Disney Channel names Carolina Lightcap as president

Carolina Lightcap, the senior vice president and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Latin America, has been named president of Disney Channels Worldwide -- an announcement that underscores the global nature of the network.

The 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry, who began her career in Los Angeles, is known for building Disney Channel Latin America into a top cable channel in the region. The promotion takes effect immediately.

"Carolina has made enormous contributions to Disney over the past decade, especially in launching and building Disney Channel Latin America," Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, said in a  statement. "She's a highly respected member of our global team."

Disney Channel Entertainment President Gary Marsh, the executive responsible for successful programming including "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana," was elevated to a newly created position of chief creative officer. 

He will report to Lightcap.

"Gary is the creative force behind Disney Channel's tremendous success and some of The Walt Disney Company’s most heralded and popular franchises," Sweeney said in announcing Marsh's new title.

The top job has been vacant since Rich Ross, the former president of Disney Channels Worldwide, was named in October as chairman of Walt Disney Studios. Ross helped transform the network from a sleepy cable backwater that ran old films and educational fare to a tween powerhouse and reliable profit center responsible for creating brands for Disney.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski

Expect huge box office opening for 'The Princess and the Frog,' thanks to high ticket prices [updated]

"The Princess and the Frog," Disney's first hand-drawn animated feature in five years, isn't only a throwback in style.

When it opens Wednesday, it also will be the first Disney animated film since 2003's "Brother Bear" to start in limited release in New York and Los Angeles. Like that movie and many other of its traditional cartoons, including "The Lion King" and "Hercules," the studio is pairing the two initial runs of "Princess" with an "experience" that includes games, actresses dressed as Disney princesses, props, costumes and other activities that give kids fun time beyond the film. [Updated 3:05 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said that "Brother Bear" was Disney's last hand-drawn animated film. It was 2004's "Home on the Range."]

All those extras mean ticket prices will be substantially higher than for a normal picture. Disney is charging $30 for general admission tickets, $50 for the best seats and $20 per person for groups at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City and on the studio lot in Burbank. (Disney's El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, its traditional spot for high-profile L.A. runs, is currently using its 3-D projection system to play "A Christmas Carol.")

The "ultimate Disney event," as the studio's website calls it, will play until Sunday, Dec. 13, the first weekend that "The Princess and the Frog" plays nationwide. Disney already has racked up more than $3.2 million in pre-sales. In Burbank, all but one show from Wednesday through Sunday is sold out, while the larger Ziegfeld in New York has fully booked half of its screenings over the holiday weekend.

In the meantime, high demand and inflated ticket prices -- more than six times the U.S. average at the top end -- means "Princess" should see huge grosses for a two-theater run. It's no accident that the top seven per-theater averages of all time on Box Office Mojo are all Disney animated runs, and it's very likely that "The Princess and the Frog" will join them this weekend, particularly with Friday being a holiday.

-- Ben Fritz

Photo: A scene from "The Princess and the Frog." Credit: Walt Disney Studios

New Disney movie chief pulls plug on costly 'Captain Nemo'

UPDATED:

In one of his first major creative moves as Walt Disney Studios' new movie chief, Rich Ross has made the costly decision to pull the plug on the planned $150-million production of "Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" -- the last project approved by his predecessor, Dick Cook.

The family adventure movie -- a high priority for Disney that the
studio envisioned as potential franchise along the lines of the
"Pirates of The Caribbean" -- was scheduled to begin shooting in
February in Mexico. Disney had already spent about $10 million hiring crews, who were prepping the movie and planning to build
elaborate sets in Rosarito Beach. Artwork and construction of
models were already underway.

Just a few weeks ago, Disney spent generously to hire writer Michael Chabon to quickly rewrite the script. The studio had recruited Chabon, author of "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," to rework "Nemo" after he had recently written a draft of its forthcoming production "John Carter of Mars," the first live-action film to be directed by Pixar Animation Studios director Andrew Stanton.

