Latest news with #StarWars
Business Insider
38 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Disney and Coca-Cola Stock Look to Strike Back with Star Wars Push
Coca-Cola (KO) and Disney (DIS) aren't just celebrating 70 years of partnership, they're reigniting two of the most recognizable brands on Earth at a time when both could use a bit of magic in their stock stories. The launch of Coca-Cola's new Star Wars -themed campaign, 'Refresh Your Galaxy,' isn't just a fizzy nostalgia play. It's a calculated brand offensive with shareholder implications. Confident Investing Starts Here: Brand Equity Goes Galactic At first glance, it's collectible cans and hologram gimmicks. But zoom out. You've got 30 limited-edition Coke designs hitting shelves in global markets from Asia to the Americas. It's not just about fans collecting, it's about reigniting emotional loyalty with one of the most commercially powerful fanbases in history. For Coca-Cola, this kind of cross-generational marketing doesn't just spike short-term sales. It builds long-term equity. We're talking retail uplift, social media engagement, and maybe most importantly: pricing power. Limited edition packaging gives Coke a reason to flex its premium branding muscle in an increasingly competitive beverage landscape. And yes, collectors will buy more than one. Disney's Content Flywheel Gets New Fuel On the other side of the can: Disney (DIS). The House of Mouse is juicing the Star Wars IP across platforms. From cinema ads to in-park exclusives, this campaign is a masterclass in ecosystem monetization. Theme park traffic? Boosted. Coke's exclusive designs are only available at Disney parks in Florida and California. That's incremental spend on-site, plus food, merch, and everything else that comes with a theme park visit. Disney also wins from eyeballs. The ad spot, a crowd of cosplayers using Coke bottles as lightsabers in a theater screening A New Hope, is engineered to go viral. Viral means reach, and reach means more subscriptions, more merch, more ticket sales. The Impact on Disney and Coca-Cola Stock For Coca-Cola, this isn't just brand theater. It's a margin story. Limited editions help drive volume, but more importantly, they support pricing in an inflation-heavy environment where differentiation matters. If the campaign drives even a modest increase in global sales velocity, it could meaningfully impact earnings, particularly in emerging markets where brand-led growth is key. For Disney, the campaign is a reminder that Star Wars remains a crown jewel, and a lever that can pull revenue across theme parks, streaming, merchandise, and more. In a year when Disney's streaming margins are under scrutiny and parks face post-COVID normalization, multi-channel campaigns like this offer synergistic upside. Is Coca-Cola a Good Stock to Buy? According to 16 Wall Street analysts, Coca-Cola is firmly in 'Strong Buy' territory. The consensus includes 15 Buy ratings and one Hold, with zero Sell recommendations in sight. The average 12-month KO price target is $79.53, a healthy 14.2% upside from its current level of $69.64. Why it matters? A global campaign tied to Star Wars nostalgia and AR-driven social engagement doesn't just move hearts, it moves units. If this cross-promotional campaign lands well (and early signs suggest it will), it could drive volume, especially in international markets where brand saturation still has room to grow. Is Disney a Good Stock to Buy? Meanwhile, Disney isn't far behind in analyst confidence. Out of 19 ratings, 15 are Buys, four are Holds, and, again, zero Sells. The average 12-month DIS price target of $125.12 suggests 3% upside from the current price of $121.61. Star Wars continues to be one of Disney's most monetizable IPs, from box office and streaming to parks and now partnerships. The AR campaign with Coca-Cola amplifies that flywheel, driving engagement in a way that touches nearly every corner of Disney's ecosystem, from Disney+ subscribers to theme park foot traffic.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch: Alan Tudyk wears stilts to talk with 'Kimmel' guest host Diego Luna
June 25 (UPI) -- Alan Tudyk joined guest host Diego Luna on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to discuss his struggles with wearing stilts during the filming of their movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the prequel series Andor. Tudyk came out wearing the stilts he used to portray reprogrammed Imperial security droid K-2SO alongside Luna's Cassian Andor. "I am very comfortable in stilts," Tudyk said. Luna asked the actor if he had any trouble acting while wearing the stilts. "You know what the hardest thing was? You know the bathrooms? They would have those trailers -- so, getting up the stairs, which were very narrow, and then when I walked in, I could see over all of the stalls. Just going by. So I was just going, 'Hey, Roy. Hey.' Everybody's on their phone, it was weird," Tudyk recalled. "And then when I was at the urinal, next to somebody else, it was -- that was a long stream. That was a long way down, buddy," he said. Luna pointed out that Tudyk has played multiple robots in his career. "Some people bring humanity to their roles, I bring a sort of mechanized detachment," Tudyk joked. "A cold, calculating, sterile quality. I was the robot in I, Robot. I was Sonny. And then I'm the robot in Superman that's coming out. There's been a few." Luna suggested Tudyk is a kind of "royalty." "I am robot royalty," Tudyk agreed. "When the robots take over, I may either be their chosen one, or the first one they kill, I don't know." Andor concluded in May after two seasons on Disney+. Adria Arjona, who starred with Luna and Tudyk on the show, recalled her audition for the series Monday on Kimmel.
