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[Kristof]

Just in!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co said on Monday it plans to buy Marvel Entertainment Inc for $4 billion in a deal that would add characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four to its entertainment empire.

The cash and stock deal values Marvel at $50 per share, or a premium of 29 percent to Marvel's closing stock price of $38.65 on Friday. The deal has been approved by the boards of both companies.

Marvel's shares shot up to $48.70 in premarket trade. Shares of Disney, which will acquire ownership more than 5,000 Marvel characters, dropped about 3 percent in premarket trade.

Marvel shareholders would receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... 3120090831

 :shock:

[Rorschach]

I hope we won't see Spider-Man, Iron Man etc in Disneyland :?

[-breeno-]

:shock:

Didn't see this coming.  Great news in my opinion, i love all of the Marvel comics and movies.  Would this mean now the upcoming Marvel movies will be released under Disney?

I hope we won't see Spider-Man, Iron Man etc in Disneyland :?

Why not?  We already have Star Wars and Indiana Jones in Disneyland  Although is there not already Marvel based attractions at Universal (Spider-Man and Hulk i think), what would that mean to them?

[Barnsey313]

I hope we won't see Spider-Man, Iron Man etc in Disneyland :?

I second that to include rides as well. Star wars and Indiana Jones are at least slightly Disneyish to start with whereas marvel characters are.... well... not. Hopefully with them being very american characters they won't find their way over to paris in a hurry.

I mean look at them:

 :cry:

[Pete's Dragon]

:shock:

Didn't see this coming.  Great news in my opinion, i love all of the Marvel comics and movies.  Would this mean now the upcoming Marvel movies will be released under Disney?

I hope we won't see Spider-Man, Iron Man etc in Disneyland :?

Why not?  We already have Star Wars and Indiana Jones in Disneyland  Although is there not already Marvel based attractions at Universal (Spider-Man and Hulk i think), what would that mean to them?

Star Wars and Indy are, in my opinion, more of a novelty. A slight break from the norm, if you will. And just about palatable. But both are contained to their respective rides and fit within the theme of the 'lands'. I'm glad we don't have a Star Wars float in the parades (please tell me there isnt one) or C-3P0 greeting you at breakfast.
My biggest fear is having Wolverine, the Hulk, Ironman, Fantastic Four etc. walking down Main Street and acting like they belong.
I wouldn't even consider a 3rd Marvel-themed park a good idea either. If they do go down that road someday, let them go way way down the road i.e. Barcelona  :wink:

There's just a few questions are far as movie rights go. Fox still have the rights to Fantastic Four and the X-Men , Colombia (Sony) has Spiderman. The only one solely under Marvel's roof is Ironman (well, Hulk too..... but it stinks). Are these deals still in place ? Will Disney buy the contracts back, or try to influence how these films would have otherwise been made ? Spiderman 3 was bad enough due to interference from the studio (Venom - a Sam Raimi hated character).

All in all, I hope that the purchase of Marvel in financially sucessful for Disney, but the 2 companies better stay separate as far as everything else goes.
Question - how happy would a comic book fan be to find a guest appearance of Chip and Dale in a Dealpool comic, or Princess Aurora in need of rescuing from Gambit.

[dagobert]

I'm also not sure about a superhero ride at Disneyland.

Is Disney now the biggest entertainment company in the world?

[AmericanMouse]

So I say don't be surprised to see Spidey, Hulk, the Fantasic Four and some others at a Disney Park (Walt Disney Studios, California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios)  near you as Universal bails out in response.

[Pete's Dragon]

"We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation," Iger said.

This is the word I'm clinging to, 'Brands'. Not a merger, or an amalgamation, a separate brand.
You would never dream of Kelloggs mixing its different brands e.g. Coco Pops and Special K in the same box ? No.
Heinz - Vegtable Soup, now with added Baked Beans. No.
Coke - Fanta and Sprite, with a dash of River Rock. No (actually Coke, Fanta and Sprite mixed is pretty nice. Ask for it next time in McD's!!!)

As Gandalf said to Frodo " Keep it Separate, Keep it Safe " ..........or was it secret,umm

[RnRCj]

:shock:

My exact reaction.

For now, I'm speechless. Are you sure this isn't some super-late April Fools prank?!

[Willow]

From a Theme Park point of view this isn't good for the anti-character brigade.  :wink:

Disney had better not touch Spiderman at Islands of Adventure or I'll be very annoyed. (I think they will see sense and leave Universals deal alone though)

[davewasbaloo]

I've had it confirmed from one of my inside sources, existing licences (e.g. IOA) are unlikely to change unless Universal wish to do so. The 5 film deals in the work inc. Ironman 2 will remain in place, but then Disney can start making their films.

