Disney CEO Bob Iger met with China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Beijing on Friday as the company looks to strengthen its position in China. The country is heavily regulated, but Disney has been making bank there with films like “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash”. Then there are the Disney parks in China as well.
During the visit, Ding encouraged Disney to invest further in China, according to Reuters. The outreach stood out because it contrasts with Beijing’s rhetoric from April of last year, when it threatened to further restrict Hollywood film imports in response to U.S. tariffs.
Perhaps they heard about the reported interference of Iger at an ABC News closed-door editorial meeting. Reports indicate that the Disney CEO had a melt down over Trump’s tariffs impacting their studios (China) and the Disney Cruise Lines.
Iger seemed to reinforce Disney’s commitment to the Chinese market
Iger said that Disney was “full of confidence in China’s development” and would “continue to expand investment in China,” Reuters reported.
China is hard to crack
China remains a complicated business environment for U.S. entertainment giants. It has a lot of potential viewers for Disney content and money, but China tightly controls how much foreign entertainment content enters the market. However, the lack of IP entering from the West seems to drive up demand for theme parks like Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Iger has been friendly with China for years. They want to keep that lucrative relationship open so they can gain favor with theatrical releases and possibly theme park expansions.
China likely recognizes that Disney has some power in America and may want to capitalize on the good PR opportunities.
No matter what the reason is, Iger seemingly promised Ding Xuexiang more investments in their country. If Disney gets more theatrical releases so be it.
This may mean less “representation” and a focus on story moving forward.
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