Webtoon Entertainment to release Marvel, Star Wars comics in the United States

Webtoon Entertainment, the New York-listed parent company of Naver Webtoon, said Wednesday it will adapt some of Disney’s most popular franchises into vertical-scroll webtoons for the U.S. market via a partnership with the Walt Disney Company.

Advertisement for Naver's online comics platform Webtoon Entertainment are displayed in Times Square as the company debuts on the Nasdaq on June 27, 2024. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Webtoon Entertainment, the New York-listed parent company of Naver Webtoon, said Wednesday it will adapt some of Disney’s most popular franchises — including Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century Studios — into vertical-scroll webtoons for the U.S. market via a global content partnership with Disney.

The company will launch a dedicated Disney section in its English-language Webtoon app and release about 100 series sequentially. It will also develop new original webtoons based on Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century Studios intellectual property (IP).

What's the deal? The partnership comes as Webtoon Entertainment, which went public on the Nasdaq in June 2024, works to expand the influence of vertical-scroll comics in the United States, known as the “home of the comic book.”

In its second quarter earnings announcement Wednesday, the company said app updates — including AI-powered recommendations and trailer videos — had boosted monthly active users (MAUs) of the English app by 19 percent for two consecutive quarters. Revenue for the quarter rose 8.5 percent from the previous year, or 5.5 percent on a constant-currency basis, to $348.27 million.

Webtoon Entertainment will adapt Disney's most iconic properties, such as Spider-Man and Captain America, into comics for the U.S. market under a partnership with Disney. [NAVER WEBTOON]

With total 156 million MAUs worldwide, the partnership between Webtoon Entertainment and Disney — which owns Spider-Man, Captain America and other major comic IP — is expected to strengthen Webtoon’s foothold in the U.S. market.

After the news broke, shares of Webtoon Entertainment, which closed at $9.36 on the Nasdaq Tuesday, climbed above $13 in after-hours trading.

Daniel Fink, senior vice president of business development and new business for Disney’s consumer products division, said the partnership allows Disney’s popular franchises to expand into Webtoon’s industry-leading digital platform.

Harrison Ford in ″Captain America: Brave New World″ [AP/YONHAP]

Webtoon expands in Japan

The company is also growing in Japan, a market dominated by manga.

Webtoon Entertainment said its Line Manga app ranked No. 1 in revenue among all iOS and Android apps in Japan in the first half of this year.

Meanwhile, the Japanese TV adaptation of Naver Web Novel’s “Marry My Husband” (2020-21), which premiered in June, was the top Amazon Original drama in Japan by total viewership, including both English and non-English titles, as of the end of last month.

Webtoon Entertainment will adapt Disney's most iconic properties such as "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) into comics for the U.S. market under a partnership with Disney.[NAVER WEBTOON]

Webtoon Entertainment plans to produce 20 animated series in Japan this year based on its titles, including “Omniscient Reader” (2020-) and “Teenage Mercenary” (2020-).

“Webtoon Entertainment offers the best digital platform to enjoy everything from original series to the world’s largest entertainment franchises,” said CEO Kim Jun-koo.

“We will continue to grow by expanding our range of content and building a platform environment that makes it easier for users to discover the stories they love,” he added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff. BY JEONG YONG-HWAN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]