Disney to Reveal Ambitious Star Wars Plans

[OSUgirl77]

Party pooper...............

What can I say, I'm a Browns fan. I've learned to expect disappointment in life.

 

[1023]

What can I say, I'm a Browns fan. I've learned to expect disappointment in life.

I thought I detected the "Ted Mosby" in there somewhere...

*1023*

 

[OSUgirl77]

I thought I detected the "Ted Mosby" in there somewhere...

*1023*

Haha! Maybe a little...

 

[doctornick]

It's my understanding that they're mostly waiting on the reception of the movie. I've been told that for awhile.... And it frustrates me as much as you.

OK, but why wouldn't that philosophy apply to both DLR and WDW? Plans for SW in DL seem to be moving ahead, but not at DHS -- what's the reason for the difference?

I'm hoping that the rationale is because DHS is getting Pixar stuff in the short term, so they believe that they can hold off on SW for now. While perhaps DLR doesn't have anything new on the horizon so they want to add SW more quickly. But i'm not convinced.

 

[PhotoDave219]

OK, but why wouldn't that philosophy apply to both DLR and WDW? Plans for SW in DL seem to be moving ahead, but not at DHS -- what's the reason for the difference?

I'm hoping that the rationale is because DHS is getting Pixar stuff in the short term, so they believe that they can hold off on SW for now. While perhaps DLR doesn't have anything new on the horizon so they want to add SW more quickly. But i'm not convinced.

That's been the party line.

I've stopped applying logic to this.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

That's been the party line.

I've stopped applying logic to this.

I hate to say this but is Team WDW waiting to see how AvatarLand does in 2017. The land looks awesome but the reaction didn't have people jumping up and down with excitement. Too bad SW land didn't have someone like Cameron making sure they land is what he wants. That's where Lucas would have push hard for the land to be up and running when Ep. 7 would come out.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I hate to say this but is Team WDW waiting to see how AvatarLand does in 2017. The land looks awesome but the reaction didn't have people jumping up and down with excitement. Too bad SW land didn't have someone like Cameron making sure they land is what he wants. That's where Lucas would have push hard for the land to be up and running when Ep. 7 would come out.

Nah. That's not the case.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

Nah. That's not the case.

Good. Hopefully something is announced at D23.....even if it's DLR. Just get something going, somewhere.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

It's my understanding that they're mostly waiting on the reception of the movie. I've been told that for awhile.... And it frustrates me as much as you.

If that's a "reason" people within the company are using, it stands as a perfect example of why the executives running the company don't know what they're doing and have absolutely no business running the place. It's one thing to have doubts about the critical and financial reception of an original non-established property. But Star Wars? Star Freaking Wars? People in power at Disney are REALLY so clueless that they're actually worried a new Star Wars movie could be a commercial flop?

I'm going to say something very sad, but also true- even if the movie ends up sucking, there's just no way it's going to do badly at the box office. Star Wars at both its best AND worst is enormously popular and financially successful, a theme park land would be a massive draw regardless. Whether good or bad, this movie is inevitably going to be big in the public eye. Even if it gets bad reviews, i'm quite sure it won't stop it from being a huge box office hit. There's just not much that I could imagine capable of stopping that hype train (i am myself on board the train and fully intend to see it). Even garbage can still be amazingly successful and popular though (Twilight and Transformers are IMO examples of this, or the prequel SW trilogy for that matter, no offense to fans of these).

It's simply put, mind-blowingly stupid to have worries about the movie's success. It will do well financially because it's a new Star Wars movie, AND it has gotten people very excited. And the teasers we've seen so far haven't given people much fuel to complain about yet, the teasers have left a lot of people drooling to see more. Perhaps more than ever, people are freaking excited about it for so many reasons. The movie actually has a fighting chance to be GOOD given the talent involved.

Even if there wasn't a new movie coming out, a theme park land based on the franchise is STILL obviously something that would be enormously popular and make them ridiculous amounts of money. That makes the entire situation even more stupid. If they're doubting this, they've long since jumped the shark from being averse to "risk". They're averse to doing anything (well anything that doesn't negatively impact the customer experience and will inevitably harm your brand), even if it was the safest thing ever and made them stupid amounts of money. And i'd say Star Wars Land is that absurdly safe and stupidly profitable venture, with or without the movie. It's like having a healthy and docile goose that lays golden eggs, but they're still too timid to go near to collect. I mean come on...

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

If that's a "reason" people within the company are using, it stands as a perfect example of why the executives running the company don't know what they're doing and have absolutely no business running the place. It's one thing to have doubts about the critical and financial reception of an original non-established property. But Star Wars? Star Freaking Wars? People in power at Disney are REALLY so clueless that they're actually worried a new Star Wars movie could be a commercial flop?

