News Bob Iger is back! Chapek is out!!

[UNCgolf]

*It's hard to appreciate the cultural appeal of Nintendo in Japan from outside of Japan. You see Mario pop up on stuff you'd never see here. We're used to seeing Mario stuff in Happy Meals but over there, you run into him in financial institutions. It's way beyound the youth culture a lot of people like to associate Nintendo stuff with, here. It'll be popular there until the sun flames out but the US could be a different story - only time will tell.

That's not unique to Mario in Japan, though -- there are also anime characters (and Pokemon) all over the place, including banks etc.

Mario is obviously one of the biggest (maybe the biggest), but it's not like he's an outlier being plastered all over things in a way that doesn't happen in the US.

Anyways, I don't want to come across as down on the Nintendo Land or as though I'm arguing it will be a failure. It's absolutely going to be a success. I just think people are overestimating it, even in comparison to other theme park draws like Harry Potter and Star Wars. Both of those IPs have a larger/wider overall fan base than Mario (or any video game IP). That said, it's hard to make a comparison between them because they're so different.

 

[Ayla]

It's very close to mansplaining to women how women can't be a large portion of MCU fans and/or are not really harassed.

It isn't 'close' ~ it IS mansplaining about something he has no clue about.

 

[Casper Gutman]

She-Hulk Season 1, Episode 1

"I'm great at controlling my anger. I do it all the time. When I'm catcalled in the street, when incompetent men explain my own area of expertise to me. I do it pretty much every day. Because if I don't, I will get called emotional, or difficult, or might just literally get murdered. So I'm an expert at controlling my anger, because I do it infinitely more than you. So all of this just feels like projecting a lot of $#!& onto me."

I thought She-Hulk had a lot of problems, but that episode, which aired first, was written and shot to air seventh, right after she completely loses it at the award show. We're not supposed to think she's entirely correct about her ability to control he anger (although she's not incorrect about the challenges she faces either). Disney decided they wanted all the Bruce origin stuff up front, despite the fact that it wasn't representative of the show.

 

[AEfx]

They can but do they want to?

Did anyone think to ask anyone at Apple before jumping to this conclusion?

Exactly. I've yet to see any compelling reason they would have any desire to take on the behemoth of businesses that Disney is in.

Apple buying a movie studio makes zero sense right now. Particularly one attached to the largest themepark business in the world. Both showed during the pandemic how fragile they are. There is no reason for them to take on that risk when the rest of their businesses already proved to be rather pandemic-proof.

Given the climate of the mid-2010's, it would have made more sense for Apple to buy into the movie business back then - particularly in terms of library ownership back when that was thought to be the key to the streaming kingdom.

These days, it just would be hanging an albatross over their heads. Why get into the tenuous big-budget blockbuster game right now, where there are more losers than winners, especially as they already have their own little Apple TV niche cut out which has been an award and critical darling. It doesn't even make sense from a library perspective any more, as Apple really only needs content that lives under its ecosystem, and they certainly couldn't do that at this point given Disney's streaming model.

It just wouldn't make sense from any perspective.

 

[Ayla]

That "/" is doing a lot of work.

Suburban women are a lot more like rural women than they are like urban women.

And married women (slash moms) are not like single women at all.

You sure seem to think you know a lot about women.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think that's the problem. They'd have to go pretty big to create their very own tourist destination from scratch.

Even Disney has never tried to do that and I don't think their IP is strong enough to do that just by itself so there would need to be something pretty amazing there unless they're just trying to be a regional park - which is where I was going with the Six Flags comparison.

That era is over

You do know Orlando was a backwater swamp and Anaheim a sleepy orange farm town prior to Disney right? I mean it was a running gag on a comedy show that a train went to Anaheim (because no one went there.)

Yeah…that was built by the WW2 generation with the largest generation ever growing up in their houses at that time

Much more “can do”

 

[MrPromey]

That's not unique to Mario in Japan, though -- there are also anime characters (and Pokemon) all over the place, including banks etc.

