Chinese richest man picks fight with Disney

PhilharMagician

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The reason I posted this is because this guy is calling out Disney for using old theme park ideas in a new theme park (SDL) with little to no innovation. Take a read and comment if you like.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/china’s-richest-man-just-picked-a-fight-with-disneyland/ar-BBtpn1Y?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=iehp

Excerpt from article:
“The frenzy of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and the era of blindly following them have passed. [They are] entirely cloning previous IP, cloning previous products, with no more innovation,” Wang said a nearly hour-long interview on CCTV on Sunday. He added that competition from his company would ensure that Disney China would be unprofitable over the next 10 to 20 years.
 
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ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
PhilharMagician said:
The reason I posted this is because this guy is calling out Disney for planted old theme park idea in a new theme park with little to no innovation. Take a read and comment if you like.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/china’s-richest-man-just-picked-a-fight-with-disneyland/ar-BBtpn1Y?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=iehp

Excerpt from article:
“The frenzy of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and the era of blindly following them have passed. [They are] entirely cloning previous IP, cloning previous products, with no more innovation,” Wang said a nearly hour-long interview on CCTV on Sunday. He added that competition from his company would ensure that Disney China would be unprofitable over the next 10 to 20 years.
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Eventually this guy will end up owning TWDC if they keep up their current path and I think that's his strategy
 
glvsav37

glvsav37

Well-Known Member
“Disney didn't believe that China has Wanda,” Wang said in the CCTV interview. “They shouldn't have entered China. We have a [saying]: one tiger is no match for a pack of wolves. Shanghai has one Disney, while Wanda, across the nation, will open 15 to 20.”
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wow. fighting words


“Moreover there's another issue,” he said. “The most important problem, and that is their high cost to open the park. With the scale similar to our Nanchang park, their Shanghai park costs $5.5 billion. I have no way to even comprehend this. We internally analyzed why they spend so much money on it, and we can't explain it in a sentence or two.”
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Cost and time are 2 things absolutely killing Disney IMO when building in their parks. It is taking way too long to get projects approved and constructed. It reeks of too many corporate layers to go through.

Wang’s comments ring both prideful and nationalistic. His company is switching from a real estate developer to a services company catering to China’s middle class, a segment Disney also has squarely in its sights.
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Funny b/c domestically, it seems disney is looking to squeeze out the middle class.
 
ProfSavage

ProfSavage

Well-Known Member
He's in the theme park business, of course he is going to try and take on Disney. There may be sayings in China, but there's a saying in the US: when you shoot at the king, its best not to miss.

Not defending SDL, because the sum don't equal the parts imo, but have you seen other theme parks in China in the past? Just saying.
 
ABQ

ABQ

Well-Known Member
rybarr87 said:
He's in the theme park business, of course he is going to try and take on Disney. There may be sayings in China, but there's a saying in the US: when you shoot at the king, its best not to miss.

Not defending SDL, because the sum don't equal the parts imo, but have you seen other theme parks in China in the past? Just saying.
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1.-China-Beijing.jpg


Creepy
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I saw that article last night and looked at some YouTube videos of his Wanda parks. And it was hysterical.

They are a combination of Six Flags coasters and direct rip-offs of 10 to 15 year old Disney rides like Soarin' and Midway Mania, except instead of Soarin' Over California you've got "Hubei From The Air" and some cheap Midway Mania using Chinese video game guys.


It's obvious this guy sent his Wanda spies to Disney theme parks over the last decade to steal some ideas, but I don't think he gets it.
 
Unplugged

Unplugged

Well-Known Member
There are a few things to note about that entire spiel given by Wang Jianlin.

First, he completely slams the use of legacy IP, as if China's culture is to never look back on things one enjoys and throw it out. We know that's false and the Chinese enjoy classic media and stories as much as anyone. There will be ample visitors to Disney Shanghai. I'm not saying it won't be a "Disney Paris" type situation, just that from an IP perspective, it is not what Wang would have you believe.

Second, while I don't know what quality of materials Disney used to build the park in Shanghai, we do know how many other Chinese products turn out. It's fair to say that Disney built using the same methods and materials they do here, methods and materials they know, and it cost them dearly! Wang may be able to build a great theme park, but it is not a Disney theme park. The Disney name is global and many people enjoy the characters and growing brands that Disney offers. Some countries simply enjoy parts of the American culture.

He may do very well with his intent to build his own parks, but that doesn't mean the end of Disney in China with $5.5 billion in losses. After all, there are a lot more theme parks in Orlando and Southern California than just Disney, and they aren't hurting. I think he's using this strictly as a marketing opportunity. His pack of wolves may be chasing tigers, but how good are they at catching a mouse?

I'm not farting Pixie Dust, just reviewing such bold comments made by Wang. He seems to be overly flamboyant, very ego driven, and against anything not trademarked "Wang". Overall, Wang seems to be the Donald Trump of China. There's another Wang he can brand if he likes..
 
Rodan75

Rodan75

Well-Known Member
It is an odd fight for him to pick. Wanda and Disney have a co-dependent relationship on multiple fronts. My understanding is that he is known for being outspoken to a fault and I agree with others that this is likely a good marketing opportunity for his parks. But I would imagine that as rich as he is, he still has to be careful of ending up like the Russian tycoons who lost everything by being too outspoken against state driven actions.
 
Wdw62114

Wdw62114

Well-Known Member
This is funny because before I read this article, I never even heard of this guy or his lame named theme parks, shopping malls, or theaters. And he's gonna beat Disney Globally in 4 years? Yeah......good luck with that!
 
DisneyFans4Life

DisneyFans4Life

Well-Known Member
This is just a classic example of someone rich trying to get their name out there. Now that Disney is in his territory, he does this to be like "hey world, don't forget about the other Chinese theme parks we have."

All the while he's planning a trip to SDL for his family...
 
brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
rybarr87 said:
He's in the theme park business, of course he is going to try and take on Disney. There may be sayings in China, but there's a saying in the US: when you shoot at the king, its best not to miss.

Not defending SDL, because the sum don't equal the parts imo, but have you seen other theme parks in China in the past? Just saying.
Click to expand...
Most of the Chinese theme parks look cheap
 

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