104 op inc grows 21 per cent; Studio Entertainment segment op inc up 234 per cent

    BENGALURU: The Walt Disney Company Inc (Disney) reported operating income (op inc) of $ 13,005 million (26.6 per cent of overall revenue or TIO) in the year ended 27 September 2014 (FY-2014), up 21.3 per cent from the $ 10,724 million (23.8 per cent of TIO) in FY-2013. The company’s TIO in FY-2014 at $ 48,813 million was 8.4 per cent more than the $ 45,041 million in 2013.

     

    “Our results for fiscal 2014 were the highest in the company’s history, marking our fourth consecutive year of record performance,” said Disney chairman and CEO Robert A Iger. “We’re obviously very pleased with this achievement and believe it reflects the extraordinary quality of our content and our unique ability to leverage success across the company to create significant value, as well as our focus on embracing and adapting to emerging consumer trends and technology.”

     

    Disney’s Studio Entertainment segment reported a 234.3 per cent growth in op inc in FY-2014 at $ 1,549 million (11.9 per cent of all op inc) from $ 661 million (6.2 per cent of all op inc) in FY-2013. This segment’s revenue in FY-2014 at $ 7,278 million (14.9 per cent of TIO) grew 21.7 per cent to $ 5,979 million (13.3 per cent of TIO) in the previous year.

     

    Here is what Disney has to say about Studio Entertainment numbers: 

     

    Higher operating income was driven by increases in worldwide theatrical distribution and worldwide home entertainment. Higher worldwide theatrical distribution results were due to the success of Guardians of the Galaxy and Maleficent in the current quarter compared to Monsters University and The Lone Ranger in the prior year quarter.

     

    The increase in worldwide home entertainment was due to higher unit sales, lower per unit costs and higher net effective price resulting from the success of Frozen. Other significant titles included Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier in the current quarter and Iron Man 3 in the prior-year quarter. 

     

    Let us look at the results for FY-2014 and Q4-2014 reported by Disney.

     

     Overall Revenue:

     

    In Q4-2014 (quarter ended September 27, 2014), Disney reported a 7.1 growth of TIO to $ 12,389 million from US$ 11568 million in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal, but was marginally less (0.6 per cent less) than the $ 12,466 million in Q3-2014. 

     

    Q4-2014 op inc at $ 2,775 million (22.4 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014 was 11.7 per cent more than the $ 2,484 million (21.5 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2013, but 28.1 per cent lower than the $ 3,857 million (30.9 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014. 

     

    Segment Revenue: 

     

    Five segments contribute to Disney’s numbers – Media Networks; Parks and resorts; Studio entertainment; Consumer products; and Interactive.

     

    Media Networks Segment:

     

    The company’s Media Network segment is the largest in terms of contribution to overall revenue (TIO) and op inc This segment consists of two sub-segments – Cable Networks and Broadcasting.

     

    In FY-2014, Disney’s Media Network segment reported revenue of $ 21,152 million (43.3 per cent of TIO), up 3.9 per cent from the $ 20,356 million (45.2 per cent of TIO) in FY-2013. Op inc from this segment rose 7.4 per cent to $ 7,321 million (56.3 per cent of overall op inc) in FY-2014 from $ 6,818 million (63.6 per cent of overall op inc) in FY-2013.

     

    Disney’s Media Network segment reported 5.5 per cent rise in revenue from $ 4,946 million (42.8 per cent of TIO)  in Q4-2013 to $ 5,217 million (42.1 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014, but was 5.3 per cent less than $ 5,511 million (44.2 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014. Op inc dropped marginally by 0.3 per cent from $ 1,443 million (58.1 per cent of overall op inc) in Q4-2013 to $ 1,437 million in Q4-2014, but was 37.2 per cent lower than the $ 2,296 million (59.5 per cent of overall Op Inc) in Q3-2014 (51.8 per cent of op rev).