Mario is obviously one of the biggest (maybe the biggest), but it's not like he's an outlier being plastered all over things in a way that doesn't happen in the US.

Never said he was (completely unique in Japan) - my only point was, as an IP with longevity in a theme park, he makes perfect sense over there because, as you said, he's one of, if not the biggest.

Over here it's clearly a different story and this may end up being just a half-decade phenomina as all the first-timers get it out of their systems.

Remains to be seen.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I thought She-Hulk had a lot of problems, but that episode, which aired first, was written and shot to air seventh, right after she completely loses it at the award show. We're not supposed to think she's entirely correct (although she's not entirely incorrect either). Disney decided they wanted all the Bruce origin stuff up front, despite the fact that it wasn't representative of the show.

Was it supposed to be a flashback sequence? Or was she not supposed to get her hulk training from Bruce until then?

 

[Heppenheimer]

Well it’s a high speed racing game for kids and you can’t execute that for kids in a park…so it’s a tall order

Complete fail if kids can't wreck the other carts by throwing turtle shells at them.

 

[UNCgolf]

Complete fail if kids can't wreck the other carts by throwing turtle shells at them.

It's really not a Mario Kart ride in any way other than name, which is why it was such a misfire. It doesn't represent the IP at all; it's basically a dark ride/shooting gallery.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Complete fail if kids can't wreck the other carts by throwing turtle shells at them.

 

[Touchdown]

Never said he was - my only point was, as an IP with longevity in a theme park, he makes perfect sense over there because, as you said, he's one of, if not the biggest.

Over here it's clearly a different story and this may end up being just a half-decade phenomina as all the first-timers get it out of their systems.

Remains to be seen.

Super Mario has been a thing for nearly 40 years, 40 years I repeat. The Switch has either already or will soon surpass the Wii to be the most successful Nintendo home console of all time. The list of characters who have remained this popular for that length of time is short and mostly full of perennial characters that are considered timeless. I doubt he goes anywhere.

 

[Casper Gutman]

The number of people who 1) relate to what you just said and 2) are comic book movie fans is extremely small. It doesn't diminish your experience, but it calls into question the decision making from a company whose job it is to sell content to the masses.

It's like if McDonald's decided to go 100% vegan. Some people are vegan, and that's great, and it's good to have options for them. But most people aren't vegan, and McDonald's can't survive unless they're able to sell billions of hamburgers a year. There aren't enough vegans to sustain their model.

MCU's audience at this point is everyone. Their fandom is essentially "people who go to movies." It's the quintessential, fabled four quadrant franchise. Within that huge potential audience, they're increasingly seeking to differentiate product and in the process targeting more specific segments with things like Werewold by Night. She-Hulk was their attempt at a female-oriented sitcom.

 

[fgmnt]

This is 1000% true.

I believe their new park is a gamechanger…and i’m a tad of a “skeptic”…
But I really think it’s gonna cut into wdw…and I bet Iger knows it. The 3 years wasted of no projects starting was stupid.

When IOA opened…there was a lot of buzz around town that it was a “gamechanger”…and it was…for sea world. Disney’s lead was too great to penetrate at that time. It was a gnat on an elephant.

But the dynamics are different now.

The returns universal is going to get on the Nintendo/Mario licensing is going to blow every other licensing deal made in the last 20 years by Universal out of the water.

If Iger does not commit to major capital projects and Universal keeps pace through the rest of this decade (expecting smaller capital projects at IOA, big things at USO, and maybe by 2030 an announcement of EU Phase 2) they might actually shrink Disney market share.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Was it supposed to be a flashback sequence? Or was she not supposed to get her hulk training from Bruce until then?

It was meant to be a flashback right before the conclusion, a glimpse back to her training.

 

[MrPromey]

You do know Orlando was a backwater swamp and Anaheim a sleepy orange farm town prior to Disney right? I mean it was a running gag on a comedy show that a train went to Anaheim (because no one went there.)

