Bob Iger on CNBC/SDL Opening News thread

brb1006

Well-Known Member
Because I refuse to be part of the Disney hype machine which will claim N million viewers, IF it's good it will be available on you tube soon enough.

As WOPR noted in 'War Games' sometimes the only way to win is to not to play the game.

"Would you like to play a game of Chess..."
Not even the old Walt Disney World specials of the past (Mainly the 80's and 90's)?
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
Not even the old Walt Disney World specials of the past (Mainly the 80's and 90's)?

Those I watch of course :) nothing wrong standing up and being counted as enjoying the classics, It's the new stuff which Disney is hyping during their pressers and earnings calls which I avoid I don't even look at them on the web as that feeds the Hype machine.
 

No Name

Well-Known Member
An article on Scot Drake (The Man Who Built Shanghai Disney's Tommorowland)
http://fortune.com/shanghai-disney-tomorrowland-china/

Bob Iger looks like he's genuinely enjoying the Tron coaster. Of course I thought he was genuinely enjoying Cars Land back in 2012, which he might've been, but it sure didn't inspire him to greenlight more projects and bigger budgets.

Scot Drake looks like he's enjoying it too. By the way, tomorrowland looks very nice, so great job Scot.

As for Buzz Lighyear Planet Rescue... I am interpreting Scot's facial in a variety of ways. It looks like half wonder and awe, and half "oh... uauauauhh... that doesn't look right!"
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Some SDL quickees to follow:

First from http://www.thethemeparkguy.com/park/shanghai-disneyland/
(this is the dude who has had pics of the place on his site dating back to when it was occupied by Chinese farmers and not much else)

You have to give an email to get the report (I can't copy it), but just use an email of someone you don't like to get access ... like Robert.A.Iger@disney.com :)

Trial ops are now officially considered over. I see in social media that the cap on daily visitation was 30,000 and most days didn't come close to that. Think about that when you look at the wait times that have been shown.

FWIW, I haven't been able to nail down what Disney thinks capacity of the park actually is. What I believe is that it is somewhere between 50,000-60,000. I just can't imagine where all those people are going to go based on the current menu/lineup.

Disney continues to struggle with getting things ready for opening, although far more is ready than ever would have been thought 5-6 months ago. But two major attractions are having ''significant operational issues" (that's from someone on the ground there).

Have no idea what this means, but can't help but notice lots of thin, attractive, young, white/western faces in social media. That could be that social media here is naturally skewed toward westerners. And Shanghai is a world center for business. But ... beautiful 22-year-olds wearing Mouse ears or Duffy hats generally aren't a key demo there.

HKDL continues to putter on with no one at DIS or in the Mainland leadership concerned with it. This week, they start the Star Wars Tomorrowland Takeover, yet I don't think anyone outside of the city is even aware. I do worry about this amazing park's future going forward now that the Communist leadership has its own Disney park.

Should be a fascinating week ahead ...
 

AEfx

Well-Known Member
Have no idea what this means, but can't help but notice lots of thin, attractive, young, white/western faces in social media. That could be that social media here is naturally skewed toward westerners. And Shanghai is a world center for business. But ... beautiful 22-year-olds wearing Mouse ears or Duffy hats generally aren't a key demo there.

If you mean they are the ones posting about Shanghai Disneyland, I think you'd find that most of them are wealthy, and/or are Western-born/have Western parents who live there or travel there for business. Having a YouTube channel for them is kind of like the new "Dear Diary" or "pen pal".
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
If you mean they are the ones posting about Shanghai Disneyland, I think you'd find that most of them are wealthy, and/or are Western-born/have Western parents who live there or travel there for business. Having a YouTube channel for them is kind of like the new "Dear Diary" or "pen pal".
Many of them seem to fit into the CP mommy blogger mold of less than 1000-2000 followers and then they get showered with attention by Disney, in this case trial period passes.

In addition to the folks getting in on social media creds and following up on your point, one wonders if Disney has people in the areas of Shanghai where the expats live who are effectively casting these crowds. Their thinking being that white foreigners being seen at the park or wearing merch in the city will make the resort more attractive to potential Chinese guests.
 

