A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Cody5294]

$187 million opening weekend for a worldwide total of $626 million in 10 days is underperforming? We should all be so fortunate to underperform so spectacularly.

I still think it will make at least 1.5 globally, matching its predecessor. China will be the real X factor

 

[PhotoDave219]

Some analysts believe that it could of made 5-9 mill more if it wasn't for the fight

So if you factor in that it was the biggest sports weekend in quite some time, it pretty much opened on target.

However I would venture to suggest that Marvel has peaked in its saturation.

 

[NearTheEars]

That Tinkerbell, up there on the rope ... She's a he.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirited Thanks:

I really needed a laugh tonight and looking thru those (mostly) great captions of the past and present leaders of the Wat Disney Company chilling courtside at the Clippers game last night did the trick. What is amazing, from someone who lived in LA, is the fact it is ... well, a Clippers playoff game. Funny, but I don't recall Michael or Bob at Clippers games when I was out there. It will always be a Lakers town, no matter how awful they have been of late. Of course, Michael did want to buy the Clips and move them to Anaheim at one point. And Bob is supposedly a big fan of them now ... sorta like he loves Marvel ... now!

Anyway, the best caption by far was by Hillbilly @Lee.

I just gotta say that I love ya man. Nope, not as much as I love myself. Certainly not as much as I love your wife or my beloved Angie. But lots ...

But I'll have you know that I have never worn jorts (or any kind of shorts) to an NBA game. And my wardrobe for Conference and NBA Finals was always quite stylish ...not quite as formal as say my Emmywear ... but not what you'd wear for a day at the MK either!

 

[WDW1974]

@WDW1974 I thought you might get a kick out of the latest article from micechat about "Disney News"

"Mystic Point "PLUS Toy Story PLUS Grizzly, and so forth. On Mainland China, “biggest and best” means “vast size”. Therefore, they have the biggest castle. Huge hotels. A grandparents’ garden. (More on that later). There is also the matter of cultural tribute that must be paid. They’ve been doing this for thousands of years and if you’re going to do business in China, it’s simply a matter of course. So when WDI asks for $800K for “park improvements”, they’re just playing ball. Them’s the rules - but don’t worry, Disney stockholders, they’re ready for the crowds that are sure to come at opening…and there certainly will be. “First” is important, too."

Remember when they used to actually call the company out when things looked fishy....Seems like they play ball in disney's favor as of late rather than the actual fan. Apologies if you've seen this already.

Yes, apparently, Jim Hill's ex is back in the 'business' of Disney blogging. I always liked her considerably more than her boorish ex. I never knew her to make things up either. That wasn't -- and isn't -- The Fabulous Disney Babe's style.

That said, I'm not really sure what her new column is. It seems more like a Disney Headlines of The Week deal to cover for the fact that Micechat (and I love Todd and Norm to death!) hasn't had much in the way of hard news of late ... well, at all in 2015.

I do think they should correct that typo as there is a huge difference between $800,000 (what Mongello has buried under the lemon tree in his back yard, just in case!) and $800,000,000 (an amount I'd feel comfortable having!)

I'd love to see someone on Micechat, who is capable and has knowledge, write about SDL. But except for a few lines here and there (about delays or the new Soarin film) they really haven't touched the subject. I'd guess that Al Lutz might have chimed in on that unaccounted for money or the op-ed that was whitewashed (Disney CEO Fumbles Entry to China) from the 'net or even why nobody in Imagineering wants any part of heading over ... but Al is retired. Much better to pimp 37 podcasts.

 

[wdisney9000]

Look, the whole gang is showin' their #DisneySide in Shanghai (with a special appearance by @TP2000 's BFF )

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Bob "My wife looks better than all the Clippers girls except that one on the left"
Michael "But do you think she can pull critical articles like Willow can?"

 

[WDW1974]

Oh thank goodness, I thought you meant this was park wide.
It's only at Ghirardelli.
Phew.

Well, for years I've wondered why a sundae on MSUSA never came with nuts.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Bob " And that's why we are banning peanuts at our parks"
Michael "That kid is having an asthma attack "

 

[WDW1974]

I shook hands with George K. And I saw Lou, Ricky, and Banks Lee. And a bunch of Mommy/Grand Mommy Bloggers.

You should have sent my love (from my non-Spirited side!) Georgie loves me!

And, I'm sorry, but I still don't know what a Banks Lee is.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Well, for years I've wondered why a sundae on MSUSA never came with nuts.