     

    Parks and Resorts

     

    In FY-2014, this segment’s revenue at $ 15,099 million (30.9 per cent of TIO) grew 7.2 per cent from $ 14,087 million (31.3 per cent of TIO) in FY-2013. Op inc increased 20 per cent in FY-2014 to $ 2,663 million (20.5 per cent of overall op inc) from $ 2,220 million (20 per cent of overall op inc) in FY-2013.

     

    Disney’s Parks and resorts segment reported 6.6 per cent growth in y-o-y revenue to $ 3,960 million (32 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014 from $ 3,716 million (32.1 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2013, but marginally less (0.5 per cent less) than the $ 3,980 million (31.8 per cent of overall revenue) in Q3-2014. This segment’s op inc grew 6.6 per cent to $ 687 million (24.8 per cent of overall op inc) in Q4-2014 from $ 571 million (23 per cent of overall op inc), but was 19 per cent less than the $ 848 million (22 per cent of overall op inc) in Q3-2014.

     

    Here is what Disney has to say about Parks and Resorts numbers:

     

    Operating income growth for the quarter was due to an increase at our domestic operations, partially offset by a decrease at our international operations.

     

    Higher operating income at our domestic operations was driven by increased guest spending and attendance, partially offset by higher costs and lower vacation club ownership sales. The increase in guest spending was primarily due to higher average ticket prices for theme park admissions and for sailings at our cruise line and increased food, beverage and merchandise spending. Higher costs reflected increased costs for MyMagic+ and the absence of an offset in the prior-year quarter from a property sale, partially offset by lower pension and post-retirement medical costs. Decreased vacation club ownership sales reflected the prior-year success of The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, for which sales commenced at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2013.

     

    The decrease at our international operations was due to lower operating performance at Disneyland.

     

    Lower operating income at Disneyland Paris was driven by higher operating and marketing costs and lower attendance, partially offset by increased guest spending, due to higher average ticket prices, and higher real estate sales.

     

    Studio Entertainment

     

    Three sub-segments of the Studio entertainment segment contribute to Disney’s revenue – Theatrical distribution; Home entertainment; and TV/SVOD distribution and other.

     

    Annual figures for this segment have been mentioned above.

     

    Disney’s Studio entertainment segment reported 18.1 per cent jump in revenue in Q4-2014 at $ 1,778 million (14.4 per cent of TIO) from $ 1,506 million (13 per cent of TIO), but was 1.6 per cent lower than the $ 1,807 million (14.5 per cent of TIO). This segment reported more than double (2.35 times) growth in op Inc in Q4-2014 at $ 254 million (9.2 per cent of overall op inc), but was 38.2 per cent lower than the $ 411 million (10.7 per cent of overall revenue) in Q3-2014. 

     

    Consumer Products 

     

    This segment has two revenue streams – licensing and publishing (licensing); and retail and other (retail).

     

    Consumer products segment reported 12.1 per cent growth in consumer products to $ 3,985 million (8.2 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014 from $ 3,555 million (7.9 per cent of TIO) in the last year. Op inc from this segment for FY-2014 grew 21.9 per cent to $ 1,356 million (10.4 per cent of overall op inc) from $ 1,112 million (10.4 per cent of overall op inc).

     

     Disney’s Consumer products segment reported 6.8 per cent increase in revenue in Q4-2014 to $ 1,072 million (8.7 per cent of TIO) from $ 1,004 million (8.7 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2013 and 18.8 per cent more than the $ 902 million (7.2 per cent of all revenues) in Q3-2014. This segment reported 9.2 per cent hike in op inc to $ 379 million (13.7 per cent of overall op inc) from $ 347 million (14 per cent of overall revenue) in Q4-2013 and 38.8 per cent more than the $ 273 million (7.1 per cent of overall Op Inc) in Q3-2014. 

     

    Disney says that higher operating income from Consumer products was due to an increase at its Merchandise Licensing business driven by the performance of Frozen and Spider-Man merchandise partially offset by lower revenues from Monsters and Iron Man merchandise.