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
Trial ops are now officially considered over. I see in social media that the cap on daily visitation was 30,000 and most days didn't come close to that. Think about that when you look at the wait times that have been shown.

True, but as you said a lot of rides were not running to their capacity.

I'm prepared for the nightmare though... For what at this point I'm not really sure as it seems everyone and their mother got into previews and the true 'splashy media opening' is the day before.
 

cdd89

Well-Known Member
I do worry about this amazing park's future going forward now that the Communist leadership has its own Disney park.

I worry about that too - it's my favourite resort on so many levels (yes, above TDR). Admittedly I'm somewhat biased by the fact it's next door to my favourite city in the world, but on a quality level (especially food quality), I think it's at the top, whether the immaculately maintained resorts, the fresh baked goods on Main Street (not stale reheated cookies), or a reasonably priced traditional Dim Sum at Plaza Inn. Even the resort buses feel premium.

I doubt any Disney resort will close, but if one did, I suspect this would be the first to. And the fact it's not an ATM will vindicate decisions to cut elsewhere - after all, the Magic Kingdom's attendance has never been better, right?
 

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
Today's Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the upcoming opening. This is a good, balanced article with lots of facts and figures. For those of you who want a business summary of the current state of Disney's International Parks & Resorts, I encourage you to read it:

Shanghai Disneyland Offers Springboard for Disney’s China Ambitions
New attraction gives media giant chance to bolster foreign theme-parks business, boost brand’s exposure

By BEN FRITZ
June 12, 2016 5:30 a.m. ET

Thursday’s grand opening of the $5.5 billion-plus Shanghai Disney Resort won’t just give Walt Disney Co. a flagship in its most important market outside the U.S., but also a chance to shore up its foreign theme-parks business, one of its few weak spots.

While annual revenues from the media giant’s parks in Florida and California have surged 46% over the past five fiscal years to $13.6 billion, those in France, Hong Kong and Japan have been nearly flat at around $2.5 billion.

Analysts expect the Shanghai Disneyland theme park and its two hotels to lose money in their first few years but ultimately to boost the international theme-park business’s bottom line. They also point to a larger potential.

The question is not just “whether Shanghai Disneyland can resurrect international parks,” said Nomura Securities analyst Anthony DiClemente. “It’s whether it can grow the Disney brand in a new and important region.”

Although the Tokyo park’s performance has been relatively strong, the other two have struggled with problems of their own, as well as broader economic and political factors, including November’s Paris terrorist attacks.

Overall, Disney’s parks and resorts business reported operating income of $3.03 billion last fiscal year. But, according to research firm MoffettNathanson, the overseas parks, which the company doesn’t break out in its results, had an operating loss of $45 million last year, in part because of spending on the Shanghai project. The firm estimates that their operating profit peaked at $179 million in 2011.

Disney owns a majority stake in Disneyland Paris and a minority stake in Hong Kong Disneyland. It has no equity in Tokyo Disneyland, from which it gets licensing fees.

Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger has said for years that he sees the Shanghai park as more than a compelling economic opportunity in the largest city of the world’s most populous country.

“As Walt did with Disneyland in the ’50s, enabling Disneyland to really grow the Disney brand in the United States, we believe we will have some really interesting opportunities to do the same in China,” Mr. Iger told an investor conference in 2009, soon after gaining a key approval from the Beijing government.

Mr. Iger has been more modest about the Hong Kong and Paris parks. “Well, I think you can be optimistic in a sense that they should be profitable,” he said at an investor conference in March. “In terms of how profitable, we don’t give guidance.”

Disneyland Paris has been plagued by problems since its 1992 opening, struggling to strike a balance between Disney values and European tastes. Its corporate parent, Euro Disney SCA, hasn’t reported a profit since fiscal 2008. Attendance at the park hit a high of 16 million in fiscal 2012, then fell to 14.2 million in 2014 and 14.8 million in the past fiscal year. A new ride based on the film “Ratatouille,” from Pixar Animation Studios, failed to overcome the damping effect of Europe’s economic slowdown.

In an attempt to bolster the park’s finances, Disney last year injected €420 million ($477 million) of new capital into Euro Disney and converted €600 million of Euro Disney debt into shares. In the process, it increased its stake in the French park to nearly 77% from 40%.

