August 31, 2009

Walt Disney buys Marvel Entertainment for $4 Billion!

The run of news stories continues with this one from Variety:

The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to acquire Marvel Ent. in a stock and cash transaction worth $4 billion.

Under the terms of the deal, Marvel shareholders would receive $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own. Based on the closing price of Disney stock on Friday, the transaction value is $50 per Marvel share or approximately $4 billion.

Disney will acquire ownership of more than 5,000 Marvel characters, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor.

The boards of both companies have approved the pact, which is subject to antitrust review and the approval of Marvel shareholders.

Robert A. Iger, Mouse House prexy and CEO, said in a statement: "This transaction combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney's creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories."

-No idea if this is good or bad news yet...all depends on what happens to the product...Thoughts?

7 comments:

  1. Signs that the recession is ending?

    I don't think it'll be a huge issue unless Disney charge more for companies to use marvel characters.

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  2. If it's the kind of thing where Pixar was able to flourish, then it's all good, but if they mess with the formula too much, it'll be bad...

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  3. I don't think Disney is going to fuck with the movies. They have to honor their contracts, so it won't be a concern for Iron Man. I read an article, and apparently they just want to expand their portfolio to attract dudes. They still have to honor their contracts. My only concern is that Disney's characters are typically portrayed as wholesome and good. Many of Marvel characters go against the initial mantra that Walt Disney stood for. Hopefully this will not result in characters getting modified, but since they own them, anything can change right?

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  4. Being a huge comic fan this concerns me a bit...not sure if they're gonna mess up the whole Avengers thing Marvel has going...

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  5. So long as they keep their "family values" fingers out of the Marvel pie it should be okay. But if they start watering things down to be more prissy and lovey-dovey there's going to be problems.

    PS. Don't you love my professional, articulate terminology?

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  6. I don't understand the concern people have over Disney making Marvel more "family friendly". This is Disney we're talking about - the people who released Pulp Fiction under Miramax. They know what sells and they market it appropriately. They won't do anything to the Marvel properties except allow Marvel to publish smaller titles with less fear of cancellation.

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  7. indeed, in the end i'm not particularly worried

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