     

    Interactive 

     

    Disney says that Interactive revenues for the quarter (Q4-2014) decreased by $34 million to $362 million, and segment operating income increased to $18 million driven by the success of our mobile game Tsum Tsum and recognition of a minimum guarantee for a games licensing contract. These increases were partially offset by lower Disney Infinity performance due to the timing of the launch of Disney Infinity 2.0, which was launched on 23 September 2014, compared to Disney Infinity 1.0, which was launched on 18 August 2013.

     

     

    Please click here for financial results

  • After ‘Frozen’ Walt Disney announces ‘Moana’

    After ‘Frozen’ Walt Disney announces ‘Moana’

    MUMBAI: Following the recent success of Frozen and Maleficent, Walt Disney Animation Studios has announced a new animated movie, Moana.  Set to be female-led once again, the movie is about a spirited teenager on an impossible mission to fulfill her ancestors’ quest.

    In theaters in late 2016, the film will be directed by The Little Mermaid’s Ron Clements and Jon Musker.

    “John and I have partnered on so many films—from The Little Mermaid to Aladdin to The Princess and the Frog,” said Clements. “Creating Moana is one of the great thrills of our career. It’s a big adventure set in this beautiful world of Oceania.”

    “Moana is indomitable, passionate and a dreamer with a unique connection to the ocean itself. She’s the kind of character we all root for, and we can’t wait to introduce her to audiences,” Musker added.

    The official plot synopsis reads: In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island.

    During her incredible journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore.

    Last year’s Frozen was praised for its two lead female characters and female director, Jennifer Lee. It was named the highest-grossing animated Disney film of all-time in January after earning a massive $1.28 billion worldwide.

     

  • Guinness Book of World Records 2015 to be star studded

    Guinness Book of World Records 2015 to be star studded

    MUMBAI: The Guinness Book of Records 2015 has announced a new list of personalities who broke and created new records this year and it appears to be filled with names of prominent musicians.

     

    Metallica, Eminem, One Direction and Miley Cyrus are among the musicians who have found their way into Guinness World Records 2015 which will be published next week.

     

    Eminem earned the honour for the ‘most words in a hit single’ with his song Rap God, which has him rapping 1,560 words in six minutes nine second. Eminem’s rapping skill has been applauded by the Guinness Book of World Records for the first time.

     

    The band ‘One Direction’ was recognised for being the ‘First act to debut at No. 1 with first three albums’ on the standard-bearing American chart. Their album Midnight Memories debuted at top position last year following the chart-topping successes of Up All Night and Take Me Home in 2012.

     

    While Miley Cyrus has been chosen for being ‘the most searched-for Pop Star on the Internet in a year,’ Shakira is officially the ‘Most liked person on Facebook’. Shakira reached 100 million likes in July on Facebook also making her the ‘First person to reach 100 million likes on Facebook’ and star singer Katy Perry boasts the most Twitter followers in the world, with a count of more than 56 million.

     

    Thanks to their ‘Freeze ‘Em All’ show in Antarctica, Metallica became the first and only band to ‘perform a concert on each of the Earth’s seven continents’.

     

    The band set the record after they entertained 120 scientists and competition winners in a transparent dome at Carlini Station in Antarctica in December 2013.

     

    Among the television and film records listed in the book, the popular movie Frozen has also found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘highest box-office earning for an animated movie’, HBO show Game of Throne is now officially the most copiously pirated show on television. Each episode of the show has been recorded to be downloaded at an average of 5.9 million times. The last show of the recently concluded season alone was downloaded 1 million times.

     

    The DiCaprio-Scorcese movie The Wolf of Wall Street makes record for ‘Most swearing in one film’. The movie has at least 687 expletives at an average of 3.81 swear words per minute.

     

    Guinness World Records 2015 marks the 60th anniversary of the book and will be available on stands from 9 September.

  • Star Movies gets ready for ‘Fast and Furious 6’ world TV premiere

    Star Movies gets ready for ‘Fast and Furious 6’ world TV premiere

    MUMBAI: For its Fast and Furious 6 premiere, Star Movies has put together a high voltage promotional campaign which will see a double premiere on 20 July at 1pm and 9pm. 

