Chapek's comments - he doesn't want anyone on this board at WDW any more

[Club Cooloholic]

No I was talking about splash…

PATC has a lot of product appeal…and the trade off from splash is of course great from optics standpoint. No question.

But the movie itself didn’t perform well enough to merit a parks ride. I’m not even sure it covered budget? Disney really ballyhooed it’s release - especially on abc - but we didn’t see a PATF2…

Which is good because they put that weird psychedelic “Leif Garrett” song sequence in frozen 2 and we don’t need anything else like that.

Princess and the Frog did pretty well, and it was cut off a bit by Avatar opening a week or so after its release. I bet it did better than Song of The South.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Princess and the Frog did pretty well, and it was cut off a bit by Avatar opening a week or so after its release. I bet it did better than Song of The South.

Box office was $271 vs a $105 listed budget…
The general rule is Budget x2 in real cost for advertising and promotion…

So $270 vs $200 is a moderate success.

But not earth smashing at all.

Tangled did $600…was labeled a “bomb” before release…and started a whole new period in Disney animation. Better movie than frozen and it’s not that close.

That deserves much more than a bathroom.

So is it movie quality? Or other “pieces of the puzzle” at work?

Song of the south was much more 0successful” adjusted for inflation ($66 on a $2.15 budget)…but that’s with moved goal posts as the world was much different.

 

[Cliff]

Whatever the reason i will say this i was there 8/26-9/5 and it was “empty” for most part and that included Labor Day weekend which shocked me completely.

I hate to say this,...but "empty" parks are THE best thing we could hope for. This, of course, would need to be a long term trend. We could hope for a "relatively" light holliday season then move into a light winter and Easter/Spring break month. Again, hope for a slower 2023 summer season and THEN Disney might lower costs to raise crowds. (We will then hope that lower cost "doesn't" bring enough crowds to reverse the trend...lol)

We can also hope that Universal's third park puts lower attendance pressure on Disney too.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Box office was $271 vs a $105 listed budget…
The general rule is Budget x2 in real cost for advertising and promotion…

So $270 vs $200 is a moderate success.

But not earth smashing at all.

Tangled did $600…was labeled a “bomb” before release…and started a whole new period in Disney animation. Better movie than frozen and it’s not that close.

That deserves much more than a bathroom.

So is it movie quality? Or other “pieces of the puzzle” at work?

Song of the south was much more 0successful” adjusted for inflation ($66 on a $2.15 budget)…but that’s with moved goal posts as the world was much different.

I would guess that no other princess type character could work in that part of the park. You can't stuff Rapunzel into frontier land. I agree she should get something other than a bathroom, but then again I think it's a waste of space to have built a giant castle with mediocre food when a ride would have been better.

 

[crazy4disney]

I hate to say this,...but "empty" parks are THE best thing we could hope for. This, of course, would need to be a long term trend. We could hope for a "relatively" light holliday season then move into a light winter and Easter/Spring break month. Again, hope for a slower 2023 summer season and THEN Disney might lower costs to raise crowds. (We will then hope that lower cost "doesn't" bring enough crowds to reverse the trend...lol)

We can also hope that Universal's third park puts lower attendance pressure on Disney too.

Personally just think it was time of year & as i also said. 1/2 the crowd imo were from the UK or at least it felt that way….

I dont think Disney will ever lower prices. Maybe perks or freebies but cant see actual reversal of what they are charging now…

 

[crazy4disney]

I would guess that no other princess type character could work in that part if the park. You can't stuff Rapunzel into frontier land. I agree she should get something other than a bathroom, but then again I think it's a waste of space to have built a giant castle with mediocre food when a ride would have been better.

Are you suggesting that Tiana actually fits there?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I hate to say this,...but "empty" parks are THE best thing we could hope for. This, of course, would need to be a long term trend. We could hope for a "relatively" light holliday season then move into a light winter and Easter/Spring break month. Again, hope for a slower 2023 summer season and THEN Disney might lower costs to raise crowds. (We will then hope that lower cost "doesn't" bring enough crowds to reverse the trend...lol)

We can also hope that Universal's third park puts lower attendance pressure on Disney too.

If they have any significant attendance drop…they will swiftly offer “promotions” to bring it back up.

Great! Right???

No…because it will be done as it was during the housing crash - the most significant thing Iger ever did in regards to parks.

And that’s not good…that was a brilliant strategy with permanent fallout.

There will be no empty parks…it’s not allowed and they know how to outsmart the customers with it.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I would guess that no other princess type character could work in that part if the park. You can't stuff Rapunzel into frontier land. I agree she should get something other than a bathroom, but then again I think it's a waste of space to have built a giant castle with mediocre food when a ride would have been better.

It’s a stretch…but not the worst one.

But let me ask you: considering they said that “maybe” they’d put encanto and coco draws behind big thunder (but prolly not)…doesn’t that seem like a “piece of a puzzle” that includes PATF?

Bigger story there.

But back on the rails…didn’t mean to take this thread so far that direction.

 

[Cliff]

If they have any significant attendance drop…they will swiftly offer “promotions” to bring it back up.

Great! Right???

No…because it will be done as it was during the housing crash - the most significant thing Iger ever did in regards to parks.

And that’s not good…that was a brilliant strategy with permanent fallout.

There will be no empty parks…it’s not allowed and they know how to outsmart the customers with it.

"There will be no empty parks..."

Yeah...you are prolly right. This is a fascinating question. How much will a zillion people pay to go to Disney? Just how intense IS public demand. If Disney doubled prices on every single thing the sell...would there still be 25 million people a year willing to pay it? Is the Disney brand "really" so powerful that people would sell their kidney to go? Im starting to believe the answer is "yes".

