Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s Behind the Castle Walls sold about 2,400 copies in its first week, according to BookScan figures first reported by Puck, and it missed the top 10.
Bob Chapek wrote a book about his years at Disney. So far, not many people are buying it.
Behind the Castle Walls: My Thirty Years at the Happiest Place on Earth sold about 2,400 copies in its first week, Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported, citing BookScan. Disney Tourist Blog and Chip and Company both picked up the number this week.
BookScan, run by Circana, tracks sales at retailers that report to it. Chip and Company pointed out that it doesn’t necessarily catch every copy sold in every format, so the real total could be somewhat higher.
How did Bob Chapek’s book do on the bestseller lists?
It didn’t crack the top 10. Disney Tourist Blog and Chip and Company both reported that it missed the top 10 on The New York Times nonfiction lists.
On Amazon, the book was No. 1 in the Business Ethics category when Disney Tourist Blog checked this week, but it sat at No. 4,038 overall.
Reader ratings are mixed. Disney Tourist Blog counted a 4.0 average from 65 Amazon reviews and a 3.2 on Goodreads.
For comparison, Bob Iger’s 2019 memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, had a 4.8 average from more than 24,000 Amazon reviews, the blog noted.
What is Behind the Castle Walls about?
Chapek’s three decades at Disney, including his time as CEO. He co-wrote it with Don Yaeger, a New York Times bestselling author, and Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, published it.
In the book and the interviews around it, Chapek argues Disney tried to erase what he did, defends his decisions and credits himself with helping Josh D’Amaro rise through the company, Chip and Company reported. He has also said he doesn’t hold a personal grudge against Iger.
We covered one of the book’s bigger claims on Oct. 10: Chapek says he considered getting rid of Disneyland’s annual passes. Disneyland ended its old annual pass program during the pandemic and replaced it with the Magic Key in 2021, on his watch.
When was Bob Chapek Disney’s CEO?
From February 2020 to November 2022. Disney’s board removed him and brought Iger back.
His run covered the pandemic park closures and reopenings and the Disney+ growth years, so there’s plenty of material.
Before he became CEO, Chapek ran Disney’s parks and consumer products business, which is why so many park fans still have opinions about him.
Why did Bob Chapek write a book?
To tell his side. In his first interviews since leaving, on CNBC, Chapek said he turned the idea down at first, Laughing Place reported.
After four years of staying quiet, he said a story about his tenure took hold that he doesn’t think is true. “I felt like I had to get the truth out there,” he said.
The book takes aim at Iger, and Chapek says Iger constantly undermined him, according to Laughing Place. Disney has mostly stayed quiet about it.
In those CNBC interviews, he also talked about the Scarlett Johansson lawsuit over Black Widow‘s release, Laughing Place noted.
He also did a Bloomberg interview, where he said “I love private equity,” Disney Tourist Blog noted.
Why does 2,400 copies matter?
For the former head of one of the best-known companies in the world, with a major publisher behind him, it’s a modest start.
There are a few caveats, though. BookScan doesn’t count everything, the book is only a couple of weeks old, and nonfiction can sell slowly over time.
Disney Tourist Blog’s Tom Bricker also said the publisher didn’t send him or others he knows review copies or interview offers, which he called unusual.
What’s next for Disney books?
Another one is on the way. Robbie Whelan’s The House of Mouse is coming, Disney Tourist Blog noted, so the Chapek years will get at least one more telling.
For now, Chapek’s version is on shelves and online, and anyone curious won’t have trouble finding a copy.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Puck, Matthew Belloni (October 2026), the BookScan figure, via Disney Tourist Blog
Disney Tourist Blog, Tom Bricker (Oct. 13, 2026), lists, ratings and media tour
Chip and Company (Oct. 14, 2026), Circana BookScan, the book’s claims and Chapek’s tenure
Laughing Place, Dirk Libbey (Sept. 28, 2026), Chapek’s CNBC comments
Pirates and Princesses (Oct. 10, 2026), the annual pass claim
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