Capital Expenditures at Disney's domestic theme parks to be cut by 700 million dollars

Feb 08, 2023 in "The Walt Disney Company"

Posted: Wednesday February 8, 2023 5:11pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

During today's quarterly earnings call, Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said that fiscal 2023 capital expenditures would total approximately $6 billion.

Disney's spending will be cut by 700 million dollars at the domestic theme parks

This is lower than the prior guide of $6.7 billion due to decreases in CapEx at the domestic Disney theme parks. Christine added that the reduction in spending is partly due to "timing shifts."

Disney CFO Christine McCarthy today revealed a $700 million decrease in CapEx

Capital Expenditures (CapEx) are funds used by a company to create new projects and maintain physical assets.

It isn't immediately clear what projects will be impacted by the spending decrease.

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No NameFeb 10, 2023

I mean this is the same company that lied to investors in 2014 about an extra $800 million going toward “new attractions and entertainment” in Shanghai Disneyland. It obviously went toward cost overruns. 9 years later, there’s no additional attractions and nobody has questioned them on it. It’s easy to throw around numbers when you never have to go into specifics and everyone will forget about it by next week.

lentestaFeb 10, 2023

I was really surprised by this, so I think the $1 b I heard was wrong.

JoeCamelFeb 10, 2023

Peltz sent out proxy materials or said he would? I got nothing

Poseidon QuestFeb 09, 2023

Both Universal parks are kitchen sink experiences with a loose theme to tie them together. "Studio" at the studios (even if the movie making aspect has diminished over the years) and "Adventure" at Islands. Hollywood Studios used to be like this until Disney decided to actively remove the one unifying studio theme from the park.

MinthorneFeb 09, 2023

First cut - they are not repainting the back of space mountain.

flynnibusFeb 09, 2023

Yeah, but it doesn't work quite that way. 1 - They had to buy all that stock - money isn't normally free.. someone is fronting that or wanting something in return. This could also be leveraged from other assets. 2 - Think of all the money they spent on their campaign. DIS has over 800k shareholders... Even if you only spent a dollar on each one... you're pushing a million dollar budget. All the hustling they did, all the firms they hired, all the materials they sent out.. I bet they spent millions. Think how many lawyers, bankers, PR people, finance people were all involved... with their hand out too. Then think of all the swooning that had to happen when you are talking top tier investors.. you don't do that in the amtrak train station :). It's big money being spent on this stuff, but they also try to make big money. They make money through the hustle and try to cash out - They need the cash for the next hustle. They don't usually get to sit and keep all the stock they bought for leverage ('you can't keep 'em all'). The best outcome for them is the rise in stock price and then selling that back off to be liquid for the next "opportunity". They make money through price pumping, buyouts, and selling off assets... not building a portfolio. These guys spend like crazy because the upside is so good. You don't swing a billion (or even 800M) around to make $1-2 million... This is a pretty major defeat for them to not get any direct payout. Right now their upside really is just the stock appreciation which they'll turn around and start bleeding off to cash out if they can't get anyone to take their slot.

Casper GutmanFeb 09, 2023

You were the one who brought up EUs building schedule. Seems a fair comparison. And perhaps if Disney had slipped a nice new dark ride in between the two very similar sci-fi coasters in the dark (or had opened the better one second) Tron’s deficiencies wouldn’t be quite so glaring.

JoeCamelFeb 09, 2023

That target monorail set might look cute under the Christmas tree but try shoving a sweaty family from Colorado in it after the 3 o'clock parade

Disstevefan1Feb 09, 2023

I like Target but I do most of my shopping on Amazon. Now THATS magical! A couple of clicks in the morning and your item is at your door step the same day! Like magic!

JoeCamelFeb 09, 2023

They can afford to replace the monorails but what store will you go to when you go shopping?

JoeCamelFeb 09, 2023

So if they dump the entire 700M they are cutting from the capital spend into restoring a divided that would be $0.38 a share. Peltz has/controls ?? about $800M worth or ~ 750000 shares for a cool 2.7M a year in his pocket. Not bad for a couple of letters, a slide deck, a press conference and a couple of weeks work. Plus any appreciation of the stock....

Disstevefan1Feb 09, 2023

The money TWDC loses more money on D+ every year than if Disney built a new cruise ship every year and immediately sunk it. And WDW “cant afford’ to replace the monorails or do something with the Life pavilion.