ImperfectPixie
Well-Known Member
Oh, on Disney being surprised, I absolutely agree - they're probably freaking out. I do think WDW is going to be a nightmare unless they do SOMETHING though, even with all the people who are avoiding the opening.
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Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Thread starter CheekBoys
- Start date
mikejs78
Premium Member
If WDW ends up being the opposite of DLR in regards to the opening - massive crowds, major attendance boost, etc, they may conclude that future expansion/investment has better ROI in FL...
Ok, I'll be the one to admit that having many options and timelines to visit these lands, either DL or WDW is confusing to me!
Virtual queues, reservations, blockouts, early mornings, AP previews, etc.
I understand about managing crowds but, oh my!
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doctornick
Well-Known Member
What was the opening like at Cars Land? I thought was also pretty packed. RSR certainly had massive lines for quite some time and would run our of FPs soon after the park opened each day.
My guess about DL right now is simply so many regulars expected SW:GE to be insane and they were scared off from even visit by the "reservation" and "virtual queue" systems that they avoided the parks entirely. And potential vacationers avoided the parks for the same reason. Also combined with significant AP and SM blocked dates lessening the number of potential guests.
mikejs78
Premium Member
There's also the fact that most of the regulars are blacked out.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
The Cars Land opening in 2012 was insane. People camping out the night before, general pandemonium, six hour long lines for Radiator Springs Racers that snaked throughout the park.
The opening of the 60th Anniversary in 2015 was even more crazy, and that was just for a new parade and new fireworks and a resortwide decor package.
Right now at mid-morning on Day Two of no reservations for Star Wars Land, the Virtual Queue remains turned off and Star Wars Land is free flowing to anyone who wants to wander in. Millennium Falcon has a 75 minute wait, Indiana Jones Adventure is 65 Minutes, Hyperspace Mountain and Radiator Springs Racers is 55 Minutes, and the other 50+ rides in both Disneyland and DCA from B Tickets to E Tickets are all 5 to 15 Minutes long. That tells me that the crowd has split four ways two hours after rope drop - Falcon, Indy, Hyperspace and Racers.
This might not be so much about the over-reaction of reservations and Virtual Queues (that are not currently being used) from Disneyland management, but the fact that Falcon is a good but not groundbreaking E Ticket in a park that has a lot of other very good rides to offer.
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DCLcruiser
Well-Known Member
Pixar Pier is new to DCA. So that park already had a new draw from last year. It's just that DLR/DCA is a mall alternative. Everyone is an AP and they go in the evening on a date, etc.
Jones14
Well-Known Member
I think Carsland’s existence killed Star Wars in DCA before it was even finished back in 2012. The two lands share, at their core, the same premise (once popular and thriving town/ planet has been left behind due to the freeway/hyperspace lanes, and the locals hawk their wares to the visitors, who are really only there for the E-Ticket(s) located in the heart of the mountains).
WDW Pro
Well-Known Member
Why don't we all just admit what is blatantly clear at this point? Disney has tanked Star Wars' appeal. There's literally no other explanation at this point. You have a billion dollar land with expectations in place for attendance numbers, and in day two almost all the precautions taken to help ease congestion have been dropped. The one ride that has opened in which you actually get to ride in the most iconic spaceship in all of science fiction doesn't have a three hour wait... it doesn't have a two hour wait... it is barely topping the wait times of any other ride. And that's when it's brand new. The reviews for the ride are mediocre at best. The reviews for the food and drink options are negative, with descriptions of the blue and green milk products as being slimy and candy-esque. The positives are awesome architectural work for making a war-torn outpost nobody has ever heard of or cares about, and two extremely cost-prohibitive and reservation-prohibitive experiences are awesome (light sabers and the cantina).
The fact that the Millennium Falcon has porgs everywhere but no Han Solo... the fact that Darth Vader is the most popular villain probably ever, yet is nowhere... the fact that this poorly received sequel trilogy is the focus rather than the massively popular original storyline and characters... tells you that the current Lucasfilm story group has their fingers all over it. The main protagonist to the whole Star Wars story - Luke Skywalker - isn't in the freaking land! And the bill is coming due. The last Star Wars movie actually LOST MONEY. The brand-new, billion dollar expansion at Disneyland Park is clearly underperforming to such a degree that they're getting rid of all barriers to entry as fast as possible to try to get people in there. How in the world Disney could do so well with Marvel and do so polarly opposite with Star Wars is beyond me? Cars, which is the least well received franchise for Pixar, drew triple the amount of excitement when its land opened. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for Disney to panic - not about the parks - but about how badly they are killing Star Wars, which up until a few years ago was the most fail safe franchise in the world.
