On January 9, 2026, Disney CEO Bob Iger met with Politburo member Li Xi in Beijing to discuss deepening the company’s strategic partnership in China. State media reported that the agenda included expanding film distribution, developing theme park attractions, and accelerating investment in local content production. The meeting comes as Disney leverages its brand equity to capture growth in the world’s second-largest economy, where its Shanghai and Hong Kong parks welcomed over 25 million visitors in 2025. Iger underscored Disney’s plan to co-produce up to five Mandarin-language feature films over the next three years, positioning the company to capitalize on China’s projected 5% annual box office growth through 2030.

At CES 2026, Disney announced it will roll out a vertical short-form video experience on Disney+ later this year. Building on the success of its ESPN app feed, the new feature will surface original clips, social media recaps and scenes from Disney’s extensive catalog. Erin Teague, EVP of Product Management for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, highlighted that the experience will “evolve seamlessly with user behavior,” aiming to boost daily engagement and attract Gen Z subscribers. Internal data shows that similar vertical-video offerings drove a 12% increase in average session duration on ESPN, suggesting potential for subscriber retention gains on Disney+.

Disney’s Experiences segment, which includes theme parks, resorts and cruises, generated 38% of company revenue but delivered 57% of segment operating income in fiscal 2025. Despite a marginal 1% decline in domestic attendance last year, per-capita spending across U.S. parks rose 6%, and hotel occupancy remained above 90%, underscoring resilient demand. The segment’s strong cash flow enabled Disney to increase its annual dividend by 8% and repurchase $4 billion of shares. With global park investments totaling $6.5 billion through 2027, management projects an additional 4–5% compound annual growth in segment operating profits over the next three years.