$500 million for Cosmic Rewind,…why?

[UNCgolf]

(Conversely, rides like Little Mermaid and Epcot's version of Frozen Ever After display their budget restrictions)

I think Little Mermaid is actually another example of a ride where it's difficult to understand where the money went, assuming the $100+ million price tag is accurate.

 

[pingu]

I think Little Mermaid is actually another example of a ride where it's difficult to understand where the money went, assuming the $100+ million price tag is accurate.

general contracting is $$$

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

That's not quite true - Poohs Hunny Hunt was the first (In the year 2000!).

Why did it take so long for this tech to be used elsewhere, I wonder.

 

[WaltWiz1901]

Why did it take so long for this tech to be used elsewhere, I wonder.

Presumably because TWDC proper had little faith in investing in major projects other than thrill rides prior to the DCA overhaul/New Fantasyland (Hunny Hunt cost 11 billion yen circa 1998-2000 to build)...not that Imagineering wasn't trying to incorporate the tech into more attractions.

Since the Little Mermaid ride was mentioned a couple of times, it's worth pointing out that there was a draft for it (not the earlier PPF-style suspended dark ride) that would've used trackless vehicles instead of the Omnimover system that was ultimately put in place. Actually sort of a bummer they didn't stick with LPS since a couple of scenes look like they were designed for it (and the ride probably would've been paced better)
There was also a Scream dark ride considered for Disney-MGM Studios still using the LPS system

 

[Chef Mickey]

In general things are more expensive now than ever before.

That said, the company has horrible management and cost control. The primary example is Disney+.

I believe Cosmic Rewind was probably 50% more expensive than it had to be sinply as a result of management ineptitude.

I’ve said it before, but Disney is a top 5 most poorly managed company in the S&P 500.

 

[Cariad]

The days of the long, languorous dark ride seem to be in the past.

Where you could have a nice rest.

 

[plutofan15]

In general things are more expensive now than ever before.

That said, the company has horrible management and cost control. The primary example is Disney+.

I believe Cosmic Rewind was probably 50% more expensive than it had to be sinply as a result of management ineptitude.

I’ve said it before, but Disney is a top 5 most poorly managed company in the S&P 500.

Out of curiosity, what specifically makes you believe that Disney+ was /is so poorly managed?

 

[Rich Brownn]

It is my understanding that the effect in Star Trek The Experience also occurred on a turntable, so the room you were looking at when the lights flash was replaced by the bridge of the Enterprise. Almost like a mix between the pre-show effect from Cosmic Rewind mixed with the transport shuttle door gag in Rise of the Resistance.

I never got to see Star Trek The Experience in person, but it sounds like the best version of the strobe room change effect ever attempted. Pretty amazing it was for an attraction at a second-tier casino in Las Vegas instead of a real theme park.

No turntable. The room was more or less built inside the transporter set. When the lights went out the walls lifted and the ceiling roller back, so when the lights came on it had changed. Similar to Posiedon's Fury but with the addition of a movable ceiling.

 

[plutofan15]

Companies lump other costs into a greater budget, wouldn't surprise me to see a few other things included from the Epcot overhaul in the $500M.

I'm pretty sure that did not happen.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Out of curiosity, what specifically makes you believe that Disney+ was /is so poorly managed?

The fact it drained so much money from the Disney company way too long. For it to only be somewhat profitable as of 2024 is totally mismanagement. They were pumping insane money into India which was a loser from the beginning because the cost for the service was priced too low.

Then they failed to manage costs and pricing structures for years. The IT spend was insane and the rollout was horrible in general.

 

[plutofan15]

The fact it drained so much money from the Disney company way too long. For it to only be somewhat profitable as of 2024 is totally mismanagement. They were pumping insane money into India which was a loser from the beginning because the cost for the service was priced too low.

Then they failed to manage costs and pricing structures for years. The IT spend was insane and the rollout was horrible in general.

And all of this is based on your first hand knowledge?

 

[Chef Mickey]

And all of this is based on your first hand knowledge?

Um, yes? Look it up. Disney is publicly traded

Which means Disney+ performance can be tracked and verified. They break it out in the earnings reports and it was just profitable for the first time ever in 2024, still making a joke operating income of $47M on $5.6B (lower than 1% operating margin). That isn't good, FYI...it's just not hemorrhaging money anymore.

Disney+ lost $2.5 BILLION in 2023 and over $3.4 BILLION in 2022 and $1.2 BILLION in 2021. This is one of the many reasons Chapek was let go, btw. So was losing over $7B in 3 years on streaming good management for you?

So yes, it has been horribly managed and still is, although there has been improvement out of necessity. They essentially shut down major spend and are milking the existing library which can be debated that it is a reasonable long-term strategy.

I'm not trying to be rude, but you're frankly talking to the wrong person on this. I know what I'm talking about bc I had thousands of Disney shares and actually studied the numbers in detail over the years. This company is probably one of the top 5 worst managed companies in the S&P500.

Cosmic Rewind and every Disney project is managed the same way...horribly.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Legoland has built their own imitation Cosmic Rewind for $40 million

It even has an AA in the preshow!

 

[Nubs70]

"Change Orders" - the bane of project management, a mystery.to creatives.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Has anyone ever considered the fact that some people will automatically see the "Disney" name, take advantage of that, and charge them significantly more than that of their competitors? Think about all those little things that add up from so many different sources.

 

[lazyboy97o]

"Change Orders" - the bane of project management, a mystery.to creatives.

The project budget is finalized after Concept Design, well before any change orders would be issued.

Has anyone ever considered the fact that some people will automatically see the "Disney" name, take advantage of that, and charge them significantly more than that of their competitors? Think about all those little things that add up from so many different sources.

This isn’t the case for several reasons. See above for one. Second, anyone can buy access to all sorts of data on construction costs. Disney isn’t a well off homeowner who doesn’t know they can get access to price match, they have the access themselves and do check.

Companies don’t just luck into getting a Disney job. They have to apply to do work for Disney, be vetted and then stay in Disney’s good graces. Disney uses their size to get better pricing and will buy a lot of materials themselves often procured by general contractors and subcontractors. Even custom things like ride systems and scenic elements aren’t a monopoly and there are multiple companies that want Disney’s business.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Has anyone ever considered the fact that some people will automatically see the "Disney" name, take advantage of that, and charge them significantly more than that of their competitors? Think about all those little things that add up from so many different sources.

Customer/Vendor: Wait, you're Disney?! This is going to cost you more.

Disney: Wait, *I'm* Disney!! This is going to to cost you more.

.​

 

[Chef Mickey]

At least it's an asset. Disney burns though more on content for Disney+ that never sees more than 1 season.

 

[surfsupdon]

There was also a Scream dark ride considered for Disney-MGM Studios still using the LPS system

Elaborate? What was this??!