Did Disney put too much stock into Star Wars?

[HouCuseChickie]

SGE is closed. Why would they be promoting it?

All I'm saying is they are pushing it really hard when you call the reservations line.

 

[Heppenheimer]

So, given time and if Galaxy's Edge doesn't hit the revenue targets Disney hoped for, I wonder if this will cause a rethink of the Star Wars hotel.

 

[Beacon Joe]

Don't forget Chewbacca's perverted grandfather watching G-rated "Star Wars Universe"-brand ****ography.

"Oh, OH, we are EXCITED, aren't we? Just relax, just relax... yes. Now...we can have a good time, can't we?"

LOL. I forgot about that segment with the dirty old salesman and the dirty old wookiee basically dialing the intergalactic 1-976 number.

 

[smile]

an old exec named kk, who was a pupil of gl's until she turned to evil, helped disney hunt down and destroy the jedi...
they betrayed and murdered the franchise. now the fervor is all but extinct. they were seduced by the dark side of the force.

 

[2bornot2be]

So, given time and if Galaxy's Edge doesn't hit the revenue targets Disney hoped for, I wonder if this will cause a rethink of the Star Wars hotel.

No
Already started!

 

[mdcpr]

They open the land with only one ride and no hotel. No Luke, Leia or Vader. A planet/spaceport that doesn't appear anywhere in the films. They want to charge me $200 for the lightsaber. All of this after raising park ticket prices several times in the past 12 months? Nah dog, I'm good.

There’s no Vader??!? I have not been following what’s in the land, but now I’m definitely not visiting DHS if there’s no Vader. That’s who my kids wanted to see.

 

[JIMINYCR]

So, given time and if Galaxy's Edge doesn't hit the revenue targets Disney hoped for, I wonder if this will cause a rethink of the Star Wars hotel.

I dont think the SW hotel will be halted because of less than expected revenue from Galaxy's Edge. The hotel experience as described is going to be immersive, role playing fun that fans will enjoy. It may be SW connected but an entirely different focus and entertainment. Fans love dress up and role playing, this will be everything theyve dreamt of, taking a part in a SW adventure. Very different than a few minute longattraction.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

The franchise as a whole has been in decline for years, if not a decade or more. Clone Wars was the beginning of the end, and the latest few movies while good visually, were lame story wise. And that Han Solo thing... Nope. Franchise fatigue is a real thing, and SW is one of the biggest.

That said, I think SWGE will be cool just because of the immersive theming, regardless of it being SW. Same thing with Pandora. Cool movie, but I seriously doubt it has any "fans." Inspiration for a unique land - sure. Will SWGE pack people in? Probably not up to expectations, but older fans will go just because.

 

[Tom P.]

I think the WDW Galaxy's Edge is gonna be a whole different beast in terms of attendance.

I don't think Star Wars will lose popularity in 20 years it's already had legs for 40 years despite 15 year gaps without films and negative reaction to the prequels or current sequels.

Like WWE and Disney Parks, star wars fans who hate the product continue to invest money into it.

And if it does lose popularity they'll retheme it, because the parks are never finished.

Star Wars hasn't remained popular despite 15 year gaps without films. It has remained popular because of the 15 year gaps between films.

This is what Disney has missed. The scarcity of Star Wars films helped to drive the feeling that when a new film was released it was an event not to be missed. The Force Awakens got some of that, in that it was the first film in a long time and featured the original cast. But once you move past that, Disney is determined to put out new Star Wars product every 5 minutes and they are diluting the franchise because of it.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The problem with Galaxy's Edge (I refuse to shorten it to SWGE because that acronym looks too much like "Stitch's Great Escape") is that it's essentially just a marketing piece for the Disney movies, which at best have been dull and uninspired, and at worst have been just utter crap. After how terrible Last Jedi was, I was pretty much done with Star Wars, which is a shame given my username on this very site.

...the prosecution rests

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The franchise as a whole has been in decline for years, if not a decade or more. Clone Wars was the beginning of the end, and the latest few movies while good visually, were lame story wise. And that Han Solo thing... Nope. Franchise fatigue is a real thing, and SW is one of the biggest.