      
    Star India English cluster general manager Kevin Vaz says, “So far we have premiered 6o titles. Because of our association with major studios like NBC, Universal Studios, Fox and others we get access to all the premieres and we ensure to open with high octane titles for our audiences.”

     

    When asked why the channel decided to telecast the movie during the 1:00 pm slot, Vaz says “Our core audiences are in this slot. It is also good sampling opportunity and for the convenience of our viewers we will be double premiering it. Earlier we also premiered Life of Pi, Breaking Dawn and A Good Day to Die Hard during the same slot.”

     

    As part of the marketing campaign-‘India’s Fast 6’– six fans will get an opportunity to experience an electrifying ride Fast and Furious style in the super sports car SLS-AMG at the Budh International Circuit, Delhi. For this, viewers need to participate in a contest by logging on to www.Indiasfast6.com through their Facebook or Twitter accounts. They have to then complete a set of tasks leading to the ultimate one-clicking a selfie with the movie in the background while it is on air.

     

    As a countdown to the world premiere, the channel aired the previous five installments of Fast and Furious every Sunday, with the first installment airing on 15 June.

     

    Promos are also on air on sister channels like Star Movies, Star World and Fox Life. The channel has partnered with Jet Airways, PVR, Smaaash and goibibo.com for the premiere. Star Movies will engage with its audiences on Twitter, wherein participants stand a chance to win limited edition Fast and Furious collectibles like sports car and pen-drives every day. Using the #FastBid, they can bid for merchandises.

     

    As part of its future premieres Vaz says, “Wolverine will air on 15 August followed by other titles like Thor, Frozen and Captain America later in the year.”

  • Ellen’s star-studded selfie at Oscars 2014 crashes Twitter

    Ellen’s star-studded selfie at Oscars 2014 crashes Twitter

    MUMBAI: Topping President Barack Obama’s iconic “four more years” tweet, Ellen’s star-studded selfie twitpic at the 86th Annual Academy Awards a.k.a. Oscars that included Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyung’o, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kevin Spacy, Jared Leto, Julia Roberts, Channing Tatum and Ellen DeGeneres broke Twitter records as the most retweeted tweet with over 2 million retweets and counting. Also photobombing the twitpic was Lupita’s younger brother, Junior.

     

    From Liza Minneli’s wardrobe malfunction to Jennifer Lawrence’s embarrassing fall, host Ellen DeGeneres wasted no time in poking fun at the stars in her opening monologue. “If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar,” DeGeneres joked to 22-year-old Lawrence. Ellen also refused to be drawn into who dressed best before declaring that Jared Leto was “the prettiest”.

     

    Starting off the big wins was Jared Leto who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal as a transvestite in Dallas Buyers Club, while Lupita Nyung’o took home her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years a Slave.

     

    Later, Frozen was awarded the Best Animated Feature with producers Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho appearing utterly unsurprised. Gravity topped the Oscar winning list 7 wins including Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Score and Best Director Award for Alfanso Cuaron.

     

    In addition to Best Supporting Actor and Best Hairstyle and Makeup, Dallas Buyers Club also took home the third Oscar with Matthew McConaughey winning the Best Actor Oscar. 12 Years a Slave won the big Best Picture Oscar and Best Adapted Screenplay.

     

    For comic relief, host Ellen DeGeneres dressed herself as the White Witch to pay an homage to The Wizard of Oz which was continued with a delightful rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by P!NK. Other memorable music performances included Karen O and Ezra Koenig’s duet of “The Moon Song” from Her, with Pharell Williams performing the peppy number “Happy” from Despicable Me 2 and Idina Menzel serenaded the extremely popular “Let It Go” from Frozen, which won the Best Original Song Oscar.

