By now, everyone and his brother's favorite superhero's sidekick has heard that Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment for 4 billion dollars. As a career fanboy, hater of The Mouse, and Marvel stockholder, I have some mixed reactions to this, and one thing that profoundly worries me that I haven't heard anyone else mention yet. Of course, I'll be saving that for the end. 'Til then, there will be foreshadowing.
Yes, I hate The Mouse. The Mouse under Eisner wasn't good for anyone, and their business practices and views about the biggest mass of humanity leave a lot to be desired. However. They are trying. I don't know how hard they're trying on a corporate level, but in terms of what they put out, they have made changes. They realize that reaching out to different audiences is marketable, and that has led them to their alliance with Pixar, who to my mind has yet to generate bad product. They also make Phineas and Ferb, which is the best cartoon I've seen on television since the Simpsons (which Fox makes), and my whole family, from 3 to 34, can enjoy it. This realization that other markets are out there, in fact, is what led to their acquisition of Marvel.
Pros? I get money. Another pro? I own Disney stock, which is now potentially worth a lot of money. Con? I own Disney stock, which is not what I purchased initially. I bought Marvel stock because I wanted to pay attention to Marvel, employing the Warren Buffet admonition about investment, being interested in it, and understanding that in which you invest. I don't really wish to pay attention to Disney, and now I have to. Unless someone can suggest something I should buy with my Disney money that would be akin to what I used to have with Marvel. (DC's been owned by TimeWarner forever, so don't go there.) I am very much looking forward to Pixar movies involving Marvel characters, and the cross-promotion can't hurt in terms of getting names and faces out there to a coming generation.
The big thing that bothers me is this: Movies make a lot of money. So does television. Shirts, towels, lunchboxes, slippers, PJs, and miscellaneous crap all sells for huge margins over what it costs to make it. As Yogurt says, "merchandising." Very profitable, available everywhere, products that everyone can enjoy. You know what doesn't always make money? Comic books. Comic books are fragile, cost too much to print, ship, and make available, sell inconsistently, and are only available in specialty shops. Not everyone wants them, either. How long before The Mouse decides they don't make enough money selling comic books?