The fact that the Millennium Falcon has porgs everywhere but no Han Solo... the fact that Darth Vader is the most popular villain probably ever, yet is nowhere... the fact that this poorly received sequel trilogy is the focus rather than the massively popular original storyline and characters... tells you that the current Lucasfilm story group has their fingers all over it. The main protagonist to the whole Star Wars story - Luke Skywalker - isn't in the freaking land! And the bill is coming due. The last Star Wars movie actually LOST MONEY. The brand-new, billion dollar expansion at Disneyland Park is clearly underperforming to such a degree that they're getting rid of all barriers to entry as fast as possible to try to get people in there. How in the world Disney could do so well with Marvel and do so polarly opposite with Star Wars is beyond me? Cars, which is the least well received franchise for Pixar, drew triple the amount of excitement when its land opened. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for Disney to panic - not about the parks - but about how badly they are killing Star Wars, which up until a few years ago was the most fail safe franchise in the world.
mikejs78
Premium Member
This is kind of foolish. The demise of Star Wars is greatly exaggerated. The lines aren't long simply because in a park driven primarily by APs, the APs are all blacked out.
MrHappy
Well-Known Member
I think Disney exercised EXTREME caution with DL. As SW:GE came closer to opening, I was reading articles like it would break attendance records and break the fire code....and the neighboring area would not tolerate a scene like Potter. As you guys said already, the other factors like the typical DL guest, blackouts, etc. All was put into a formula in order to ease the stress on the park in the first month and adjust as needed.
I doubt Disney wants a Potter like scene at DHS as I personally think that just shows operational incompetence, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a few photos of a park flooded with guests at least in the early going since they have more room (literally) to play with at WDW. I guess it depends what Disney wants to brag about: their operating genius, or record breaking attendance.
I doubt Disney wants a Potter like scene at DHS as I personally think that just shows operational incompetence, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a few photos of a park flooded with guests at least in the early going since they have more room (literally) to play with at WDW. I guess it depends what Disney wants to brag about: their operating genius, or record breaking attendance.
WDW Pro
Well-Known Member
You're right... a movie that lost money and a land that is operating at maybe 25% of expected demand is fantastic.
WDW Pro
Well-Known Member
They're putting Endgame back out with a new twist to break the record for all-time grossing film. You'd better believe they'd take "record breaking attendance" in a heart beat.
mikejs78
Premium Member
Solo was a misfire. That doesn't mean there isn't interest in the franchise as a whole. Episode 9 will tell the true story, and I suspect that it will be very successful.
As far as Galaxy's Edge - how can you say it's operating at 25% of expected demand? They sold out the exact # of reservations in the first month that they put out there.
MrHappy
Well-Known Member
Apples and Oranges. No?
ImperfectPixie
Well-Known Member
I really think the timing of Solo's release was a bigger issue than the film itself - it was released right in the middle of a slew of other big-budget movies that everyone also wanted to see. Of all the movies released around that time, Solo was lowest on my family's "must-see" list. We did really enjoy it, even though we waited for blu ray to see it.
mikejs78
Premium Member
Same. I've seen every Star Wars movie in theaters since Return of the Jedi (I was too young for Empire and not born for A New Hope). I skipped Solo, not because I am not interested in Star Wars anymore, but because as a parent of a (then) one year old, I had Infinity War and Incredibles 2 (to go with our then 8 year old). Going to the movies, getting a babysitter, etc., had to be factored in. In the end, 3 movies in the course of 6 weeks was too much, so we picked Infinity War (as it was a real event film) and Incredibles. If it had been the Last Jedi or Rise of Skywalker, my calculus may have been different. Had they waited for Christmas, my calculus also may have been different. As it was, I saw and enjoyed it on Blu Ray. And you can bet that I'll see Episode 9 in theaters..
WDW Pro
Well-Known Member
The number of reservations they put out there was extremely low to ensure they would be sold out and the first videos going on YouTube would show exactly what they'd want to show (not shoulder to shoulder and three hour waits). But when it came time to open the land to the general public... I'll guarantee you they were expecting four-six hour waits for Millenium Falcon. There are times during the day when it's less than half an hour and it's maxing out under an hour and a half. All you need to see is them dropping every impediment they can on Day 2.
I'm just curious what it's going to take for people spinning the situation to get off the narrative? Last Jedi bluray sold NOTHING like the Force Awakens ( ), the next movie lost money, Episode 9 already has major headwinds that has the industry talking (https://www.express.co.uk/entertain...box-office-fan-boycott-backlash-han-solo-flop ), and the billion dollar investment in Disneyland is clearly not achieving even close to what was intended. Just a few years ago this franchise was a guaranteed billion and a half for every foreseeable movie release.
Notes from Neverland
Well-Known Member
Are blu ray sales really the best measurement to use in a world that's moving more and more away from physical media?
WDW Pro
Well-Known Member
Well, we can cite that Last Jedi made $700 million less than Force Awakens at the box office if you'd like... that's a loss of more than nearly all movies gross. Choose your analytic and it's still basically impossible to spin what's going on with the Star Wars franchise. And it's the opposite of Marvel.