You do know that Disneyland was not originally opened to be a major tourist destination, right?

And you do know that Orlando has always been an hour and a half (or less) away from the beaches of Florida which were a national tourist destination long before the "backwater swamps" had draw.

But sure, anyone can plunk down a theme park and make it work wherever they want. Maybe they could put it in South Dakota and give Mt. Rushmore a run for its money. I hear land is pretty cheap up there.

 

[pdude81]

I think that's the problem. They'd have to go pretty big to create their very own tourist destination from scratch.

Even Disney has never tried to do that and I don't think their IP is strong enough to do that just by itself so there would need to be something pretty amazing there unless they're just trying to be a regional park - which is where I was going with the Six Flags comparison.

Well, Disney certainly did that in Orlando, which is what we'd be talking about here. It just costs a lot more money these days. I agree it's not a lock. But they'd have to create something on the order of Epic Universe, though in a different location they could get away with one park instead of 2-3. Now if they were thinking more Dollywood than Six Flags I could see a lesser build working out.

Pipe dream I know

 

[UNCgolf]

The returns universal is going to get on the Nintendo/Mario licensing is going to blow every other licensing deal made in the last 20 years by Universal out of the water.

I'm curious why you think this. I haven't seen anything that would support it being a bigger draw than Harry Potter from a theme park perspective.

 

[pwnbeaver]

Think of it like this... Imagine if your friend rolled up with their new Mercedes car and said "hey, check out my awesome new car"

You: "ok, but why is it pink?"
Them: "whats wrong with pink?"
You: "Who would want a pink car like that? No thanks"
Them: "but it's an awesome car! don't you want one like it?"
You: "meh... I just can't get over it being a bright pink car"

If you can't get past the bright pink element enough to see the car for what it is... are you wrong? Or is that part just creating enough friction for you that you just can't get over it to invest more into wanting to like the car?

The color is a distraction for a lot of people - one that takes away from the product itself depending on the eye of the beholder. Enough they can't move on from it and it's constantly waving in their face, keeping it in the front of their mind.

Same thing here... the distraction becomes it's own topic. Add in any resentment about patterns or change... and you get rants too.

Outside of comparing sentient beings to a car...

If you don't want to drive a car because you don't like the colour, you are making a personal choice based on likes and interests. If you don't like a film because of its diverse elements, you are also making a personal choice based on likes and interests. One of those things could make that person a bigot based on their reasoning. There is a large difference between "this thing isn't for me and that's fine" and "this thing isn't for me and that makes me angry" or "they should stop making this thing because I don't want to see it."

Either way, I doubt old Bob or new Bob or same old Bob won't stop trying to break into new markets and do new things. I doubt an increasingly diverse cast of creatives will stop trying to make content that they wish they had when they were kids. Disney should be applauded for giving a black director a real Hollywood budget to make an incredibly black movie. They get applauded because it was a financial success, which is what they were going for when they did that. I appreciate that they took that swing, but the wishy-washy half commitment in things like Lightyear and Strange Worlds is why these works are bad, not because the authors are working from a place of personal experience and knowledge (something most great artists have done historically). The elements of the works that feel shoehorned in are quite often due to executive meddling and fear or trying something truly different. The Matrix is an almost explicitly trans film that was a revolution in culture, it can work.

 

[MrPromey]

Super Mario has been a thing for nearly 40 years, 40 years I repeat. The Switch has either already or will soon surpass the Wii to be the most successful Nintendo home console of all time. The list of characters who have remained this popular for that length of time is short and mostly full of perennial characters that are considered timeless. I doubt he goes anywhere.

I just mean as a theme park property.

People are suggesting that they are excited for the movie but not the land (and other people have said the exact opposite, so )

I'm just conceding that the popularty of the land may not prove to be evergreen but I agree with you - I think it will be.