The "Captain Nemo" project is one of many under evaluation by Ross and his boss, Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger, since Cook's ouster in mid-September.

One person close to the filmmakers of “Nemo” said that in recent weeks Iger and Ross had signaled that they had serious reservations about moving forward with the project.

In a meeting Monday with "Captain Nemo" director McG and producer Sean Bailey, Ross told them that the project was being halted. While neither McG nor Bailey returned calls, people familiar with their thinking said the duo was disappointed with the decision.

According to one person familiar with the situation, Ross made the decision based on creative concerns and plans to redevelop the movie, a new adaptation of Jules Vernes' classic novel, which the studio first brought to the big screen in 1954.

The news was first reported in Variety.

--Claudia Eller and Dawn C. Chmielewski

Photo: James Mason as Captain Nemo in Disney's 1954 version of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Credit: Wide World Photo.

Disney's dream that 'Christmas Carol' will be the new 'Polar Express' coming true

When "A Christmas Carol" opened to $30 million domestically on its opening weekend -- well below what prerelease research had suggested and historically very weak for a movie that cost nearly $200 million to produce -- Walt Disney Studios' president of domestic distribution, Chuck Viane, counseled patience.

"Christmas-themed movies opening in early November tend to have a much greater multiple than others and we know [director] Bob Zemeckis always tends to over-deliver on his multiple," Viane said, pointing to Zemeckis' last 3-D, motion-capture animated Christmas movie, "The Polar Express," which ultimately collected more than seven times its opening weekend take.

As it turns out, Viane was wrong. "A Christmas Carol" isn't holding as well as "The Polar Express." It's holding even better.

U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for "A Christmas Carol" fell just 25.8% this weekend, the third smallest drop for any movie in wide release so far this year. That's substantially less than the second weekend drop for "The Polar Express" in 2004, which was 32.8%.

With its extremely strong second weekend and its healthy weekday performances, particularly last Wednesday, which was Veterans Day, "A Christmas Carol" has grossed $63.3 million. That's $11.8 million more than "The Polar Express" at the end of its second weekend, even though the 2004 movie opened on a Wednesday, giving it two extra days in theaters.

If the current trend continues, "A Christmas Carol" should be at more than $80 million by next Sunday. Thanksgiving weekend should be particularly strong for the movie, given its holiday theme and family appeal. "The Polar Express" saw its grosses rise 23.8% on Thanksgiving weekend and "A Christmas Carol" could easily do even better.

The next major release that will compete directly for the family audience of "A Christmas Carol" is Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," which starts playing nationwide Dec. 11. The following Friday, "Avatar" opens and will take virtually all of the digital 3-D screens currently playing "Christmas Carol," on which it is doing the majority of its business. That should essentially end the movie's domestic run.

Disney opened "A Christmas Carol" in early November, well before the holiday, in order to play on 3-D screens for as long as possible before "Avatar."

By the time James Cameron's hugely anticipated and costly picture debuts, "A Christmas Carol" could end up with a domestic gross of around $200 million. That would make it something of a financial success, particularly if the movie ends up doing well overseas. So far, after launching in 21 international territories, it has grossed $34.6 million overseas.

Disney probably will also be well-positioned to reopen "A Christmas Carol" in 3-D theaters for several Christmases to come, as Warner Bros. did with "The Polar Express."

In more good box-office news today, Sony reported that "2012" collected $5 million more overseas than it estimated yesterday, giving the disaster flick a final worldwide weekend gross of $230.4 million.

-- Ben Fritz

Photo: A scene from "A Christmas Carol." Credit: ImageMovers Digital

Disney earnings rise despite loss at movie studio, softer park spending

The Walt Disney Co. reported an 18% bump in fourth-quarter earnings, propelled by gains in the television group that helped offset a loss at the film studio and a drop in operating income at the theme parks.

The company reported a net income of $895 million, or 47 cents a share, compared with $760 million, or 40 cents a share, a year ago. The results included a non-cash gain in connection with the merger of Lifetime Entertainment Services and A&E Television Networks. Revenues rose to nearly $9.9 billion, up 4% from $9.4 billion a year earlier.