Its a crazy thought. I dont know how many companies can do that with their prices and not miss a beat. Maybe Disney doesnt really need "regular" or "legacy" customers like us any more. If we all left, I think there are just so many "guests from Denver" that will step in and fill the small void we create.

Maybe those people really ARE the demographic guest that Disney is safe to bank on for the future? Maybe the local annual passholder really isnt what they want anymore. Hmmm....wow.

 

[CAV]

Some of these are real, some of these are bullcrap, some of these are actually good, some of them are neither good nor bad, they're just different, and some of them are temporary COVID measures that aren't sticking around.

Magical Express... that's a cut, plain and simple, I'm with you.

Free MagicBands are a cut, I suppose, but when MagicBands were free, everyone complained "why can't we just do this on our phones?" Well now you can.

Live entertainment is a mix of temporary COVID cuts that haven't come back yet, temporary COVID cuts that have come back, and some actual cuts.

Housekeeping is a temporary COVID measure.

30 minutes of Early Entry in every park is actually an expansion of the resort benefit from 60 minutes in a single park.

Everyone bitched and moaned that they "had to" pre-book their rides with FastPass+, now they and moan that they can't.

Park hours are not shorter.

Portion sizes have not shrunk.

Crowds are not larger.

People were walking around on their phones all day long before Genie came out.

Everyone complained constantly about the dining plan, now they complain that it's gone, then they'll complain again when it comes back (because it's also a temporary COVID measure)

You need to show some critical thinking skills and realize that you lose credibility when you lump good points with silly points. Disney couldn't control COVID, they can't control runaway inflation, including for labor costs and food costs, Disney can't control customs and immigration, and Disney can't control the labor market.

Pixie dust is real...you forgot that one.

 

[Lilofan]

Pixie dust is real...you forgot that one.

There was plenty of it with lack of housekeeping services in the hotel , oh , I meant dust.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

"There will be no empty parks..."

Yeah...you are prolly right. This is a fascinating question. How much will a zillion people pay to go to Disney? Just how intense IS public demand. If Disney doubled prices on every single thing the sell...would there still be 25 million people a year willing to pay it? Is the Disney brand "really" so powerful that people would sell their kidney to go? Im starting to believe the answer is "yes".

Its a crazy thought. I dont know how many companies can do that with their prices and not miss a beat. Maybe Disney doesnt really need "regular" or "legacy" customers like us any more. If we all left, I think there are just so many "guests from Denver" that will step in and fill the small void we create.

Maybe those people really ARE the demographic guest that Disney is safe to bank on for the future? Maybe the local annual passholder really isnt what they want anymore. Hmmm....wow.

There’s more like 50 mil annually in Florida - unofficially…

And there’s not definite numbers…but the price of EVERYTHING they sell has gone up minimum of about 140% in total in the last 20 years. Defenders will say that’s “normal”…but that’s self soothing. Aka “false”.

 

[StevenVillager]

I have to say his plan is working. The parks are enjoyable again. I’ve been 3 time in the last month and half and the crowds are less and yet they are making money. More importantly even my partner says he’ll go back because the crowds are being controlled.

 

[Jrb1979]

I have to say his plan is working. The parks are enjoyable again. I’ve been 3 time in the last month and half and the crowds are less and yet they are making money. More importantly even my partner says he’ll go back because the crowds are being controlled.

Hate to break it too you but the crowds aren't being controlled. This month typically is slower which is why it's less crowded.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Perhaps , like about 40 years ago when tests and customer accidents showed Audi 5000 models had unintended acceleration. Owners claimed pressing on the brakes caused unintended acceleration. Audi defended themselves by claiming owners instead depressed the gas pedal .

That was still a design flaw that is common. The put the brake pedal to close to the accelerator so it was a situation of ones foot hitting both at the same time.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Are you suggesting that Tiana actually fits there?

I don't think she doesnt.

It’s a stretch…but not the worst one.

But let me ask you: considering they said that “maybe” they’d put encanto and coco draws behind big thunder (but prolly not)…doesn’t that seem like a “piece of a puzzle” that includes PATF?

Bigger story there.

But back on the rails…didn’t mean to take this thread so far that direction.

"Piece of a puzzle" OK I am confused by this. What is the puzzle?

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

He's nuts. I live less than an hour away from WDW. Our family has had at least 6 people with AP for about 20 years. We buy stuff at WDW for gifts. We go to F&W several times a year and buy all kinds of food.

You can't tell me that I spend less there then someone who goes only once every 5 years. I may not spend as much in one day but it adds up fast over time.

All I can say is that if they keep this up, Universal may start getting my money instead of WDW.

But the comparison on spending isn’t comparing your spending over let’s say the 10 times you visit in a year, versus the spending of a family that visits once a year. It’s your spending over your 10 visits versus the spending of 10 individual family’s all doing their annual or every 5 year trip. Disney thinks it can fill its attendance daily with those types of guests, and those are the guests that’s spend more per visit. As long as they are right and have the steady supply of those customers, their marketing strategy is correct

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I think I saw that Chapek will be on CNBC at some point today.

Usually some good tidbits that come out of those interviews.

9am tomorrow (9/15) is the Chapek interview.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Who let the clown out of the box again?

 

[mysto]

You can't tell me that I spend less there then someone who goes only once every 5 years. I may not spend as much in one day but it adds up fast over time.

I think you spend a lot less than them on admission per day?