Gizmodo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Gareth Edwards Is Glad You Liked ‘Rogue One,' Just Don't Ask Him to Make Another ‘Star Wars'
Gareth Edwards, who directed Godzilla (2014), The Creator, and the brand-new Jurassic World Rebirth, is always going to be asked about his time in the galaxy far, far away. That's just the nature of Star Wars and, more specifically, Star Wars fans, most of whom look very fondly upon 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story—especially in the wake of Andor's two-season run on Disney+. Edwards is thrilled for all the goodwill, but that doesn't mean he's hoping for a return to that world. 'I'm very happy to move on and do my thing,' Edwards told Business Insider. Part of that urge on the director's part could be down to Rogue One's behind-the-scenes issues, which famously saw Tony Gilroy called in to help with reshoots. Gilroy, of course, went on to expand the film's backstory by creating the highly acclaimed Disney+ series Andor. But not only is Edwards happy to move on, he's also happy that Rogue One remains a popular favorite among Star Wars' notoriously prickly fan base. 'I'm very grateful that people say nice things,' he said of Rogue One's reputation. He also prefers to take the long view with all of his projects. 'What you have to keep in your pocket as you go through making other films is that it's not about how people feel the day it gets released, it's how people feel about it 10, 20 years from now,' he said. 'As the movie comes out, you go, 'I'm going to pretend I'm living 10 years from now, and it doesn't matter what people say in the moment.' It's the kid who comes up to you 20 years from now and goes, 'Oh my god, I loved that movie!' I think that's the reward.' Just don't ask him to make another Star Wars movie—his 'thing' is dinosaurs for now. Jurassic World Rebirth is out July 2. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Gareth Edwards: I'm very happy to move on from Star Wars
Gareth Edwards was "very happy to move on" from the Star Wars franchise. The 50-year-old filmmaker helmed 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but Gareth doesn't have any intention of returning to the sci-fi franchise. Asked if he'd ever make another Star Wars movie, Gareth told Business Insider: "I'm very happy to move on and do my thing." Despite this, Gareth remains a huge fan of the Star Wars movies. He said: "It's the thing that was in my life before I knew what a film was. "It's like your mom; it's like something that's a part of you. I'm always fascinated by what they're doing. I never stop loving that trilogy." Fan sentiment towards Rogue One has become kinder in recent years. But Gareth has downplayed the suggestion that his movie - which starred the likes of Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, and Forest Whitaker - is the best Star Wars film since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012. The director said: "I don't agree with it, but I appreciate it. I'm very grateful that people say nice things." Gareth has encouraged cinemagoers to judge movies over a long period of time, rather than jumping to conclusions. The filmmaker shared: "What you have to keep in your pocket as you go through making other films is that it's not about how people feel the day it gets released, it's how people feel about it 10, 20 years from now. "When you make a movie, you're living at least a year from now, you're trying to imagine what it's like, all these decisions you're making, what they are going to be like a year from now when this movie is released, what's the audience going to think? "And as the movie comes out, you go, 'I'm going to pretend I'm living ten years from now, and it doesn't matter what people say in the moment.' It's the kid who comes up to you 20 years from now and goes, 'Oh my god, I loved that movie!' I think that's the reward." Meanwhile, Gareth previously hailed Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope as the movie that changed his life. The director admitted to being obsessed with the film during his younger years. He told the Guardian newspaper: "I don't remember exactly when I first saw A New Hope; it's always just sort of existed for me. It's the only film that I don't remember actually sitting down to watch for the very first time. "From the age of about six I watched it every day for at least a couple of years. I must have seen it more than 200 times. My mum remembers me quoting it word for word on long car journeys. I once did the entire script."
