Walt Disney Co. has reported sharp profit growth for its fiscal fourth quarter while announcing an expansion of its cost-cutting drive under returning CEO Bob Iger.

Walt Disney Co. said it will acquire a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion, a deal that will give Disney full control of the streaming service.

Disney said it is raising prices for streaming subscribers in the U_S_ who want to watch Disney+ without ads as more viewers switch to what CEO Bob Chapek described Wednesday as the “best value in streaming.”.

It’s that time of year again: To watch all of the classic (and a few new) Christmas movies -- and given how 2021 has gone, we could all use a little holiday cheer these days, right?

This week’s new entertainment releases include new music from Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers and a reboot of “Gossip Girl” less than 10 years after the CW series ended.

This week’s new entertainment releases includes Conan O’Brien closing out his TBS late-night show and the new soccer documentary “LFG,” a revealing look at the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s battle for equal pay.

This week’s new entertainment releases include the much-anticipated debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights,” a sweaty, vibrant musical about a close-knit Washington Heights neighborhood.

This week’s new entertainment releases include new music from rockers Greta Van Fleet and the return of John Stamos to TV as a hot-button NCAA basketball coach in “Big Shot” who ends up coaching girls at an elite private high school.

(Disney Plus via AP)NEW YORK – When Steve Rogers handed Sam Wilson his Captain America shield at the end of Marvel's massive 2019 event “Avengers: Endgame,” Wilson tried it on for a beat. That reluctance and skepticism is front-and-center as Wilson's story continues in “The Falcon and the Winter Solder,” a new six-episode Disney+ series that promises an exploration of patriotism and race alongside its shootouts and soaring chase scenes. While “Endgame" appeared to promise a quick transition for Anthony Mackie's Falcon to take up the Captain America mantle, as he has in the comics, the creator of “Falcon” promises only complications. AdSo will there be a Black Captain America by the time the final credits roll in April? Agent, a sometime antagonist to Captain America who twists American patriotism to darker ends.

Most films are kid-friendly.

TOKYO – The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Friday as optimism built among investors that a coming vaccine for the coronavirus will help end the shutdowns that have devastated the economy. The S&P 500 added 48.14 points, or 1.4%, to 3,585.15, rising above the index's previous closing record of 3,580.84 set back in early September. The S&P 500 ended the week up 2.2%. Stocks in the S&P 500 energy sector rose more than 16% this week, while tech stocks were essentially flat. “I still think the dust is kind of settling from that vaccine news as investors think about how to be positioned,” he said.

Walt Disney Co. reported fiscal fourth-quarter loss on Thursday thanks largely to changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their primary focus is on making shows and movies for streaming services. Subscribers to Disney's main streaming bundle — Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu — top 120 million. Disney posted a loss of $629 million, or 39 cents per share, in the three months that ended Oct. 3. Disney said revenue at its parks, experiences and products business fell 61% to $2.6 billion.

Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Wednesday after pandemic concerns snapped a four-day winning streak on Wall Street. Japan's Nikkei 225 erased early losses to gain 0.2% to 23,645.81 while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gave up 0.2% to 24,608.27. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.7% to 2,386.54 and the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia declined 0.2% to 6,185.30. JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, Citigroup and BlackRock all reported stronger results for the summer than analysts had forecast. Benchmark U.S. crude oil lost 17 cents to $40.03 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The company said in August that its Disney Plus service has more than 60 million subscribers, and subscribers to its main combination of streaming services — Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu — top 100 million. It still plans to launch another international streaming service called Star. Disney has released several major titles on streaming services that would traditionally have appeared at cinemas, like a live-action remake of "Mulan" and the upcoming Pixar film “Soul" that will hit Disney Plus at Christmas. Their primary focus will be on making shows and movies for streaming services, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement. Disney Plus is considered one of the most successful so far.

ROANOKE, Va. – Just like the hero he is, Baby Yoda is coming to save 2020 when we need him most. Disney announced on Wednesday that its highly popular Star War series, “The Mandalorian,” will debut season two on October 30 on Disney Plus. New episodes start streaming Oct. 30 on #DisneyPlus. #TheMandalorian pic.twitter.com/8oruZ3oedx — The Mandalorian (@themandalorian) September 2, 2020The last episode of the first season aired in December 2019, and fans will be able to continue the story of the bounty hunter and The Child soon enough. Season one of this Star Wars spin-off series is currently available to stream on Disney Plus.

CNN videoDisney is throwing its hat into streaming Tuesday with the debut of its Disney Plus service. Getting Disney Plus with ESPN Plus and Hulu, both owned by Disney, will cost $13 a month. Movies released in 2019 or later will go to Disney Plus rather than a rival streaming service first. Disney Plus will also house past seasons of "The Simpsons," which Disney got through its purchase of Fox's entertainment business. Other shows and movies: HBO shows and movies, including theatrical releases that HBO licenses.