Entertainment <\/p>\n
\n\tSpider-Man, Captain America, Darth Vader, Beauty and the Beast, and more from Disney<\/a>\u2019s intellectual-property treasure chest are coming to Webtoon \u2014 with about 100 titles from the Mouse House set to hit the popular webcomics app over the next several years.<\/p>\n \n\tThe deal between Webtoon Entertainment<\/a> and Disney spans webcomics featuring iconic characters from Disney, Marvel<\/a>, 20th Century Studios and Star Wars. Those will include existing comics and graphic novels from Disney\u2019s catalog reformatted for Webtoon\u2019s vertical-scroll app, in addition to all-new original titles that are currently in development. The Disney webcomics will be available in a dedicated section of the Webtoon English-language app. Globally, Webtoon has around 155 million monthly active users.<\/p>\n \n\tFinancial terms of the multiyear deal aren\u2019t being disclosed. But in terms of publishing partnerships, the Webtoon pact is \u201cone of the biggest we have ever done,\u201d says Daniel Fink, senior VP, head of digital innovation at Disney Consumer Products.<\/p>\n \n\tThe first Disney-owned webcomic to debut will be the Amazing Spider-Man later in August. That will be followed by Marvel\u2019s Avengers, Star Wars, Alien and \u201cAs Old as Time: A Twisted Tale\u201d (with Belle and the Beast). Webtoon will be promoting the new Disney partnership at New York Comic Con, which runs Oct. 9-12.<\/p>\n \n\tIn Webtoon\u2019s freemium model, the first few episodes of a webcomic are free to read; to get full access, users must purchase in-app \u201ccoins\u201d and redeem them for premium purchases. At press time, pricing of the Disney comics on Webtoon was not available.<\/p>\n \n\tThe launch of Disney comics on Webtoon comes after the companies had been in talks for about a year. Fink says webcomics readership has grown dramatically in recent years and has attracted \u201cpeople who are not traditional comics readers.\u201d Webtoon\u2019s base of millions of monthly active users for its English-language app was appealing to Disney, and Fink sees the deal as bolstering its reach internationally and with Gen Z audiences.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe have such amazing stories at Disney and Marvel, and we want our stories to reach as many as people as possible,\u201d Fink says. <\/p>\n \n\tBoth Disney and Webtoon say none of the webcomics produced under their deal will use AI technology. \u201cIt\u2019s all traditional creative,\u201d says Fink. The new webcomics will be produced by Webtoon with Disney\u2019s approval, but the companies aren\u2019t sharing what characters will be in the mix except to say the titles will range \u201cfrom superhero epics to galaxy-spanning adventures.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDisney talked to multiple players in the webcomics space and \u201cwe saw that Webtoon was the clear leader,\u201d according to Fink. In addition, Webtoon Entertainment is based in L.A. (while its parent company, Naver Corp., is based in South Korea). \u201cBig picture, it was a pretty easy decision,\u201d Fink says.<\/p>\n \n\tDisney joined Webtoon\u2019s roster of other content partners, which includes Warner Bros. Discovery\u2019s DC Comics, Discord and K-pop giant HYBE.<\/p>\n \n\tFor Webtoon\u2019s part, the company saw a huge opportunity to team with Disney, whose brands are \u201camong the most legendary, creative and successful in the industry,\u201d says Yongsoo Kim, chief strategy officer and head of global at Webtoon. \u201cWe believe teaming up together is mutually beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWebtoon Entertainment\u2019s brands and platforms, in addition to the Webtoon app, includes user-generated fiction app Wattpad<\/a>, Webtoon Productions, Studio N, Studio LICO, Webtoon Unscrolled, Line Manga and eBookJapan.<\/p>\n \n\tIn June 2024, Webtoon Entertainment went public with an IPO on the Nasdaq exchange. For 2024, the company reported $1.35 billion in revenue (up 5.1%) and a net loss of $152.9 million (versus a net loss of $144.8 million the year prior). Between 2017 and 2023, the company says, it paid out $2.8 billion to creators, with the top 100 creators earning more than $1 million and overall creators paid an average of $48,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\tPopular on Variety\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n