Disney parks boss Josh D'Amaro touts Mouse House bona fides as succession chatter rages
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro brought his mouse ears to Wall Street Wednesday, in what is seen as part of a high-profile tryout to determine which of the Burbank entertainment giant's executives has the mettle and finesse to succeed Chief Executive Bob Iger.
Speaking before investors at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference, the 54-year-old theme parks chief touted the power and promise of his division, which includes resorts, cruise lines and video games.
He leaned into the company's rigorous management techniques and its ambitions. One of D'Amaro's strengths is his enthusiasm for the fabled company, seen as a prerequisite for succeeding Iger. He's spent most of his adult life - nearly 27 years - at Disney.
"It feels like it went by in a moment," D'Amaro said. "I'm so proud to work for the Walt Disney Co."
D'Amaro's assignment could have been a tricky one.
This week in New York has long been reserved for television executives, and it was Iger who, with the help of Mickey Mouse, led a parade of stars to woo advertisers during Walt Disney Co.'s annual upfront programming presentation a day earlier.
Early next year, Disney's board is expected to name a new CEO to take the reins in late 2026, when Iger is scheduled to retire. D'Amaro is among the leading contenders. The co-chairs of Disney Entertainment, Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, also are in the running. So is ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Disney's board has said it plans to consider external candidates as well.
But observers believe that D'Amaro's stock has been rising.
Disney declined to comment on succession speculation.
For Disney's board, the stakes couldn't be higher. The last time it orchestrated a CEO handoff - to another parks leader, Bob Chapek - the arrangement imploded, prompting Iger's rapid return.
D'Amaro on Wednesday recalled that November 2022 event, saying that when Iger returned to the Burbank headquarters, D'Amaro brought him a bulky binder that included detailed updates for each component of the enormous parks and experiences division.
Iger dropped by D'Amaro's office the following day with the 250-page binder in hand.
"He pulled out one page," D'Amaro said, noting that Iger had identified that "we have plenty of room to grow this business. We've got land in all of our locations around the world. ... We've got the stories [and] we've got the fans."
The example was designed to pay tribute to Iger's prowess and leadership, but it also underscored that D'Amaro's parks and experiences division remains key to Disney's success.
Disney has pledged to spend $60 billion during the next decade to expand and revitalize resorts and theme parks. It expects to double its fleet of cruise lines. The company also has invested $1.5 billion in "Fortnite" developer Epic Games to tap into the growing revenue potential of video gamers.
D'Amaro's conference appearance came a week after Disney delivered impressive quarterly earnings, propelling the stock to climb more than 20%, regaining market ground lost since last fall. Shares inched up 1.4% Wednesday to $112.94.
Operating income at the domestic theme parks and experiences division, which includes cruise lines, rose 13% to $1.8 billion.
Disney also announced a major expansion in the Middle East, where it is planning to build its seventh theme park.
"We looked around the world ... and ended up in Abu Dhabi," D'Amaro said. That region has emerged as an entertainment hub within the United Arab Emirates, where the new park will join SeaWorld and Ferrari World.
"If you look at a four-hour flight radius into Abu Dhabi, a third of the world's population is there," D'Amaro said. "We think that there are half a billion consumers that have the right Disney affinity and income to visit one of these theme parks."
Disney is collaborating with Miral Group, an arm of the Abu Dhabi government, which will pay for the multibillion-dollar construction, in a departure from Disney's long-held practice of owning its parks.
Disney won't loosen its grip on the creative elements, D'Amaro said, adding Miral will "ultimately operate the project with a significant amount of oversight from us."
This wasn't the first time D'Amaro has presented at an investor conference. Two years ago, D'Amaro took the stage at the JP Morgan technology and media conference. Other executives have also made the rounds.
In March, Walden spoke at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference. That same month D'Amaro and Bergman appeared onstage together to present "The Future of World-Building at Disney" at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
Hollywood insiders believe Disney needs an Iger-like successor, someone who has a deft touch with talent and is deeply familiar with the television and movie side of the business.
Walden and Bergman also manage a prestigious portfolio, which includes the critically important Disney+ and Hulu streaming services.
D'Amaro, a Massachusetts native, has earned celebrity status among Disney's faithful.
He occasionally mingles with park-goers, a treat for Disney superfans who post TikTok videos in public display of affection. In those clips, D'Amaro is typically beaming, elevating him to a jolly brand ambassador for the "happiest place on earth."
"I've been very fortunate," D'Amaro said of his 27 years at Disney, saying the tenure has allowed him "to connect with and meet a lot of our executives and understand the different businesses, which makes it a bit easier to navigate and keep connected with the rest of the company."
Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
2 hours ago
- Digital Trends
Watch this Atlas rocket zip to the launchpad for Amazon's Kuiper launch
United Launch Alliance (ULA) has started the countdown clock for the deployment of Amazon's second batch of Project Kuiper internet satellites. The rocket operator released a time-lapse video on Sunday showing the Atlas V rocket moving from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida. ULA chief Tory Bruno noted that while the rocket appears to hurtle to its destination, the vehicle carrying it is actually moving at a mere 3 mph. Mighty Atlas out for a stroll and back on the pad. Ps this is a time-lapse. IRL, the 2.5M pound Mobile Launch Platform travels at a blistering 3 mph or so. — Tory Bruno (@ 2025-06-21T18:39:04.920Z The mission was supposed to get away last week but technical issues and weather concerns caused the launch date to shift to Monday. Recommended Videos When the Atlas V heads skyward at 6:54 a.m. ET on Monday morning, it'll deploy 27 Project Kuiper satellites to a low-Earth orbit, joining the 27 satellites launched by the same rocket in April. Similar to SpaceX's Starlink service, Amazon's Project Kuiper is designed to bring fast, reliable internet to customers and communities around the world, with a particular focus on unserved and underserved communities. But having started its satellite deployment in 2019, and now with a constellation of more than 7,000 serving more than 5 million customers globally, Starlink is currently some distance ahead of Project Kuiper. Amazon is aiming for a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites, which it aims to have in place by the end of this decade. Before then, possibly before the end of this year, Amazon hopes to be able to start offering a high-speed, low-latency internet service with just 1,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit. Expanding the constellation to the planned 3,200 satellites will enhance network performance and reliability for customers. The e-commerce giant and cloud services powerhouse is investing more than $10 billion in Project Kuiper, which is expected to significantly expand global internet access. If you're interested in watching the launch as it happens, here's everything you need to know.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
I Just Found Out Super Nintendo World Has A New 'Bomb' Popcorn Bucket, And I Can't Wait To Try And Take This Through TSA
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The popcorn bucket industrial complex has been growing at an exponential rate. Once only the purview of theme parks, intricately-designed popcorn buckets are now found at every movie theater advertising your favorite blockbuster. Disney World is still the king of the popcorn bucket, though Universal Orlando Resort has created some great ones in recent years. This new Universal Studios bucket for Super Nintendo World may be one of the best, and also the most complicated to bring home. Universal Studios Japan just debuted a brand-new popcorn bucket for its Super Nintendo World. It's a 'Bob-omb,' the anthropomorphic explosive device from the Mario games that looks like the classic cartoon version of a bomb, that might raise a few eyebrows when trying to get it through airport security. I mean, I have no idea what airport security would think if they saw this go through an X-ray machine. It might only scan as a hollow piece of plastic, but if anybody gave it a serious look, I can imagine some security officials having questions. It doesn't look like a 'real' weapon, but certainly the TSA could still take issue with it based on how other people might perceive it if they saw it. If the TSA can take issue with "thermal detonator" Coke bottles, then a "bomb"-shaped popcorn bucket is absolutely fair game. As somebody who was mildly worried I might have an issue when I brought my Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lightsaber through airport security, I honestly might get nervous trying to transport this. Of course, if I was too nervous, that might be when security would get concerned. This may be one of the best popcorn buckets ever devised. First off, it looks perfect as a 'real' version of the Bomb-omb, which was introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2. However, it's also functional, as it makes for a simple receptacle for popcorn, and is even round, which is going to make cleaning the thing a lot easier. The only problem with the Bob-omb bucket is that right now, it's only available at Universal Studios Japan. That park had the first Super Nintendo World, so it's not surprising that it debuted the bucket. That said, we now have two Super Nintendo Worlds in the U.S.: a small one at Universal Studios Hollywood and a much larger version at the brand-new Epic Universe park at Universal Orlando Resort. One imagines that if the popcorn bucket proves popular, the design will make its way stateside. Currently, the only popcorn bucket available at Super Nintendo World on either coast is themed to Mario Kart. While it looks cool, I would buy the Bob-omb bucket in a second, even if I were going to have some explaining to do to get it home.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘How to Train Your Dragon' Stays No. 1 as ‘Elio' Earns Pixar's Lowest Box Office Opening
Universal/DreamWorks' 'How to Train Your Dragon' will hold on to the No. 1 spot at the box office with a $35 million second weekend, topping the estimated $30 million opening of Sony's '28 Years Later' and the studio-worst $20 million start of Disney/Pixar's 'Elio.' The 'How to Train Your Dragon' remake is dropping 58% from its opening weekend for a 10-day domestic total of $159 million. It needs to pass $217 million to become the top domestic grossing film in the 'HTTYD' franchise before inflation adjustment. With families flocking to the familiar face of the dragon Toothless on the big screen, Pixar's 'Elio' is having a harder time drumming up interest as an original animated film with just $9 million earned on its opening day from 3,750 theaters. As a result, its $20 million estimated opening weekend has passed the $29.6 million opening of 'Elemental' for the lowest opening ever for a Pixar film. If this result holds, 'Elio' would have a lower opening weekend than the $22 million that last year's 'Inside Out 2' made in just its first Monday in U.S. theaters following its $154.2 million opening weekend. While Disney was hoping for an opening closer to what 'Elemental' earned, the poor start of that film followed by its lengthy box office run has prepared them and theaters for the possibility of a rebound for 'Elio.' And the good news is that like 'Elemental,' reception for 'Elio' has been very strong with an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score and an A from audiences on CinemaScore. For Disney, the hope now is that this strong audience buzz will reach the ears of audiences who either don't have 'Elio' on their movie radar or went to go see 'How to Train Your Dragon' first will come back around to see this original film based on its word-of-mouth, particularly during Fourth of July weekend. Things are looking better for '28 Years Later,' Sony/Columbia's legacyquel to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's famed 2002 horror film '28 Days Later.' The $30-31 million start is consistent with pre-release box office tracking and puts it on pace for a decent theatrical run against its $60 million budget. The bigger question is whether this film will drum up enough sustained interest for Boyle and Garland to turn it into a trilogy. The second installment, '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,' is set to come out this winter, but the third film has yet to be greenlit. While critics have praised the film with a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, its more cerebral nature and unexpected tonal shifts have left audiences mixed with a 66% RT audience score and a B on CinemaScore. Whether that causes its theatrical run to be more frontloaded remains to be seen. The post 'How to Train Your Dragon' Stays No. 1 as 'Elio' Earns Pixar's Lowest Box Office Opening appeared first on TheWrap.
