News Dismal Q3 Earnings

[Sirwalterraleigh]

She had 3 years to start a massive tentpole sized operation for a film a year with a director who was NOT her or Disney’s first choice. Just building a proper pipeline for these films should have pushed VII to the end of 2016 or May 2017. Like do you not understand how hard it is to make films at this scale when your boss wants the job done under an unrealistic timeframe- his original retirement year, might I add? Animated films can take 4-7 years from conception to completion. Live-Action tentpoles need that much time to be good, which TFA was not because JJ plagiarizes Spielberg stylistically and can’t write cohesive stories to save his life. Dude refused to speak with the Pixar brain trust for feedback at the invitation of
screenwriter Michael Arendt.

I’ll let you in a little secret, John Favreau, Brad Bird and David Fincher were KK’s first choices for VII. They all balked because of the timeframe and they didn’t want to be one to screw up SW. KK, Filoni and others have tried to do the best under the circumstances and great work has been done like Rebels, The Last Jedi (yeah, it’s a masterpiece) and Resistance. Galaxy’s Edge was hampered by Chapek but it’s greenlit vision would largely have been a home run and blown away Potter.

As they say, “YOU CAN’T RUSH ART!!” and some old dead guy once said “quality will out”, Iger, a manager, appreciates neither and that’s what we got the SW films we got.

So you’re saying she should have been fired for failing to run her studio properly to the point where revenues on licensed product is way down, a Franchise movie flopped, and two massive park expansions can’t move the needle?

You are using Waze...i’m Using google maps...and we both got here.

It’s a masterpiece of stupidity - by the way...nobody wanted emo film re-invention of Star Wars. At least that’s how it’s Born out. Its bad...don’t be “that guy” who attempt to paddle upstream. Prequel defenders tried that and inevitably drown anyway.

Star Wars is not “Art”...nor should it be. But it had a soul and dealt with basic human feelings. That’s why it worked. “Everyone can be a Jedi” was B-rate nonsense.

Ok...so hows Q4 looking? Revenue up, attendance down??

 

[MisterPenguin]

This excellent...spinning your numbers well here

I never expect facts to supersede your bias.

 

[erasure fan1]

The question is who wanted it? Iger or Lucas prior to the sale?

I think it was Lucas...knowing he could manipulate her when HE made his new Star Wars material...
Disney derailed that train - wisely - but never went back to the Kennedy problem.

If you listen to Igers book, he specifically talks about Lucas hiring Kennedy. It sure sounds like exactly what you said, Lucas wanted a insider. At the very least, Iger needed to hire a creative to oversee star wars and let her run the business side until you could get your "Feige".

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I never expect facts to supersede your bias.

That was a very poorly worded compliment - to be clear...

I love facts...and numbers.

Your big gaffe was declaring last Johnson a good move based on 10 Days of box office receipts...

Numbers unfortunately can’t come up with a formula for heart and emotion...it’s their one flaw.

So that was a pooch. And the last 22 months and a minefield full of fallout has more than demonstrated that. The “numbers” were wrong

But other that that...generally your numbers are correct.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

If you listen to Igers book, he specifically talks about Lucas hiring Kennedy. It sure sounds like exactly what you said, Lucas wanted a insider. At the very least, Iger needed to hire a creative to oversee star wars and let her run the business side until you could get your "Feige".

Exactly...he took his best friends admin person and planted her and HE was gonna be the Feige.

He wasn’t up to that...Disney did not fix the mistake.


That’s where “white slavers” came from. His “retirement plan” was outmaneuvered by Iger and Disney legal

 

[BEARSHOUSE4]

Can we can free dining in January to boost these lagging profits?

 

[matt9112]

Can we can free dining in January to boost these lagging profits?

Or kill the DDP and let grand menus return? Ahhh we can only dream.

 

[VaderTron]

Or kill the DDP and let grand menus return? Ahhh we can only dream.

We can only dream? "All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

 

[Disstevefan1]

Not Good for domestic parks.
DLP and Consumer Goods performed well. Domestic Parks did not.

I really have to ask. From a guest experience standpoint, why is this a bad thing? Lower crowds should be a good thing for the guest experience, unless as a knee jerk reaction Disney cuts staff.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I really have to ask. From a guest experience standpoint, why is this a bad thing? Lower crowds should be a good thing for the guest experience, unless as a knee jerk reaction Disney cuts staff.

Because Disney will invariably attempt to make up the lost revenue through either price hikes or cuts.

 

[Lilofan]

From a guest experience standpoint, why is this a bad thing? Lower crowds should be a good thing for the guest experience,

If I was a small business owner, and if my business worsened by lower traffic, then there would be some tough decisions I would be making.

 

[The_Jobu]

If Disney gets the crowd size down, they'll lower staffing further, so the guest experience wouldn't really improve.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Because Disney will invariably attempt to make up the lost revenue through either price hikes or cuts.

So my original opinion was wrong. I thought lower attendance would be better for the guest experience. In reality, in any event the guest loses:
1. Attendance goes up equals more crowding, resulting in a poor guest experience.
2. Attendance goes down, staff cuts, higher prices, resulting in a poor guest experience.

No one needs to worry about Disney, see above - Disney always wins....

