In addition to developing original content, the Walt Disney Company, under the leadership of Bob Iger, has turned to large scale mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to further their media and consumer goods empire. Notable M&As include Pixar in 2006 ($7.4 billion), Marvel in 2009 ($4 billion), a 30% share in Hulu in 2009 (to increase to 60% once Fox merger is finalized, undisclosed fee), Lucasfilm in 2012 ($4.06 billion), BAM in in 2016 and 2017 ($2.58 billion) and 21st Century Fox in 2019 ($71.3 billion).
But does box office data support this strategy? Through a series of 17 statistical tests, including a multivariate regression model, the answer is…