Walt Disney

RANK53

The Disney entertainment kingdom swung back to post-pandemic profitability in 2021. The easing of pandemic restrictions helped its theme parks recover, even as the stay-at-home habits instilled by COVID-19 boosted its popular direct-to-consumer streaming services, especially Disney+, which had 129 million subscribers as of January 2022. The company found itself embroiled in social controversy in early 2022, however. After much internal debate and public pressure, Disney spoke out against a Florida law that would restrict discussion of LGBTQIA+ issues in elementary schools. In April, Florida lawmakers voted to strip the Disney World parks of a special tax status they had held for nearly half a century, potentially hampering the company's ability to govern and finance the sprawling park area.