The Media Networks Group, which includes Disney's broadcast and cable television networks, saw its operating income for the quarter rise 26% to nearly $1.5 billion, up from $1.2 billion a year earlier. Most of those gains came from ESPN and, to a lesser extent, the Disney Channel. The broadcasting group reported operating income of $2 million in the quarter, compared to a loss of $71 million a year earlier, fueled by increased domestic and international sales of such ABC Studios productions as "Grey's Anatomy" and "According to Jim."

At the theme parks, operating income for the quarter fell to $344 million, down 17% from $412 million a year earlier, because of lower guest spending at its domestic operations -- despite higher attendance. Revenue for the parks fell to $2.8 billion from nearly $3 billion in the year-ago quarter. Disney has been discounting tickets and hotel room rates to sustain traffic to Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in Anaheim. Disneyland Paris also showed lower operating income because of decreased spending.

The studio reported a $13 million operating loss for the quarter, down $111 million from a year earlier. Revenues increased 3% to $1.5 billion from $1.45 billion a year ago. The quarter's results reflected higher write-downs on newly released movies.

-- Dawn Chmielewski

Disney's Iger on executive shuffle

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger said he had been planning for "quite some time" to give Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs and Disney Parks Chairman Jay Rasulo new responsibilities, to broaden and deepen the experience of the executive team, but had been forestalled because of the economy.

"It's something that was my idea, something I broached with them a number of months ago," Iger said, adding he waited "until things stabilized before I moved them out of their roles."

Iger said that as chairman of Disney's Parks and Resorts division, Staggs gets an opportunity to gain operational experience  -- although he denied Staggs is being positioned for the presidency, a long-unfilled No. 2 role at the company. "I've never known he's been looking for elevated responsibilities in the company," Iger said.

A Disney insider say the moves are intended to strengthen the executive team when Iger names a chief operating officer.

For Rasulo, the new post gives him a chance to manage the financial aspects of the company.

"I think that this is something that is very equitable for them, when it comes to broadening their horizons," Iger said, noting, "This is about them changing jobs, giving them different responsibilities, enabling them to contend with different challenges."

And expect more of the same in the future, Iger said, adding that a co-chair of Disney's Media Networks group, Anne Sweeney, had spent her career in cable television before she was tapped to run the ABC Network, and former Disney Channel worldwide President Rich Ross is now heading the studio.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski

Photo: Bob Iger. Credit: David McNew / Getty Images

Rich Ross restructures Disney movie studio

Rich Ross is putting his mark on Walt Disney Studios, bringing over a technology guru from Pixar and promoting the home entertainment chief to a newly created job. In addition, Jim Gallagher, the president of marketing, has left the studio.

The moves reflect Ross' attempt, in close coordination with Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger, to remake the studio to better reflect the new ways audiences are viewing movies in theaters, at home and on digital devices.

"The studio restructuring will embrace new possibilities and opportunities and find innovative ways to provide quality entertainment that is readily available," Ross said in a statement.

Bob Chapek, formerly president of home entertainment, has been promoted to the newly created role of president of distribution, in which he will oversee distribution across all platforms, including movie theaters, DVDs, pay TV and digital. In recent years, Chapek has led the studio's digital initiatives, particularly with Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs is the largest individual shareholder of Walt Disney Company stock. Chuck Viane, previously president of distribution, will continue to oversee theatrical distribution and will now report to Chapek.

Greg Brandeau, who oversaw technology at Disney-owned animation studio Pixar from 1996 through 2001 and again starting in 2004, is taking the newly created role of chief technology officer.

Alan Bergman, a 13-year studio veteran who is currently president of Walt Disney Studios, retains that job and adds oversight of "studio franchises," an emphasis that reflects former Disney Channel chief Ross' emphasis on brands that can be utilized through the Disney company's many businesses.

