Disney recently merged with 21st Century Fox, placing it at the forefront of the battle of the movie studios, and allowing Disney to own what could be almost half of the Hollywood films released into theaters. 

The merger has created the possibility of combining different universes from each company for a movie.

“This is an extraordinary and historic moment for us – one that will create significant long-term value for our company and our shareholders,” Disney chairman-CEO Bob Iger said in a public statement. “Combining Disney’s and 21st Century Fox’s wealth of creative content and proven talent creates the preeminent global entertainment company… Incredibly dynamic and transformative era.”

According to The Atlantic, last year, Disney had the largest profit from its movies, placing it ahead of its five competitors: NBC, Universal, Warner Bros, Paramount, and HBO. 

21st Century Fox held the fifth largest share, but merging with Disney will soon allow Disney to control of 35 percent of Hollywood’s blockbuster market.

Disney emphasized that the transaction is designed to help the company “increase its international footprint” and “expand its direct-to-consumer offerings.”

This merger suggests that there may be a combination of worlds between Disney’s Avengers and mutant characters from 21st Century Fox. Such a possibility has already prompted a widespread public response.

“A movie with the Avengers and X-Men in the same world would be so epic,” junior Rohan Jayaram said.

Other students also expressed their excitement about the merger.

“I think it’s a good move because Fox Studios has only had success with the Deadpool and Wolverine movies while the X-Men movies get overshadowed,” Jayaram said. “With Disney, I feel like they’ve proven themselves capable of reviving a superhero franchise.” 

While many students are thrilled about the merger, some people see the merger in a negative light. According to  Variety, the first round of employee layoffs has already started.

But Disney did not acquire the entire Fox company. It simply owns 21st Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, National Geographic, Fox’s TV production company, and the rights to the Marvel and Fantastic Four characters.

As Disney gets ready to launch their own streaming subscription service like Netflix, called Disney+, the funds obtained from Fox should go a long way.

Netflix, however, is an extremely unique branch of media that is able to produce its own original content. 

It is likely that Disney will stick to ruling the box office, rather than competing with Netflix. 

The merger brings about the new dawn of an era in Hollywood where only the biggest films will bring the most success, and this guarantees that for Disney.