Business
Disney dominated the 2025 box office. Here’s how it could keep the crown in 2026
Courtesy of Disney Enterprises Inc.
Blue aliens, a family of superheroes and a city of talking animals boosted the Walt Disney Company to the top of the domestic box office in 2025.
Full-year ticket sales in the United States and Canada rose about 4% from 2024 to $9.05 billion. Disney accounted for the highest share of that haul with $2.49 billion in ticket sales, or 27.5%, according to data from Comscore.
It’s closest competitors were Warner Bros. Discovery, which tallied $1.9 billion domestically, or 21%, and Universal, which took in $1.7 billion, or 19.7%. Together, these three studios accounted for nearly 70% of the domestic box office market share.
No other studio surpassed $1 billion in domestic ticket sales or accounted for more than 7% of the total box office haul.
“[Warner Bros., Disney and Universal] have the advantage of having at least two or more distinct and successful sub-brands labels — such as Marvel under Disney, New Line under WB and Illumination under Universal — under their corporate umbrella that enables these studios to dominate at least in terms of the overall box office and percentage of the marketplace that they control,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore.
Disney’s standout performance came on the backs of already popular intellectual property. Four of its films were part of the top 10 highest-grossing domestic releases of the year, including the live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch,” a sequel to 2016’s “Zootopia,” another entrant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Fantastic Four: First Steps” and a third “Avatar” film.
“Most years at the box office are dominated by known IP and non-original content; films that have the baked in brand name recognition that theoretically gives those films a leg up in terms of marketing and potential box office success,” Dergarabedian said.
In fact, nine of the 10 biggest movies at the domestic box offices were from existing IP. Warner Bros.’ “Sinners” was the only original title to make the list.
“In 2025 there were some big budget originals that did incredibly well … but lest anyone think that trend is going away, 2026 looks to eclipse 2025 in terms of the number of high-profile sequels and known IP on the slate for the year,” Dergarabedian said.
That’s especially true for Disney.
The studio is set to release its first Star Wars film in theaters since 2019 called “The Mandalorian and Grogu” after the popular characters of its “The Mandalorian” series on Disney+; “Toy Story 5” is will hit theaters in June followed by a live-action “Moana” in July; then the hotly anticipated “Avengers: Doomsday” arrives in December.
A new Spider-Man film will also sling into theaters in 2026, but as part of a deal with Sony to have the character as part of Disney’s MCU, Sony keeps the majority of box office profits while Disney gets merchandise sales.
The box office will also get a boost from Warner Bros.’ “Supergirl” and “Dune: Part Three,” Universal’s “Minions 3,” “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “The Odyssey,” Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” and Sony’s third “Jumanji” film.
“As we look into 2026, there’s plenty of optimism to go around,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory “The slate is packed with top-tier franchises, some fan-driven and others family-oriented, alongside filmmaker-driven tentpoles … plus an inevitable crop of strong or potentially surprising performers out of horror, comedy, indie, and other genres.”
Disclosure: Versant is the parent company of CNBC and Fandango.
Business
Middle East heat may ripple across India’s energy supply chain, flags Goldman Sachs – The Times of India
As tensions continue to heat up in the Middle East, concerns are raising about disruptions to one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes, the Strait of Hormuz. Any disruption could significantly affect major oil-importing countries such as India, as the narrow Strait of Hormuz is central to global energy trade. The strait sees almost 20 million barrels of oil passing through each day, or about a fifth of the world’s consumption, pass through the route. The waterway also carries roughly 19% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, making it a crucial corridor for energy-importing economies.A recent report by Goldman Sachs has flagged early signs of stress in the region. The report warned that tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has already begun showing signs of disruption, with shipping firms, oil producers and insurers adopting a cautious approach following reports of damaged vessels in nearby waters.According to the firm, financial markets have already begun factoring in the geopolitical risk. Oil prices currently carry an estimated risk premium of $18-per-barrel, reflecting the potential market impact if energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupted for about a month.
