South Park Settles $900M Movie Deal With ViacomCBS, Stock Responds

In 1999, fans of vulgar cartoons were graced with the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, which went on to earn the Guinness Book of World Records spot for the most swearing in an animated movie (399 swear words, 128 offensive gestures, and 221 acts of violence, to be exact). Now, South Park creators have struck a deal for at least 14 films through ViacomCBS (NASDAQ:VIAC).

How is VIAC stock responding? Where do the net worths for creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker stand following the nearly-billion-dollar deal?

South Park show creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have had consistent work for the last 24 years, a feat that they might not have expected when they first created the concept. The duo continues to write, direct, and voice most of the characters on the show—something that can't be said for pretty much any other show of similar caliber.

Now, ViacomCBS is putting its money where its mouth is and snagging the rights to at least 14 new South Park films, set to roll out exclusively on the Paramount+ streaming service. The movies will come twice a year for at least seven years. Other surprises will come out of the deal as well, like exclusive new content from Stone and Parker. Meanwhile, the South Park TV show will continue to run through season 30. For reference, season 25 will roll out next year.

As for how much all of this will be worth, South Park is looking at a $900 million price tag for the deal. The franchise has gained monetary value over the last quarter of a century.

Stone is reportedly worth about $700 million —an aggregate sum made up of his TV and movie success.

Parker is worth a reported $600 million—slightly less than Stone because of Parker's two marriages and subsequent divorces.

Stone and Parker are considered to be some of the wealthiest comedians in the world.

ViacomCBS shared the news of the South Park deal during its earnings report for the second quarter of 2021 on Aug. 5. The shares are up marginally in the morning on Aug. 6 after launching 7.17 percent following the earnings call. This energy helped the stock recover after a dive earlier in the week, which presumably hailed from poor earnings expectations.

In the first quarter of 2021, VIAC stock grew substantially, which reflected the energy of meme stocks. The shares swelled as much as 175 percent by Mar. 22 before falling 59 percent in the months since then. Ultimately, the shares are up 14.48 percent YTD, but investors who bought in during the months of February and March still have a ways to go.

Will the momentum stay for ViacomCBS stock? CNN analysts report that the next 12 months could bring as low as -25 percent or as high as +114.3 percent for VIAC. The median estimates sit around 19 percent in the green, which is a more likely outcome.