In Hong Kong, where Disney’s park opened in 2005, attendance was initially lower than expected because of the park’s relatively small size and scarcity of appealing rides. But Hong Kong Disneyland has expanded over time, and reported its first net profit in 2012. That profit grew to HK$332 million (US$42.7 million) in 2014.

Last year, however, the park slipped back into a loss, which the company attributed to overall softness in Hong Kong tourism. Attendance dropped 9% to 6.8 million.

Hong Kong Disneyland could get a lift later this year when it opens an “Iron Man” ride, the first at any Disney park based on a Marvel superhero. A new hotel also is under construction, a sign the company believes attendance will grow again.

But the opening of the new Shanghai park could siphon off visitors from mainland China, who accounted for 41% of the Hong Kong park’s attendance in 2015.

That is one of many unknowns that make it difficult to predict what effect the Shanghai park will have on Disney’s performance, said Barclays analyst Kannan Venkateshwar.

Disney has said there are about 330 million “income qualified” people living within three hours of Shanghai Disneyland, leaving more than enough potential visitors for both parks, which are separated by 760 miles.

It also isn’t clear how much Chinese consumers would be willing to spend on food, toys and other concessions during visits to the Shanghai park, where ticket prices range from $56 to $76. That compares with $105 to $124 at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Average spending per visitor at other international Disney parks, said Mr. Venkateshwar, is lower than in the U.S.

Barclays projects that Shanghai Disneyland will draw 12 million visitors in its first year, while Nomura puts the figure at 15 million. State-backed Shanghai Shendhi Group, which owns 57% of the Chinese theme park, has said it expects 10 million. Disney, which owns the other 43%, hasn’t offered an estimate.

The Magic Kingdom drew 20.5 million people last year, according to a report from the Themed Entertainment Association and consulting firm Aecom.

Mr. DiClemente of Nomura said that once Shanghai Disneyland is up and running, it could generate as much as $500 million in operating income a year. MoffettNathanson expects the park to reach that milestone by 2021.​
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
Have no idea what this means, but can't help but notice lots of thin, attractive, young, white/western faces in social media. That could be that social media here is naturally skewed toward westerners. And Shanghai is a world center for business. But ... beautiful 22-year-olds wearing Mouse ears or Duffy hats generally aren't a key demo there.

alot are CMs who were transfered over there for working the park. everyone I've bothered to look backwards on were all rank and file CMs
 

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
And Bloomberg follows with its own piece:

Disney’s Foreign Curse Could End With $5.5 Billion China Resort

by Christopher Palmeri
June 12, 2016 — 6:00 PM EDT
  • Entertainment giant opens Shanghai Disneyland on June 16
  • CEO says company has learned from parks in Paris, Hong Kong

The acrobats are practicing their flips. Chefs are learning to cook dumplings by the thousands. And invited guests are test-driving the Tron Lightcyle Power Run, a roller-coaster that races through a fluorescent space landscape at 60 miles per hour.

All systems are go for the June 16 opening of the $5.5 billion Disney Shanghai Resort, the largest foreign investment ever from the world’s biggest theme-park operator and a career milestone for Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger.

If history is a guide, however, the opening could be as turbulent as the twists and turns on Big Thunder Mountain. Disney’s past international park efforts have been marked by cultural missteps and years of losses. Shanghai represents a chance for the Burbank, California-based company to avoid those mistakes and earn a profit commensurate with the money it’s investing.

“The billion-dollar question is, will it be more like Kong Kong or more like Tokyo?” asked Barton Crockett, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets & Co. “It’s much bigger than Hong Kong. In Paris, the execution has been problematic.”

In an interview with Bloomberg TV in Shanghai on June 9, Iger said the new park’s size, commitment to technology and focus on local culture distinguish it from prior efforts.

“It combines all the things we have learned over the years from all the other parks we have operated,” he said. “In a way, it’s the smartest park we’ve ever built, based on our own learning.”​

Zodiac Symbols

Disney has taken steps to win over Chinese consumers. Chinese zodiac symbols combine with Disney characters at a central garden in the 963-acre resort. A giant tea house sits at the foot of the castle, the tallest of any Disney park. An app will let guests buy tickets and check wait times on rides.