Even is the oil facilities are not directly damaged, a shutdown of the shipping route could expose a significant portion of global supply. The report estimates that in an event of full closure, about 16 million barrels per day of oil flows could be affected, despite the availability of some pipeline routes designed to bypass the strait.And the risks are not limited to crude oil shipments with almost 80 million tonnes of LNG exports annually, much of it from Qatar, moving through the passage. Any prolonged disruption could tighten gas supply globally and potentially drive European benchmark gas prices back to levels seen during the 2022 energy crisis.
Asian economies stand among the most exposed to such disruptions. Major importers such as China, India, Japan and South Korea depend heavily on oil and LNG shipments that transit through the strategic corridor.While global oil inventories and spare production capacity could help cushion short-term shocks, the report warned that sustained disruption to Gulf shipping routes could trigger sharp volatility in global energy markets and push prices higher across oil, gas and refined fuel products.Market participants and governments are closely watching tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, along with diplomatic and military developments involving the United States, Iran and Gulf nations, to assess whether the current disruptions remain temporary or escalate into a broader energy supply shock.
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange rallied on Thursday after Saudi Arabia assured Pakistan of facilitating crude oil shipments through the Red Sea port of Yanbu Port, easing concerns over potential fuel supply disruptions.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index climbed sharply during the trading session, rising 4,439.93 points (2.85%) to reach an intraday high of 160,217.14 points.
Market Recovery
Analysts attributed the market rebound to renewed institutional buying and improving investor sentiment after Saudi assurances on oil supplies.
Market expert Ahsan Mehanti, CEO of Arif Habib Commodities, said easing fuel supply concerns played a key role in the recovery.
He added that rising global crude prices, expectations of a new International Monetary Fund loan tranche for Pakistan, and positive economic indicators also boosted investor confidence.
Alternative Oil Route
Pakistan sought an alternative supply route after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global oil transit corridor.
Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik held talks with Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, requesting Saudi support for uninterrupted energy supplies.
Saudi authorities reportedly assured Pakistan that oil shipments could be routed through Yanbu, and one crude vessel has already been prepared for dispatch.
Global Oil Market Impact
Oil prices continued to rise amid tensions in the Middle East conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Brent crude: up 3.26% to $83.99 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate (WTI): up 3.70% to $77.42 per barrel
Energy markets remain volatile as shipping disruptions threaten supply through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handles nearly 20% of global oil trade.
Analysts say the Saudi assurance helped calm fears about Pakistan’s energy supply chain, contributing to the strong recovery at the PSX.
Business
Asian stocks today: Markets inch higher mirroring Wall Street gains; Kospi jumps 10%, Nikkei up 1,400 points – The Times of India
Asian stocks inched higher on Thursday, after days of trading in red amid ongoing Middle East tensions. This comes as equities were lifted by a rebound on Wall Street as oil prices paused their recent spike and economic updates painted a more positive picture of the American economy. In South Korea, Kospi hit a pause on its downward rally to add a whopping 10% or 513 points, to reach 5,606. Japan’s Nikkei 225 also climbed 2.7% to 55,713. Hong Kong’s HSI also traded in green, rising 353 points to 25,603 as of 9:10 am. Shanghai and Shenzhen added 0.9% and 1.7% respectively. Gains elsewhere in the region were more modest. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 8,927.20, while New Zealand’s benchmark index moved 0.9% higher. In contrast, US futures indicated a subdued start ahead. Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were almost unchanged, while S&P 500 futures ticked up 0.2%. The S&P 500 advanced 0.8% on Wednesday, clawing back much of the decline seen since the onset of the Iran conflict. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite outperformed with a 1.3% gain. Globally, market sentiment has remained sensitive to developments in the Middle East, with oil price swings continuing to steer trading direction. Crude prices eased during Wednesday’s session. Brent crude briefly moved above $84 a barrel before settling at $81.40, roughly matching the previous day’s level. US benchmark crude edged up 0.1% to finish at $74.66 per barrel. By early Thursday, however, oil was on the rise again. Brent crude climbed 2.4% to $83.32 per barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude jumped 2.5% to $76.53 per barrel.
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