I just can't.......

What a set up.

 

[WDW1974]

Dammit Spirit every once in awhile you do get lucid and I have to agree with you. You are indeed an insensitive b@stard. You are also 100% right about THIS. The tail is absolutely wagging the dog on this and many other "special needs" topics that you care to come up with. It is good to help others when we can, but, not at the expense of everyone else. They are called disabilities for a reason. At this point if one person out of ten has a problem, the turnaround is that now one person has the control and nine have become disabled.

So, Goof, I've been hitting you over the head for what (a decade plus now between LP and here?) And you finally got the smarts knocked into you. Congrats and welcome to the Dark Side!

Oh, and I'll agree with you that the one person now has control over the nine. Again, I'm all for making as much of an even-playing field as is possible. ... But I am waiting for the day when we'll all have to ride Space Mountain with the lights on because a group that has a 'disability' where they are afraid of the dark threatens to sue Disney.

I'm truly sorry, but the world isn't fair and many people can't partake in what 'normal' folks can. That's the reality of being alive. The sooner folks realized it, the better we'd all be ...

 

[WDW1974]

So..... Tonight is the fight of the century between a known woman beater and a glaring homophobe.

I really gotta ask... and I'm not sure if it popped up on @WDW1974's radar but why on earth is TWDC (through ESPN) promoting a six-time woman beater? Why are they having Steven A. Smith (Mr. Victim Blamer himself) do fluff pieces on his alleged "Redemption?" Why is Disney allowing, supporting and promoting this?

Even more egregious? Anyone who had the audacity to question Floyd Mayweather, Jr.,'s domestic violence arrests had their credentials yanked today. Female reporters like Rachel Nichols (A CNN & Turner Sports corespondent) Michelle Beadle (of ESPN), Hamilton Kim, Steve Kim and Martin Rogers (all boxing writers)

Anyone care to ask 'lil Bobby Iger why Disney is supporting such an piece of detritus?

Sports are not a clean business. Sometimes, you are dealing with thugs. And if you're ESPN, then you're promoting them because it helps your bottom line and sports fans don't care if they are watching (or betting on) criminals.

I was sickened by the pulling of the creds. I know Rachel quite well personally (she gives the warmest hugs of anyone I ever knew at ESPN!) and just ... yeah, that was embarrassing. I don't even want to waste space in this thread talking about it as it will raise my BP (was 139 over 86 earlier, which is too damn high!)

 

[WDW1974]

I don't believe I have agreed with you on anything else you've shared with us here more than this post. It hits the nail on the head so squarely that nothing else on the subject need be said.

I knew nuts would bind us all together ... this is a Disney fan forum, after all. (and there are two there ...and if I add what I just typed that would be three!)

 

[PhotoDave219]

View attachment 91730

Look Sir, Droids!

 

[WDW1974]

I'll admit it: I'm burned out on Marvel's product. Even if I wanted to see the Avengers sequel, I'd need to go back and do homework to catch up with the "universe." There's just too much that the audience is supposed to know (Infinity stones? Quicksilver? Vision (is that like the eye doctor superhero)? Scarlet something? Never heard of any of 'em.)

Based on what I've read, it sounds like the narrative is getting more and more convoluted. If you stop following the series, you can't just jump back in without being lost.

In one of the threads around here Harry Potter came up as a comparison with the Marvel movies. One of the things Potter had going for it was there was a clear confrontation that everything was building towards: Harry versus Voldemort (who now occupies the governor's mansion in Tallahassee).

What are these Marvel films moving toward? It seems like there's never an end to the story -- the story just expands and continues to introduce more characters. It just seems like a factory producing an endless stream of CGI fights and a handful of character moments.

I liked Guardians of the Galaxy a lot, but only because it felt like a standalone film. If the sequel pulls that story further into the Marvel universe, I probably won't be as impressed.

I would agree with all of the above really. I loved Guardians. But it did feel like a complete story ...one that could have a sequel or two, but one in which an entire story arc was successfully told. Avengers runs long ... and I read that Whedon cut over half an hour from the film (it will be on the DVD that every fanboi will purchase). How much of that is setting up the next 11 films that I might have no desire to see? I might be a fan of the Guardians or Iron Man ... but have zero interest in any other property they put out.

While Potter certainly told a story that was not contained in any one film, I'd venture to say most people went in as fans or became them. And it had a very specific length. There weren't going to be 15 films. And if say 3rd and 4th installments crashed and burned, then the saga of The Boy Who Lived would have cinematically died even if it went on and on in literary form.