     

    The Oscar winners:

    Best Picture: “12 Years a Slave”

    Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Gravity”

    Lead Actor: Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

    Lead Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

    Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

    Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”

    Best Adapted Screenplay: “12 Years a Slave,” John Ridley

    Best Original Screenplay: “Her,” Spike Jonze

    Achievement in Costume Design: “The Great Gatsby,” Catherine Martin

    Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: “Dallas Buyers Club,” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews

    Best Animated Short Film: “Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares

    Best Animated Feature Film: “Frozen”

    Achievement in Visual Effects: “Gravity,” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk and Neil Corbould

    Best Live Action Short Film: “Helium,” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson

    Best Documentary Short Subject: “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed

    Best Documentary Feature: “20 Feet from Stardom,” Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers

    Best Foreign Language Film: “The Great Beauty,” Italy 

    Achievement in Sound Mixing: “Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro

    Achievement in Cinematography: “Gravity,” Emmanuel Lubezki

    Achievement in Sound Editing: “Gravity,” Glenn Freemantle

    Achievement in Film Editing: “Gravity,” Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger

    Achievement in Production Design: “The Great Gatsby,” Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn

    Best Original Score: “Gravity”, Steven Price

    Best Original Song: “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and performed by Idina Menzel

  • ‘Gravity’ and ‘American Hustle’ lead the 2014 Oscar Nominations

    ‘Gravity’ and ‘American Hustle’ lead the 2014 Oscar Nominations

    MUMBAI: The 86th Academy Awards nominations were announced on the morning of 16 January in Beverly Hills, Calif. The nominations were led by the 3-D space odyssey Gravity and the con artist caper American Hustle, both with 10 nominations. The harrowing historical epic – 12 Years a Slave trailed closely with nine nominations.

     

    The three are among the nine films nominated for Best Picture. The other nominees are Captain Phillips, ‘Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Nebraska, The Wolf of Wall Street and Philomena.

     

    The best director nominees are David O. Russell for American Hustle, Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity, Alexander Payne for Nebraska, Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave, and Martin Scorsese for Paramount’s The Wolf of Wall Street.

     

    The Best Actor nominees include Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave, Bruce Dern for Nebraska, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street, Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club and Christian Bale for American Hustle. The 77-year-old Dern is an Oscar nominee for the second time, 35 years after his nomination for Hal Ashby’s Coming Home. 

     

    The Best Actress nominees are Amy Adams for American Hustle, Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine, Sandra Bullock for Gravity, Judi Dench for Philomena and Meryl Streep for August: Osage County. With her nomination, Streep pads her record for most acting nominations. This is her 18th nod, including three wins, the last for 2011’s The Iron Lady.

     

    Woody Allen scored his record 16th screenwriting nomination for Blue Jasmine. Also up for original screenplay is American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, Her and Nebraska. In the adapted screenplay category are Before Midnight, Captain Phillips, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave and The Wolf of Wall Street.

     

    Pixar, usually a mainstay in the Best Animation category, wasn’t in the list this time. Monsters University, however, ruled the segment with Frozen, The Wind Rises, Despicable Me 2, The Croods and Ernest & Celestine.

     

    The first original song finalist announced was the title song from a rookie film called Alone Yet Not Alone in the mix with U2, Pharrell Williams, Karen O and the traditional Disney entry.

  • New iPad app explores Disney Animation process

    New iPad app explores Disney Animation process

    MUMBAI: Disney Interactive has released Disney Animated, an iPad application that gives users access to the art and technology behind dozens of feature films from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

    Disney Animated was created in collaboration with Touch Press and Walt Disney Animation Studios. The app features interactive illustrations and animation workshops based on real Disney technology, as well as text, art, sound, images and interviews from throughout the studio’s history. It also includes an exclusive first look at footage, concept art, animation tests and visual effects from Frozen, an upcoming Disney movie.

    “At Disney Interactive we are committed to building new, high-quality storytelling experiences that leverage digital technologies and platforms,” said Disney Interactive Entertainment senior VP Mark L. Walker. 

    “Through the power of the iPad, we are bringing fans closer than ever to their favorite Walt Disney Animation Studio films and the art and technology of making those films. Disney Animated represents a rare moment when innovation, technology and art converge to create an experience that is entirely new.”