That said, I think SWGE will be cool just because of the immersive theming, regardless of it being SW. Same thing with Pandora. Cool movie, but I seriously doubt it has any "fans." Inspiration for a unique land - sure. Will SWGE pack people in? Probably not up to expectations, but older fans will go just because.

You know...I don’t necessarily disagree with you ...

But “immersive theming” is kinda the new “dog whistle” defense of anything that doesn’t get great feedback.

“Immersive theming” was the go to compliment for animal kingdom as it limped along for 20 years and now has gained popularity on the back of one real big attraction. Now it’s all about how great pandora is...don’t hear much about the detailed rain downspouts in harambe, do you?

I love the theming...I hope it continues and gets better AND cheaper to pull of...
But I feel like that’s the fallback when they can’t deliver a smash like a splash mountain or a tower of terror or a flight of passage.

It’s a mental diversion/parlor trick.

 

[GhostlyGoofy]

Star Wars hasn't remained popular despite 15 year gaps without films. It has remained popular because of the 15 year gaps between films.

This is what Disney has missed. The scarcity of Star Wars films helped to drive the feeling that when a new film was released it was an event not to be missed. The Force Awakens got some of that, in that it was the first film in a long time and featured the original cast. But once you move past that, Disney is determined to put out new Star Wars product every 5 minutes and they are diluting the franchise because of it.

Don't disagree and definitely think that's why Solo's Box office was so low compared to the other recent films.

 

[Tom P.]

You know...I don’t necessarily disagree with you ...

But “immersive theming” is kinda the new “dog whistle” defense of anything that doesn’t get great feedback.

“Immersive theming” was the go to compliment for animal kingdom as it limped along for 20 years and now has gained popularity on the back of one real big attraction. Now it’s all about how great pandora is...don’t hear much about the detailed rain downspouts in harambe, do you?

I love the theming...I hope it continues and gets better AND cheaper to pull of...
But I feel like that’s the fallback when they can’t deliver a smash like a splash mountain or a tower of terror or a flight of passage.

It’s a mental diversion/parlor trick.

I think it can be some of both.

I think Disney does -- or, rather, can do -- immersive theming better than anyone. And when executed properly, I think it's an important component of their parks. So I don't just dismiss immersive theming as some sort of defense mechanism. It's definitely important.

However, I also agree that immersive theming itself is not enough. It also needs to be complimented with top notch attractions. I suppose only time will tell whether this new era of investment in the parks will generate those kind of attractions or not.

 

[Heppenheimer]

I dont think the SW hotel will be halted because of less than expected revenue from Galaxy's Edge. The hotel experience as described is going to be immersive, role playing fun that fans will enjoy. It may be SW connected but an entirely different focus and entertainment. Fans love dress up and role playing, this will be everything theyve dreamt of, taking a part in a SW adventure. Very different than a few minute longattraction.

I'm just wondering how sustainable that model could be the long term, however. Are there that many people out there who want to be immersed in Star Wars 24/7 and are willing to pay $500+ a night for that priviledge?

And just because Disney has started a project doesn't mean they will finish it. They've abandoned projects that have already begun previously.

 

[The_Jobu]

There’s no Vader??!? I have not been following what’s in the land, but now I’m definitely not visiting DHS if there’s no Vader. That’s who my kids wanted to see.

There's basically very little original trilogy content in the whole place. Disney is pushing their nuTrilogy® super hard, to the detriment of the land, I feel. The most Vader, as I recall, is a small "artisan" plush you can buy. I'll still check it out whenever I get there again, but almost entirely because there are new rides. Maybe that will be enough? I'm excited to see.

 

[Tom P.]

I'm just wondering how sustainable that model could be the long term, however. Are there that many people out there who want to be immersed in Star Wars 24/7 and are willing to pay $500+ a night for that priviledge?

And just because Disney has started a project doesn't mean they will finish it. They've abandoned projects that have already begun previously.