Production President Oren Aviv, whose future has been the subject of much speculation in the industry, retains his job overseeing development of live-action movies.

Gallagher's departure leaves Disney without a president of marketing. According to a person familiar with the studio's plans, a replacement will be named later and report directly to Ross.

Since the ouster of former studio Chairman Dick Cook in September and his subsequent replacement by Ross, two other top executives already have left the company: Daniel Battsek, president of specialty label Miramax, and Mark Zoradi, president of the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski and Ben Fritz

Photo: Rich Ross with Robin Williams at the premiere of "Old Dogs" at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

Walt Disney Studios President Mark Zoradi resigns

In a continued housecleaning at Walt Disney Co., studio distribution veteran Mark Zoradi is leaving the company after 29 years.

The departure of Zoradi, president of Disney's motion pictures group, follows the ousting of his former boss, Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook and Miramax Films President Daniel Battsek.

The studio is being remade under Cook's successor, Rich Ross, who was formerly president of Disney Channels Worldwide.

During his nearly three decades at the company, Zoradi worked in the television, home entertainment and film divisions, most recently overseeing worldwide marketing and distribution for pictures made under the Walt Disney Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and Disneynature banners.

This weekend, Zoradi received the Louis B. Mayer motion picture business leader of the year award from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

-- Claudia Eller and Dawn C. Chmielewski

Photo: Mark Zoradi. Credit: National Assn. of Broadcasters

Networks preparing to battle cable and maybe their own affiliates over retransmission consent

In the search for new revenue streams, the broadcast networks are going to their affiliates with their hands held out or their guns drawn, depending on one's viewpoint.

Specifically, if their affiliates are getting money from cable and satellite operators in return for carrying their signal, the networks want a cut. Today, the CEO of Belo Corp., which owns a handful of ABC affiliates, said that Walt Disney-owned network had approached them about receiving a portion of any revenue it is getting from cable and satellite operators. Belo CEO Dunia Shive declined to say how much ABC was asking for but said it wasn't "100%." Well that's nice of them. The news was first reported by TVNewsCheck, a well-regarded industry website. Belo currently gets more than $40 million annually from cable operators for their signals.

The industry lingo for payments from a cable or satellite operator for a broadcaster's TV signal is "retransmission consent." Yes, that phrase will make your eyes glaze over, but it's actually a very important issue for broadcasters and cable operators. In a nutshell, broadcasters want cable operators to pay them to carry their feeds just like they already pay cable channels such as ESPN and TNT. Cable operators have always argued that since broadcast signals are available free over the air, why should they pay.

But momentum seems to be swinging toward the broadcasters on this one. Whenever one of these battles reaches a stalemate and a cable operator stops carrying a broadcaster, the public outcry is usually vented toward the distributor, not the program supplier.

Chinese government approves Disney park in Shanghai

The Beijing government has approved plans to build a Disney park in Shanghai, representing a major milestone in the more than decade-long effort by the Walt Disney Co. to build a theme park in mainland China.

Disney submitted plans in January that had been developed jointly with the Shanghai municipal government to build a $3.59-billion park to open as early as 2014. It would be the entertainment giant's fourth theme park location outside the U.S., after Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

This framework agreement received formal approval from the central government, Disney said today. The central government's action clears the way for Disney to work out detailed plans to build and operate the park, a final plan that would address infrastructure issues such as subway and road access to the park, as well as finances.

"China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for the Walt Disney Company in mainland China,” said Disney President and Chief Executive Robert A. Iger.

Disney has been in on-again, off-again discussions with the government in China since 1995, when the Shanghai government first contacted the company to propose building a theme park in the city. Talks have ebbed and flowed since then, with discussions resuming in earnest about two years ago, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of negotiations.

The new park would give Disney access to 300 million people who live within a day's travel of Shanghai, a sprawling, affluent and modern city of about 16 million people. The new Magic Kingdom-styled theme park would have amenities similar to other Disney destinations around the world, while nodding to its Shanghai region.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski