disney 5th and 6th gate?

[misterID]

The requirements Disney would have to adhere to purchase UNI Orlando wouldn't be worth it for them.

 

[Disday]

From what I understand NBC/Universal/Comcast has until around June 12 to make a bid for the parks. If they choose not to buy them, then the whole resort will be for sale. I think it's a safe bet that NBC/Universal/Comcast will buy it. I don't see them letting all of those deals become in jeopardy. I don't see Disney making a bid. They've had chances in the past to buy the resort and passed on it. Also, I believe that if someone else bought the resort the Marvel contract would be in jeopardy. That's what the local news implied last night.

 

[majortom1981]

hmm

What about Disney partnering with somebody to buy the parks? Like and Disney?

 

[faceleg]

NBC/universal is actually Comcast at this point. From the beginning, Comcast has said they want out of the Theme park business. I actually see a third party getting involved. Probabky not Disney unless the price is right. And I think you would eventually see Disney put their name on the parks bc they are kicking themselves for not doing Potter to begin with. I'm just thinking the standard park hopper wouldn't be in affect lol. If the price were right...disney would buy. Iger likes to buy things that make money today with a bright future. As far as WB goes, I think they'd be fine with Disney.

Um......yeah, Disney had no choice over Potter. They tried to get the rights, but Rowling herself chose Universal over Disney.

 

[Rich1]

Umm....actually Rowling and her people went to Disney first. Disney even wanted to do it. In fact, Disney would have likely done an entire theme park on Potter. Unfortunately, as always, Disney wanted complete creative control without giving Rowling any creative. She balked at this and the rest is history.

 

[NoChesterHester]

Umm....actually Rowling and her people went to Disney first. Disney even wanted to do it. In fact, Disney would have likely done an entire theme park on Potter. Unfortunately, as always, Disney wanted complete creative control without giving Rowling any creative. She balked at this and the rest is history.

This is the only part I doubt. None of us really know is the Potter Universe has the kind of legs that Star Wars does. Very possible, but unknown.

I am personally glad that Universal got the rights. It is the first real threat to WDW dominance in central Florida. If they keep selling merchandise like they are Disney will respond. It is just hard to turn the big boat.

 

[Ignohippo]

If comcast is getting out of the theme park business, why is universal hollywood studios in the works to be expanded?

Quite simply, they want the Potter cash cow to continue.

Disney's model with Iger is quite simple: profits, profits, profits. If Disney comes to the conclusion that buying the Universal Resort would be profitable, Disney will do it. I imagine they'd leave things as they are, reap the profits until the Potter hysteria for a few years, migrate Marvel to Disney property, and then sell the resort.

In the end though, this is really a non-issue. Blackstone can't sell just their share – the buyer has to buy the entire operation if Comcast doesn't, and there's nobody who's going to be willing to pay the currently inflated rate for the parks and then lose the biggest draw of Marvel to Disney (who will certainly take the rights back if Uni Orlando is sold to a third party). Comcast will know this and won't have to spend a dime!! Once Comcast turns Blackstone down, they only have a 90 day window to sell the parks until next year.

This isn't going to happen, folks. In the end, Blackstone will have no choice but to continue to be a partner in the parks.

 

[marni1971]

Shouldn`t this be in chit chat??

 

[montyz81]

now that Universal is basically for sail and disney now owns marvel dose anybody think disney would purchase universal??

Did Universal turn into a cruise ship and someone forgot to tell us all?

 

[Chevross]

Did Universal turn into a cruise ship and someone forgot to tell us all?

Didn't anyone tell you about the new Universal Studio's Expansion? The whole park became one giant e-ticket. Instead of under the sea, it's Above on the Sea!

 

[WDW-Fan4Life]

Buy Universal, keep the profitable licenses (HP, Use Marvel etc.) and sell the rest off.

Could they relocate some of the rides/buildings?

 

[jmick71]

Did Universal turn into a cruise ship and someone forgot to tell us all?

ha ha ha let me edit that LOL

 

[jmick71]

this is all true!
i think this(Blackstone will have no choice but to continue to be a partner in the parks) will most likely happen
if it dose not happen, and disney does not buy it, the parks would easily loose marvel, and could potentially loose the rights to HP. it this happens, it will become very messy and go all down hill for universal orlando!

 

[WDW1974]

Shouldn`t this be in chit chat??

Idle crazy chit chat, methinks ...

 

[irishdude]

I don't think Disney can by the Universal Parks, it might create a monopoly that would be costly to defend. Should they by it, Disney would own six of the seven major theme parks, either entirely or partially. SeaWorld would be forced out of the market.

Additionally, if Disney bought the two theme parks, NBCUniversal/Comcast would most likely pull all intellectual property they own out of the parks. This would mean that Revenge of the Mummy, Disaster!, Jaws, and E.T. out of the original park, leaving it a shell of what it was. IOA could fair better since Universal only owns the rights to the Jurassic Park franchise, but Disney could lose the theme park rights to the characters from Dr. Suess, Harry Potter, and the cartoons. This would demote the two semi decent parks to at best one mediocre park.

Also, if Disney would buy these parks, there is little indication that the Florida Legislature would expand the Reedy Creek Improvement District to this area. Disney relies heavily on this government entity to control what it can do. The lack of this entity would make the deal incredibly difficult. Furthermore, since the Florida Legislature did not grant something similar to Reedy Creek to Universal, the Florida Legislature could always revoke Reedy Creek should Disney buy the Universal properties

 

[jmick71]

i was thinking it would be a monopoly too but if you think about it there is allot of other companies that own allot of other theme parks( cedar fair, 6 flags, Anheuser-Busch, ect.)

 

[trr1]

i was thinking it would be a monopoly too but if you think about it there is allot of other companies that own allot of other theme parks( cedar fair, 6 flags, Anheuser-Busch, ect.)

however the above mentioned companys( cedar fair, 6 flags, Anheuser-Busch, ect.) do not own all their parks in the same town.

 

[flavious27]

"If comcast is getting out of the theme park business, why is universal hollywood studios in the works to be expanded?"

These expansion plans are years worth of an undertaking and most likely all predated Comcast striking a deal with GE over NBCUniversal. Comcast has made it quite clear in many business publications that they don't sound enamored with being in the theme park business as their stake in NBCUniversal is for content to drive their cable and future online streaming of content businesses.

Disney will not buy the Universal properties. There are various reasons as to why from the countless non-Disney properties (besides Marvel at IoA) and on the West Coast, Universal Hollywood is directly tied to the Universal production studio. Plus, we're not even exploring the anti-trust issues that could clearly lurk.

My guess is that yet another private equity firm gets involved and buys the 50 percent of Blackstone, Comcast surprises the market and takes hold of 100 percent of the property, or Comcast finds another private equity firm to buy both owners outright. We'll see!

The expansion plans would have taken years to develop but if comcast has no plans to run a theme park, they would have excluded any of the theme park expansion from press releases.

 

[flavious27]

Umm....actually Rowling and her people went to Disney first. Disney even wanted to do it. In fact, Disney would have likely done an entire theme park on Potter. Unfortunately, as always, Disney wanted complete creative control without giving Rowling any creative. She balked at this and the rest is history.

it was more than that, JK had ideas that would not transfer properly to a theme park. disney has been in the business of planning and running amusement parks for decades, they usually know what works and what does not work. really disney soften jk up for universal.

 

[AndyMagic]

NBC/universal is actually Comcast at this point. From the beginning, Comcast has said they want out of the Theme park business. I actually see a third party getting involved. Probabky not Disney unless the price is right. And I think you would eventually see Disney put their name on the parks bc they are kicking themselves for not doing Potter to begin with. I'm just thinking the standard park hopper wouldn't be in affect lol. If the price were right...disney would buy. Iger likes to buy things that make money today with a bright future. As far as WB goes, I think they'd be fine with Disney.

Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Where are you getting this information aside from pulling it out of thin air? Comcast has said they want out of the theme park business? When? Actually it is the complete opposite. The current CEO of NBC Universal and the Vice President of Comcast, Steve Burke spoke at length about the theme parks during the acquisition process. Burke is also a known theme park lover and former President of Disneyland Paris. To be honest, I highly doubt Comcast would even think of dumping the Florida resort. If GE didn't get rid of them, as so many assumed they would, why would an actual media company that has shown interest in them do so? The welcome package sent to all NBC Universal employees after the Comcast deal closed included theme park tickets and discounts to both resorts as a gift and outlined loose plans for the parks. Comcast seems like the first owner of Universal Studios in decades to actually show interest in the resorts.