Ben Fritz

So you'd think on the one hand in an economy where people are kind of anxious that they wouldn't do this, but really it's kind of the opposite.

People are not going to the movies as much as they used to.

And because it's a special experience, they're willing to pay a bit extra to make it truly special.

Absolutely.

I mean, I love movies.

That's why I do this job.

And I want to see movie in the best format possible.

And I want to feel like this is not something I could possibly get at home.

So I think movies are worth seeing in the absolute best format possible.

And if it's a few extra bucks for it, I think it's usually worth it.

Yeah, it was great to talk to you, Kai.

Abu Dhabi is in the heart of the Middle East, which is a region where Disney doesn't have nearly as much of a presence as it does in the rest of the world. It's a region where There's a growing number of middle class people and it's a huge tourist destination.

Abu Dhabi is in the heart of the Middle East, which is a region where Disney doesn't have nearly as much of a presence as it does in the rest of the world. It's a region where There's a growing number of middle class people and it's a huge tourist destination.

Abu Dhabi was in the heart of the Middle East, which is a region where Disney doesn't have nearly as much of a presence as it does in the rest of the world. It's a region where there's a growing number of middle class people and is a huge tourist destination. There's already a bunch of other museums, parks, etc. there that draw a lot of tourists.

Abu Dhabi was in the heart of the Middle East, which is a region where Disney doesn't have nearly as much of a presence as it does in the rest of the world. It's a region where there's a growing number of middle class people and is a huge tourist destination. There's already a bunch of other museums, parks, etc. there that draw a lot of tourists.

And Disney both thinks there's a good theme park business there. and also is hoping that by establishing a theme park there, it will make people more interested in Disney's brands, which will get them more likely to use Disney+, watch Disney movies, buy Disney consumer products and toys, etc.

And Disney both thinks there's a good theme park business there. and also is hoping that by establishing a theme park there, it will make people more interested in Disney's brands, which will get them more likely to use Disney+, watch Disney movies, buy Disney consumer products and toys, etc.

Sure, so it's unusual. So usually Disney partially or entirely builds the theme parks itself and then owns them, which costs many billions of dollars, but obviously has a huge upside eventually from the ownership. In this case, Disney is partnering with Miral, and Miral is going to entirely pay for the theme park.

Sure, so it's unusual. So usually Disney partially or entirely builds the theme parks itself and then owns them, which costs many billions of dollars, but obviously has a huge upside eventually from the ownership. In this case, Disney is partnering with Miral, and Miral is going to entirely pay for the theme park.

Disney is licensing its IP to them, and then Disney is going to do the actual design of the rides and attractions, and it's going to consult on how to operate the park. Working with a local company in a foreign country where Disney has done very little business kind of helps it to navigate things there.