In fact, there's a good example of that in the hotel arena. What is now Art of Animation was originally supposed to be the second half of Pop Century. But after the downturn in the travel and tourism market following 9/11, Disney scrapped that idea. They had already constructed some of the buildings and those just sat empty and unused for about seven years before they initiated the Art of Animation project.

Granted, the Star Wars hotel is much higher profile than building a second half of Pop Century. So for Disney to cancel it now would be rather publicly admitting that things aren't going well. But it's not impossible.

 

[J Hedge]

I think Disney does -- or, rather, can do -- immersive theming better than anyone. And when executed properly, I think it's an important component of their parks. So I don't just dismiss immersive theming as some sort of defense mechanism. It's definitely important.

However, I also agree that immersive theming itself is not enough. It also needs to be complimented with top notch attractions. I suppose only time will tell whether this new era of investment in the parks will generate those kind of attractions or not.

Disney does theming exceptionally well, as does Universal.
We don't ride too many attractions (my wife has some health issues that prevent fast/aggressive movement) so much of our enjoyment of the parks comes from appreciation of the theming and atmosphere. That's part of the problem with GE - at least for me. It's a highly themed representation of an unpleasant, dystopian place. It's not appealing or "pretty." I get that it's supposed to represent something that could be built with the resources that would be available in this fictional place, but I'm not invested enough in the new franchise to care about that. (FWIW I loved the originals, but they've been phoning it in since 1983, IMHO) For me, the land will have to stand on it's own, like Pandora does. I'm not a huge fan of the Avatar movie, but the land at AK is beautiful and I can enjoy it for what it is.

 

[Family_Man]

Disney does theming exceptionally well, as does Universal.
We don't ride too many attractions (my wife has some health issues that prevent fast/aggressive movement) so much of our enjoyment of the parks comes from appreciation of the theming and atmosphere. That's part of the problem with GE - at least for me. It's a highly themed representation of an unpleasant, dystopian place. It's not appealing or "pretty." I get that it's supposed to represent something that could be built with the resources that would be available in this fictional place, but I'm not invested enough in the new franchise to care about that. (FWIW I loved the originals, but they've been phoning it in since 1983, IMHO) For me, the land will have to stand on it's own, like Pandora does. I'm not a huge fan of the Avatar movie, but the land at AK is beautiful and I can enjoy it for what it is.

I haven’t visited the land yet, but it seems to be evocative of Tatooine and Jakku - both places that the main characters wanted to leave.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but did think the concept was cool and thought the land was mostly going to pertain to the original Star Wars trilogy...

And then I watched a ton of vloggers on YouTube going through the land and I don't see anything really recognizable from the original Star Wars universe, except the MF and I'm even hearing where that isn't the greatest.

IMHO, I think Disney might have missed the mark on this one.

But again, not a huge Star Wars fan so there's that and RotR hasn't come out.

 

[KCheatle]

I think Star Wars is an established franchise that will be entertaining to crowds for a long time. IMHO, I think WDW took a much bigger risk doing a Toy Story land instead of Pixar Land. And, I think Pandora was a big risk, and I think that risk has yet to play out... Neither of those film franchises rank nearly as high as Star Wars. Star Wars has some lasting power.

But, that being said, I'll tell you I'm not all that excited for it. I'm a star wars fan - not a die hard- but I follow it. I'm not particularly excited for the land because I don't see a whole lot to do there?? 2 new rides and a pretty blah restaurant IMHO. And, of course merch. But, really, Star Wars merch is everywhere (gap, target, etc.). People are not excited to buy star wars merch. The market is saturated with it. When I get there I'll enjoy it, but I'm think WDW put more stock into people freaking out about this and making special trips than there really is. I think most people are having the same reaction as me. If I wasn't going on a cruise this November, I wouldn't go now. I'd wait until both SWGE rides were done, mickey and minnie ride was done, ratatouille was done, tron coaster, etc. One open ride in SWGE is not enough to convince me to book a trip.