NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 15:10 ET — Regular session
Walt Disney shares rose about 0.8% to $114.45 in afternoon trading on Monday, holding modest gains even as the broader market eased. The stock traded between $113.20 and $114.48 earlier in the session.
The move comes with U.S. investors down to the final trading days of 2025, a stretch that can magnify price swings as liquidity thins and portfolios get rebalanced.
For Disney, holiday box-office performance has become a near-term read on momentum in its film studio business, one of the company’s most visible profit drivers heading into 2026.
Disney’s 20th Century release “Avatar: Fire and Ash” grossed an estimated $64 million domestically over the weekend, lifting its worldwide haul to about $760.4 million, according to Comscore figures cited in a weekend box-office report. Disney’s animated sequel “Zootopia 2” added about $20 million domestically and has grossed about $1.4 billion worldwide; the report also said Disney became the first studio since 2019 to cross $6 billion worldwide in a year. “It was a really solid end to a tumultuous year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. WMTW
Media and streaming peers were mixed on the day. Netflix was little changed, Warner Bros. Discovery edged higher and Comcast rose modestly.
Beyond company-specific headlines, traders are focused on U.S. rate expectations into year-end, a backdrop that can sway consumer and media stocks by changing discount rates and risk appetite.
The Federal Reserve is due to publish minutes from its December 9–10 meeting on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. ET, according to the central bank’s calendar.
This week also includes a cluster of U.S. housing and manufacturing data as markets remain open through Wednesday, before closing for the New Year holiday.
Disney’s most recent dividend declaration remains in view for income-focused investors. The company said in November it declared a $1.50 per share cash dividend to be paid in two installments, with the first $0.75 installment payable on January 15, 2026.
In the same earnings cycle, Disney told investors it was targeting $7 billion in share repurchases in 2026, doubling the prior year’s pace, as it pitched improving cash generation.
Investors will now watch whether holiday ticket sales hold into the New Year corridor, a period that can influence studio profit expectations after theaters take their cut of box-office receipts.
Attention is also turning to Disney’s next quarterly results, though the company has not confirmed a date; market calendars broadly point to early February.
With Disney’s shares still moving in a relatively tight band on Monday, traders said the next leg will likely hinge on macro signals and how durable the holiday entertainment boost looks as 2025 closes out.
Related articles: NYSE:DIS
