Which was the better investment since 2010, Disney or Netflix?

Netflix was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Netflix in 2010 would be worth $80,289 today, compared to $3,828 for Disney.

What would $1,000 in Disney vs Netflix be worth today?

$1,000 invested in Disney in 2010 would be worth $3,828 today (+282.8%). The same $1,000 in Netflix would be worth $80,289 (+7928.9%).

How do Disney and Netflix compare to the S&P 500 since 2010?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2010 would be worth $9,294 today (+829.4%). Disney returned $3,828 and Netflix returned $80,289 over the same period.

Disney vs Netflix: $1,000 invested since 2010

DIS vs NFLX · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2010 would be worth

Disney

$3,827

+282.7%

NetflixWinner

$80,225

+7922.5%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $9,294(+829.4%)

Growth of $1,000

Disney vs. Netflix vs. S&P 500, 2010 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Disney vs. Netflix, 2010 to present

Year	Disney	Return	Netflix	Return	S&P 500
2010	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2011	$1,330	+33.0%	$3,439	+243.9%	$1,222
2012	$1,353	+1.8%	$1,931	-43.9%	$1,273
2013	$1,903	+40.6%	$2,654	+37.5%	$1,483
2014	$2,596	+36.4%	$6,576	+147.7%	$1,801
2015	$3,294	+26.9%	$7,097	+7.9%	$2,056
2016	$3,512	+6.6%	$10,327	+45.5%	$2,038
2017	$4,117	+17.2%	$15,823	+53.2%	$2,445
2018	$4,106	-0.3%	$30,395	+92.1%	$3,088
2019	$4,280	+4.2%	$38,177	+25.6%	$3,013
2020	$5,374	+25.5%	$38,805	+1.6%	$3,659
2021	$6,534	+21.6%	$59,867	+54.3%	$4,288
2022	$5,555	-15.0%	$48,032	-19.8%	$5,282
2023	$4,215	-24.1%	$39,791	-17.2%	$4,850
2024	$3,744	-11.2%	$63,434	+59.4%	$5,849
2025	$4,447	+18.8%	$109,836	+73.2%	$7,383
2026	$4,486	+0.9%	$93,884	-14.5%	$8,588

Which came out ahead

From a $1,000 stake at the start of 2010, Netflix (NFLX) came out ahead of Disney (DIS). That $1,000 grew to $80,289 in NFLX versus $3,828 in DIS as of 2026-06-01, about 21x the ending value.

In total-return terms the order is clear. Netflix returned +7928.9% against Disney at +282.8%, a gap of about 7646.1 percentage points over the 16.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 30.3% a year for NFLX against 8.4% for DIS.

Netflix cleared a plain S&P 500 fund over the same span while Disney fell short of it. The index would have grown that $1,000 to about $9,294, compounding near 14.4% a year. Volatility was not shared evenly. Netflix moved across a far wider band of yearly returns than Disney did. All figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.

None of this recommends one holding over the other. It is historical math, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

Other start years

Disney vs Netflix from a different starting point

Since 2005 Since 2015 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Disney since 2010+282.8%Netflix since 2010+7928.9%

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For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.