 

[tirian]

So my original opinion was wrong. I thought lower attendance would be better for the guest experience. In reality, in any event the guest loses:
1. Attendance goes up equals more crowding, resulting in a poor guest experience.
2. Attendance goes down, staff cuts, higher prices, resulting in a poor guest experience.

No one needs to worry about Disney, see above - Disney always wins....

A few months ago, I explained the crazy way Disney is leveraging FP+ to cut operating costs. Regardless whether it’s a busy or normal day, you will stand in queues and staff dollars will be cut. It’s all a shell game. Normal (not empty!) days = closed attraction loading docks and food windows to artificially inflate queue lengths and therefore “control” crowd flow. Busy days = busy anyway. Guests lose either way, and pay more than ever before for Disney to cut like never before.

Here’s the link.

News - Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[lazyboy97o]

So my original opinion was wrong. I thought lower attendance would be better for the guest experience. In reality, in any event the guest loses:
1. Attendance goes up equals more crowding, resulting in a poor guest experience.
2. Attendance goes down, staff cuts, higher prices, resulting in a poor guest experience.

No one needs to worry about Disney, see above - Disney always wins....

As part number 2, crowding also doesn’t go down. Crowding is relative. Disney works to maintain crowding regardless of attendance so that it is expected, making things like up charge events and FastPass+ seem like benefits. Disney has successfully conditioned many to believe that getting less for more is magical.

 

[tirian]

As part number 2, crowding also doesn’t go down. Crowding is relative. Disney works to maintain crowding regardless of attendance so that it is expected, making things like up charge events and FastPass+ seem like benefits. Disney has successfully conditioned many to believe that getting less for more is magical.

That’s the reason I started this thread that looks back at what WDW offered in 1990, the beginning of the Disney Decade.

WDW Tour c. 1990 — Updated to Imagination

On Disney-focused web forums, theme park enthusiasts often lament the bygone era of jam-packed attractions, widespread entertainment, unique shops, and cutting-edge tech (for its time). We also point out there was significantly more to do back in the days when prices were more reasonable and the...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

So my original opinion was wrong. I thought lower attendance would be better for the guest experience. In reality, in any event the guest loses:
1. Attendance goes up equals more crowding, resulting in a poor guest experience.
2. Attendance goes down, staff cuts, higher prices, resulting in a poor guest experience.

No one needs to worry about Disney, see above - Disney always wins....

Yes...in a word. Disney has been encouraged by relative little drop in demand over 10 years as the overall costs have gone way up. Until that changes, they have little pause to do anything that they want.

A few months ago, I explained the crazy way Disney is leveraging FP+ to cut operating costs. Regardless whether it’s a busy or normal day, you will stand in queues and staff dollars will be cut. It’s all a shell game. Normal (not empty!) days = closed attraction loading docks and food windows to artificially inflate queue lengths and therefore “control” crowd flow. Busy days = busy anyway. Guests lose either way, and pay more than ever before for Disney to cut like never before.

Here’s the link.

News - Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom

forums.wdwmagic.com

As part number 2, crowding also doesn’t go down. Crowding is relative. Disney works to maintain crowding regardless of attendance so that it is expected, making things like up charge events and FastPass+ seem like benefits. Disney has successfully conditioned many to believe that getting less for more is magical.

I never commented a ton (a lot...yes...guilty) about the operational realities of this housing bubble/bump period...
But I did on the “price training” that they have conducted during that time. From DVC to DDP to AHM to MNNSHP to XYZ...there should be a book written on how systematic it has been.

It’s a credit to the management for pulling it off “under cover of daylight”...and an indictment of the consumers for laying down for it. Both are true.

I just regret I wasted the time to type it on another forum. Where I hear it’s like paint drying these days.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

If I was a small business owner, and if my business worsened by lower traffic, then there would be some tough decisions I would be making.

Probably not if your small business was still insanely profitable and you did not have to worry about institutional investors.

Well, I don't know you personally so maybe you would because of a drive to get personally richer at greater margins every three months. The point stands, though, that privately held companies don't need to enjoy endless growth to be viable or even highly profitable.

 

[ExStarWarsFan]

I was answering why the CinemaScore seemed out of whack with fans opinions. Basically, the majority of people who saw the movie aren't die hards and enjoyed the movie.

Sorry to quote a post this old, but the thing about CinemaScore, what sets it apart from Rotten Tomatoes' user scores that no one seems to ever recognize, is that Cinemascore collects its data at the movie theater the day of release. They actually distribute cards to all the moviegoers and have them fill out a quick survey immediately following the film. And the result, unsurprisingly, is that when you're coming out a film with an explosive, action-packed finale, your impressions are more likely to be positive than not. Speaking from my own experience, I was over the moon about TLJ until I was exposed to some of the narrative problems other people had noticed. Had I been surveyed by CinemaScore I'm sure I would have praised it too.

By contrast, I would imagine most people would wait till they get home and have time to seriously evaluate the film before rushing off to type a Rotten Tomatoes score. At the very least they're less likely to give a knee-jerk response than when they're just walking out of the theater.

 

[peter11435]

lSpeaking from my own experience, I was over the moon about TLJ until I was exposed to some of the narrative problems other people had noticed. Had I been surveyed by CinemaScore I'm sure I would have praised it too.

So basically you liked the film until others told you that you shouldn’t.

lol