While 2024 might not have been the most successful year for The Walt Disney Company to date, it was still a good year with a number of notable accomplishments, although some were more controversial than others. In both Disneyland and Disney World, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened, replacing Splash Mountain, probably the most divisive thing Disney has done at the theme parks in a while.
Many fans know that Disney has had some real box office struggles in recent years, but 2024 saw a massive rebound. Disney was the ONLY studio to surpass $2 billion at the domestic box office, mainly thanks to films like Inside Out 2 and Moana 2. It was also the first studio to surpass $5 billion at the global box office since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Related: Disney Bounces Back Big Time Ahead of Year-End Call With CEO Bob Iger
There are a lot of exciting things coming to Disney Parks in 2025, but we are already looking ahead to 2026, when Disney will experience one of the biggest changes a company can have — the departure of a CEO.
Bob Iger originally stepped down as CEO in February 2020, but he was back less than three years later, after a disastrous tenure by former Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek. Mr. Iger was originally supposed to stay through 2024, but his contract was extended through the end of 2026.
However, some experts predict Mr. Iger might step down early or at least announce his successor well before his departure. Those same experts say this would cause a major player at Disney to leave.
CNBC spoke to a number of media experts and asked them what their predictions were for 2025. They spoke about a number of companies, including Disney, and they predict that Dana Walden — the co-chair of Disney Entertainment — will leave the company for greener pastures.
Ms. Walden is currently on the shortlist to succeed Bob Iger, but those experts don’t think she will get the job.
Disney has already said it plans to delay naming a new CEO until early 2026, so this prediction assumes the company will slightly move up the announcement. Walden, Disney’s co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, is the ultimate Hollywood insider who many view as the front-runner for the job. The board is taking its time vetting candidates after the handoff from Iger to Bob Chapek in 2020 did not go very well.
A second executive posited that NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios chairman Donna Langley will be considered for the job as a challenge to Walden and other internal candidates.
Related: Powerful Disney Executive Working Behind Scenes To Replace Bob Iger
Now, it is important to note that these experts are merely making predictions. No official announcement has been made, and we do not know who is at the top of Iger’s list. Should he pick Ms. Walden, she would be the first female CEO in Walt Disney’s 100-year history.
Ms. Walden is currently in the running against her Disney Entertainment co-chair, Alan Bergman, current Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro, and Jimmy Pitaro, the head of ESPN.
While many predict a Disney insider will replace Mr. Iger, there is a chance he will pick an outsider to lead the Mouse House when he leaves.
Who would you like to see take Bob Iger’s place when he leaves? Should it be someone already at Disney, or an outsider? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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