Business Insider
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
What's working and failing at movie theaters this year, from 'Sinners' to 'Snow White'
Hollywood studios are rebounding, thanks to "A Minecraft Movie," "Lilo & Stitch," and "Sinners." Box-office analysts shared their biggest takeaways from the year so far. Originality still works, for adult movies at least, and horror is outshining superheroes. The movie business is back — kind of. So far, 2025 has been a relatively strong year for film studios. Through last weekend, the US box office was up 18.1% compared to the same period last year, according to Comscore. That's despite a rocky first quarter in which the domestic box office sank 12% compared to 2024. "It feels like the good old days," film critic Scott Mantz said. Still, the US box office is set to fall far short of the glory days of the late 2010s, when Star Wars and Marvel were firing on all cylinders. Business Insider asked three box-office analysts and movie pundits about their top takeaways from the first half of 2025, and what lessons movie moguls should learn from what's working in theaters. They pointed to trends like superhero fatigue and the strength of horror, and noted that the breakout success of "Sinners" showed original movies can be blockbusters. 1. Originality is alive and well Although live-action remakes are a hot trend, audiences still crave fresh ideas. "Original stories are starting to rally now," box-office analyst David A. Gross told BI. "They're incredibly important, and it's good to see them connecting." This category's salvation was "Sinners," which is the biggest breakout of the year so far. The vampire movie set in Mississippi captivated viewers, raking in $364 million worldwide. It had a $90 million budget, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film was so buzzy that it only fell 6% in its second weekend. "The success story of the year, to me, is Ryan Coogler," Mantz said of the "Sinners" director. Word of mouth carried that movie, as well as flicks based on familiar IP, like "A Minecraft Movie" and "Lilo & Stitch," Comscore box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. "Great marketing can buy you a strong opening weekend," Dergarabedian said. "But a great movie gets you long-term playability." 2. But a big swing on an original family movie just fell flat Originality hasn't worked this year for kids — at least not yet. Pixar's "Elio" just had the worst debut in the storied studio's history, while remakes like "Lilo & Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon" were both smash hits. "We all want originality, but it doesn't always pay the bills," Dergarabedian said. While this might seem like a paradox, movie-industry analysts say it makes sense, as taking the whole family to the movies requires more effort and money. "Those family audiences are very price-sensitive, and they're also risk-averse," Dergarabedian said. "They want to know: What are they getting into?" Family-focused films are opening to $30 million in the US this year, versus $38 million last year, Gross wrote in his email newsletter this week. However, that figure for this year is still the second-best since the pandemic. "Breaking through with an original family story has become an enormous and expensive challenge," Gross wrote this week. 3. Superhero fatigue is a thing Much digital ink has been spilled about so-called "superhero fatigue," and for good reason. "Superheroes are a diminished genre compared with the pre-pandemic years," Gross told BI. "These are still important and powerful titles, but there's a lot less of this than before." There are four superhero movies on the slate in 2025. Disney's Marvel already released "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Thunderbolts*" to underwhelming results, as they each grossed roughly $400 million on what THR reported were budgets of $180 million. The "Captain America" reboot didn't impress critics, who gave it a 48% Rotten Tomatoes score. And while Mantz said "Thunderbolts*" was "a good, solid movie" that critics and audiences liked, it featured lesser-known Marvel characters that didn't strike him as overly memorable. When asked about superhero fatigue, Dergarabedian simply said: "There's bad movie fatigue." Theater owners now hope Warner's "Superman" and Disney's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" will save the day later this summer. 4. Horror has been anything but horrible Horror movies are scaring up huge ticket sales this year. Besides the smash hit "Sinners," Gross also mentioned the sneaky successful "Final Destination: Bloodlines," which made $280 million on a $50 million budget, according to Variety. "They're relatively inexpensive to make, and there are more titles than ever," Gross said of horror movies. Universal's "M3GAN 2.0," a sequel to the surprise hit M3GAN about a killer AI-powered doll, will look to maintain that momentum when it debuts this weekend. 5. Politics is poison — or is it? The days when actors and companies were praised for sharing their political views seem distant. "Snow White" is a masterclass in how to not promote a movie, Mantz said, calling it "a disaster of its own making." The live-action remake of the Disney classic got branded as "woke" by conservative critics. Then there were remarks by the star Rachel Zegler about the original film and the war in Gaza. "One tweet can derail a movie," Dergarabedian said. However, one analyst said politics weren't the biggest problem for "Snow White." "I don't think everybody just said, 'It's woke, let's not go,'" Gross told BI in March. "I just think it is a little bit confusing; it's cross-signals. I think a lot of it goes back to the film — the reviews are not good." 6. Big budgets, big expectations "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," the eighth installment of the iconic Tom Cruise franchise, earned strong reviews from fans and critics, who assigned it Rotten Tomatoes scores of 88% and 80%, respectively. However, "The Final Reckoning" also had a huge budget of an estimated $400 million (including marketing costs), according to THR. At that price tag, Dergarabedian believes theatrical profitability could be an uphill battle for the newest "Mission: Impossible" movie, considering that it has made just under $550 million a month after its debut — without accounting for theater owners' cut. Apple's big-budget "F1" movie will face a similarly tough road to profitability when it hits theaters this weekend. While Dergarabedian doesn't know the details of the studio-theater split for "The Final Reckoning," he said the film made 70% of its money overseas, which is a promising sign. "This is in no way a flop," Dergarabedian said of Cruise's latest film. "To me, a flop is a movie that is both unprofitable and is not a good movie." There are also other ways for "The Final Reckoning" to generate money, like on-demand rentals and leading viewers to Paramount+. "It's more about what having this film in theaters means long term for the studio," Dergarabedian said. "It's chess — it ain't checkers."