It will be interesting to see how this goes. Could be good for WDSP. But I am very nervous given how much Disney have been screwing up lately. It could of course end up like Narnia or the Muppets, but who knows.

[MizzRabbit]

Oh, I hope this wont happen. I'm a huge Marvel and comic book fan and I just don't think these two universes should in any way be linked. Not at all. This is very upsetting news. I don't want to see a Disney logo on my comic books! And I don't want Disney to be the production company behind my beloved Marvel movies. Disney makes magic, Marvel makes superheroes and action. Two very different things in my opinion. VERY upsetting news!

[CentralPlazaPerson]

I could see Spidey and Iron Man at Walt Disney Studios maybe in around Production Courtyard and Backlot and maybe hold marvel meet and greets. I just hope they don't get in the way of the magic!

[Barnsey313]

I just don't think these two universes should in any way be linked. Disney makes magic, Marvel makes superheroes and action. Two very different things in my opinion. VERY upsetting news!

Couldn't agree more and I hope as Pete's Dragon said, Disney will act merely as production/investor company and not attempt to sell thousands of marvel toys etc. under the Disney name.

[Kristof]

Reuters has updated their article:

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment Inc for $4 billion in a deal that would add characters such as Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four to its entertainment empire.

Disney is striking the biggest media deal of the year -- one that unites the Incredible Hulk and Mickey Mouse -- at a time when the entertainment business is struggling to cope with big spending cutbacks by both consumers and advertisers.

It is also paying a substantial price, a 29 percent premium for Marvel shareholders, and is undertaking its largest acquisition since the $7.6 billion purchase of Pixar in 2006.

But none of those risks deterred Disney from seeking out a deal to address an area of concern among investors: How can it better reach more young males.

"This helps give Disney more important exposure to the young male demographic that they have sort of lost some ground with in recent years," said David Joyce, an analyst with Miller Tabak & Co.

Indeed, Disney has long been a blockbuster brand with girls thanks to characters such as "Hannah Montana," "Cinderella" and "Snow White," but has struggled to achieve the same kind of success with boys.

Movies such as "Iron Man 2," due to hit the theaters next year, or 2011's "Spider-Man 4" and "Avengers" should help resolve that issue.

Moreover, Disney will be able to use its marketing and entertainment might -- stretching from ABC to cable television to theme parks -- to promote and build characters such as "Thor" in ways Marvel never could.

To acquire Marvel, Disney agreed to pay a total of $30 per share in cash plus about 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own. The deal was approved by the boards of both companies.

The shares of Marvel, which was founded in 1939 and rolled out its first blockbuster character, Captain America, in 1941, shot up to a high of $49.29 before falling a bit to $48.38 in afternoon trading.

Disney approached Marvel a few months ago "to get to know them," Disney Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs told Reuters on Monday. The overture began with a meeting between Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger and Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter and evolved into merger discussions over a series of meetings, Staggs said.

"We at Disney had admired them because of their position and asset base," Staggs said. "With conversations over time we came to believe in the value of a combination."

The shares of Disney, which will acquire ownership more than 5,000 Marvel characters, were down about 3.5 percent in afternoon trading. The deal is expected to close by year-end, but will not add to Disney earnings until fiscal 2012.

The acquisition came as a surprise, even though Iger had mentioned recently the company would consider acquisitions that bolstered Disney brands across international markets and on new technology platforms.

While it could kick-start more deal making in the media sector -- where stocks have outperformed the broader Standard & Poor's 500 this year -- few analysts see another bidder making a play for Marvel.

A major reason is the presence of Marvel's Perlmutter, who owns 37 percent of the company and will continue to oversee it within the Disney empire. Perlmutter will trade his stake in Marvel for a 1 percent stake in Disney, but will not receive a seat on its board of directors -- as did Pixar CEO Steve Jobs, a Disney spokesman said.

Disney executives drew a number of parallels between the Pixar and Marvel deals, and suggested it would keep the Marvel brand intact.

"The goal here is not to rebrand Marvel," Iger said on a conference call.

Caris & Co analyst David Miller said Disney was "sandbagging a little" by estimating the deal would not add to its earnings for another two years.

"They said the same thing with the Pixar deal," said Miller, who has "above average" ratings on both Disney and Marvel. "I think they will make it accretive a lot sooner. They are underpromising, as they always do."

Miller said Disney would have to wait until Marvel's five- picture distribution deal with Viacom Inc's

Paramount expires to realize the full economic benefit of its films, but would immediately see a boost from its licensing operations.

"This is going to catapult Disney's consumer products line in a huge way," Miller said. "I believe this is going to do more for Disney Consumer Products than for the film studio."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... 3120090831