Look at the James Bond films. You can pick any one and see it and appreciate it regardless of whether you have been watching every film since Dr. No ... or For Your Eyes Only or etc. Sure, certain characters reappeared, but you certainly didn't have to know backstories to appreciate the escapist entertainment you were viewing.

I think that's fine for some TV shows (Lost, X-Files, Sopranos, Breaking Bad to name some), but I don't want to make a commitment to watching every film through Phase VII of the MCU just to understand a superhero film I just paid $15 (or $6.50 as I go on special Tuesdays!) to sit through.

 

[WDW1974]

could this possibly be where the Pepsi deal came from? I did some work during the Beijing games and Pepsi was hardly known in the Chinese market at the time - they did some very good branding work to confuse consumers (by turning packagaing an almost coca cola red), I know Pepsi was a sponsor of Disney way back when, but I can't help but wonder how Coca Cola feel about the pepsi deal in China, not too thrilled I'd imagine!

I was part of BOCOG during the Beijing Olympiad, and I admit to not paying a huge amount of attention to what beverages were served/known. My feeling was, and locals told me as much, that the people didn't really see what the difference was between Coke and Pepsi BRANDS. But Pepsi is much better known as whole in the mainland because it was there before Coke due to Pepsi owning (at the time) KFC and Pizza Hut (which are both huge over there).

The thing that is strange here, that, again, the financial press opts to ignore is that Coke has a contract for exclusive worldwide rights to be the official soft drinks of the Disney Parks (there is a partial exception in Japan where Coke and Kirin split rights). I know Coke wanted this contract and expected it to expand their BRAND penetration in China. It just wasn't open because someone (Stanley Cheung, perhaps?) ordained that Pepsi would be the official soft drink. I'm sure that everyone who bothered to look at the press release that I linked to showed that Paul Candland's 'face' was played up and the big news of Stanley's HUGE new role at Disney was played down. Strange again?

And, yes, Pepsi was once served right alongside Coke at WDW and DL. Can you imagine going into a QSR at WDW today and having Coke, Pepsi, Tab, Fanta Orange, Fanta Root Beer and Sprite as your choices? Now imagine how workers would be able to figure out what cola-colored beverage was which. Yet, they did (only in some locations as some were Coke and Pepsi exclusive). This all changed in 1982 when EPCOT Center debuted and Coke first snagged the worldwide exclusive deal.

 

[WDW1974]

I've never read a single Marvel comic. Ever. (I prefer books without pictures.). What I love are large "universes" and long form storytelling. King's Dark Tower books, X-Files on TV, and the MCU for examples.

It's nice how this season of SHIELD has dovetailed into the Avengers story. I like how the TV show seems to run parallel to the films, occasionally meeting up contribute to the larger story. Masterful use of story planning.

I'll be seeing the movie in a couple of hours. Quite looking forward to it.

Long form storytelling works on the small screen. That's why General Hospital just celebrated its 52nd year on ABC. It doesn't work so well in films. And certainly not when it's in a manipulative way.

But you are such a hopeless Marvel fanboi that even DD has begun making fun of you. I think your mother has too!

 

[WDW1974]

That's a good observation, I was also referencing the graph that @ParentsOf4 posted. It's clear by the capex that something should get underway by March 2016. It also would not surprise me that the DL fantasyland upgrades all find their way to Tokyo starting with Pan.

If I had to make a solid bet, I think the timeline will have closures starting in Jan 2016, with an eventual opening date of late 2018/early 2019 based on their predicted 'fiscal year 2018 introduction' timeline.

It's pretty much going to have the same construction/project timeline as Avatar... But I'm sure we'll hear about how much faster it was with revisionist history.

Construction will begin next year, although I believe (no, don't know as fact) that the Pan closure is actually part of the project. Most of it will be open by summer 2018. And that is with incredibly stringent earthquake building codes ( as opposed to FL, which basically has no codes, just ask any homeowner!) and low quality fill beneath the ground (some of which I believe liquified in the Great Quake of 2011)

There is no excuse for WDW's incredibly slow builds.

There is an explanation, however. It starts with money and ends with ...

 

[englanddg]

And that's where we're going to put the brand new Frozen themed Journey into Imagination! We even got Randy Newman to write us a new song for it! Check this out!

"One little flake, precipitation,
Is the heart of a Frozen nation.
Here's a butt joke, it's funny don't you know?
One little flake, now let it go."