Disney has cut between 100 and 200 roles in its Experiences division, with the bulk at Imagineering in Glendale, Deadline reported. The division covers theme parks, resorts and cruise lines. A person familiar with the decision said the reductions were mostly project-based, tied to shifting priorities across multiple projects.
Not a distress signal
The timing looks odd only if you read layoffs as weak demand. Experiences is a profit engine. In Disney’s most recent earnings, divisional profit rose 20% to more than $3 billion on nearly $10 billion in revenue. Global guests increased 4%, domestic park attendance rose 3%, and average per-capita ticket revenue climbed 5%. Forward bookings remain robust.
That means this is a structural move, not a slump. The cuts follow a voluntary early retirement offer for director-level employees aged 50 and older with at least 10 years at the company—usually a precursor to involuntary reductions.
A wider pattern
Josh D’Amaro has now overseen several rounds since taking over as CEO last March. In April, Disney cut 1,000 positions. Several hundred more followed in July, mostly at Pixar and National Geographic, and September brought a couple hundred cuts in technology and HR.
There is more coming. Disney Entertainment Television is expected to restructure under Debra OConnell, and the motion picture studio is in line for the same. A September memo from Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer Horacio Gutierrez warned staff of “hard choices” and “a much smaller organization,” citing a transformation that includes “automating certain workflows by leveraging the latest technologies.”
What to watch
- 100–200 jobs cut in Experiences, mostly at Imagineering.
- $3B+ Experiences profit on nearly $10B revenue, up 20%.
- +5% per-capita theme park ticket revenue; domestic attendance up 3%.
- 231,000 Disney employees at fiscal 2025 end, before this round.
For media and entertainment teams, the signal is that Disney is applying cost discipline to its cash-generating businesses, not just corporate functions. Watch margin commentary on the next earnings call and treat project-based cuts at Imagineering as a possible opening for outside vendors. Don’t read a strong parks performance as immunity from cost review.
Source: Deadline