Disney’s resorts division began taking steps overseas with Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. Construction of the first park there ran about 80 percent over its 100 billion-yen budget.

But the company was insulated. Card Walker, CEO at the time, had endured kamikaze attacks on his aircraft carrier in World War II and was reluctant to invest directly in Japan, according to “Dream it! Do It!,” a 2013 autobiography by Disney parks designer Marty Sklar.​

So he signed a licensing deal with Oriental Land Co., which funded and owns what is now two parks in Japan. Oriental Land earned $692 million last year on sales of $4.4 billion. Disney collects a royalty that amounted to $366 million in fiscal 2015, much of that profit.​

European Parks

Things haven’t gone so well at the company’s other international resorts. Euro Disney SCA, the publicly traded owner of the two parks at Disneyland Paris, has been bailed out three times in three decades -- with the U.S. company lending a hand each time -- and hasn’t made a profit since 2001. Disney has a 77 percent stake in that company.

Among the problems: Europeans didn’t stay overnight or spend on merchandise like their American counterparts, meaning too many of the 5,800 rooms at seven hotels were empty. Disney also took a beating in the local press for perceived cultural imperialism, such as serving too much American food, said Lee Cockerell, who supervised restaurants at Disneyland Paris on opening day and is now retired from the company.

“We were overstaffed from the beginning,” Cockerell said.​

Hong Kong Disneyland, a 47 percent-owned venture with the local government, has been unprofitable for eight of its 11 years, including 2015. The smallest Disney resort at 310 acres, Hong Kong was hurt by a decline in mainland Chinese tourists last year, according to its annual statement. The resort lost $19 million on sales of $659 million.

Disney hasn’t shown a profit on its international theme park investments since the company began breaking out the business in 2004, according to filings. The results since 2011 include the still-under-construction Shanghai resort, as well as Hong Kong and Disneyland Paris, though not Tokyo.​

Admission Prices

Disney has invested $6.7 billion in its international parks over the past 10 years, according to filings, with about half from local partners. Disney and its Chinese partners are financing two-thirds of the Shanghai resort with equity and borrowing the rest.

The company has already endured criticism on social media for its Shanghai prices. Though the lowest in Disney’s empire, they are high by local standards. Admission on weekends and other peak periods is 499 yuan ($76). On other days it’s 370 yuan ($56). Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, who is opening a string of his own theme parks in the country, has said he will come after Disney like a pack of wolves on a tiger.

Iger said he’s not concerned.​

‘Immaterial to Us’

“We entered this market knowing that competition existed and that competition was only going to grow,” he told Bloomberg Television. “We are bringing something that is so unique in this market. Nothing that has been said about us entering this market is bothersome, nor do we believe it’s accurate. It’s just immaterial to us frankly.”

Disney estimates 330 million potential guests live within three hours of the park. That, combined with the low cost of doing business in China and Disney’s support from the government there, means the resort could be more profitable than Tokyo, said Crockett, the FBR analyst.

He predicts the resort will break even in two years and generate more than $200 million in operating income by fiscal 2019. Macquarie Capital analyst Tim Nollen estimated it will earn $185 million before interest and taxes by then on revenue of about $2 billion and attendance of 15.7 million. Disney has said only that the park won’t be profitable this year. Expenses before the opening will reach $300 million.

The payoff from a stronger presence in China could go beyond the park to include Disney’s other businesses, like film and TV.

Iger plans to have a Disney-branded movie in production in China within a year. The presence of the park, he said, will boost sales of Disney merchandise and U.S.-made films in the country.

“There’s a lot of growth ahead in the years ahead, the decades ahead, maybe even the centuries ahead,” he said.​
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
True, but as you said a lot of rides were not running to their capacity.

I'm prepared for the nightmare though... For what at this point I'm not really sure as it seems everyone and their mother got into previews and the true 'splashy media opening' is the day before.

It does make you wonder how many tickets were actually sold for the opening. I don't want to imagine that park with 60K in it. All those empty green 'lawns' are going to covered with people and trash.
 

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