I'm going to say something very sad, but also true- even if the movie ends up sucking, there's just no way it's going to do badly at the box office. Star Wars at both its best AND worst is enormously popular and financially successful, a theme park land would be a massive draw regardless. Whether good or bad, this movie is inevitably going to be big in the public eye. Even if it gets bad reviews, i'm quite sure it won't stop it from being a huge box office hit. There's just not much that I could imagine capable of stopping that hype train (i am myself on board the train and fully intend to see it). Even garbage can still be amazingly successful and popular though (Twilight and Transformers are IMO examples of this, or the prequel SW trilogy for that matter, no offense to fans of these).

It's simply put, mind-blowingly stupid to have worries about the movie's success. It will do well financially because it's a new Star Wars movie, AND it has gotten people very excited. And the teasers we've seen so far haven't given people much fuel to complain about yet, the teasers have left a lot of people drooling to see more. Perhaps more than ever, people are freaking excited about it for so many reasons. The movie actually has a fighting chance to be GOOD given the talent involved.

Even if there wasn't a new movie coming out, a theme park land based on the franchise is STILL obviously something that would be enormously popular and make them ridiculous amounts of money. That makes the entire situation even more stupid. If they're doubting this, they've long since jumped the shark from being averse to "risk". They're averse to doing anything (well anything that doesn't negatively impact the customer experience and will inevitably harm your brand), even if it was the safest thing ever and made them stupid amounts of money. And i'd say Star Wars Land is that absurdly safe and stupidly profitable venture, with or without the movie. It's like having a healthy and docile goose that lays golden eggs, but they're still too timid to go near to collect. I mean come on...

I know. Star Wars is a money making machine. A sure bet if there ever was one.

 

[Matt_Black]

They just give me the impression that they never have faith in any movie they release and then become shocked when it does so well. Even their "flops" aren't truly flops in the grand scheme of things.

True. Look at Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Regarded as a flop, but it actually had a decent box office; it was just overshadowed that summer by MASSIVE hits.

Still, that phenomenon isn't unique to Disney. I was reading an article the other day how studios will often declare a film a flop based on how well the trailers are received. Wha?!?

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

True. Look at Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Regarded as a flop, but it actually had a decent box office; it was just overshadowed that summer by MASSIVE hits.

Still, that phenomenon isn't unique to Disney. I was reading an article the other day how studios will often declare a film a flop based on how well the trailers are received. Wha?!?

The Lone Ranger ( which I liked )

 

[Matt_Black]

No, see, that WAS a flop.

 

[Progress.City]

I'll wager that the Avatar sequels will do better or the same as the new Star Wars trilogy.

My prediction is that the new Star Wars movies will do better than the Marvel movies, but Cameron is out to push the limits of art and technology. The new Star Wars films are merely Iger's way of cashing in on a sure thing and has less to do with pushing the limits, which is Cameron's motivation.

 

[FigmentJedi]

True. Look at Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Regarded as a flop, but it actually had a decent box office; it was just overshadowed that summer by MASSIVE hits.

Including Shrek. Shrek curbstomping Atlantis was one of the reasons 2D died.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I'll wager that the Avatar sequels will do better or the same as the new Star Wars trilogy.

My prediction is that the new Star Wars movies will do better than the Marvel movies, but Cameron is out to push the limits of art and technology. The new Star Wars films are merely Iger's way of cashing in on a sure thing and has less to do with pushing the limits, which is Cameron's motivation.

I don't know how well the Avatar sequels will do, nor whether they will outperform SW at the box office (or Marvel for that matter). But I do think there's the distinct possibility that they won't perform nearly as well as the original. Not that i'm saying for sure, but there's a chance and I do have reasons to say that chance exists. The original Avatar was a movie that largely coasted on its technology and visuals, the story didn't really interest people that much. Even glowing reviews for it at the time (including many top critics on Rotten Tomatoes) mentioned that the story was bland and dull, they gave the movie crazy high praise because it was pretty and impressive. At this point however, a lot of people have cooled off from the initial visual punch and realized the movie wasn't very good after all. That could harm the success of the sequels. I don't expect them to do poorly, but the expectations from executives may be somewhat out of control given the success of the first. They probably expect the sequels to do better than the first, and that may not occur (then again it may but there's not a surefire chance of success unlike with Star Wars). From my own experience, i'd say Avatar has already been forgotten by many people. At least it's not often heard being talked about much anymore. Disney World related forums contain the most active buzz regarding the franchise nowadays given the AK land. The visuals remain very pretty (and I do look forward to the land at AK), but the story is bland and forgettable (as are the characters). I think it will take more effort to get the same level of success to strike again for the sequels.

The original Star Wars trilogy has remained popular throughout the years. Whether you like it or not they are very much ingrained into our culture now. The original three are considered great movies by the vast majority of people. Heck ESB is even commonly among people's top movie picks (IMDB has it as the #12 out of their top 250 movies). They're still discussed and adored by audiences and were impressive for the time from a technology perspective, remaining so even today (practical effects tend to age a good deal better than CGI as well). But they are most fondly remembered for the charming characters and story. They didn't coast on the technology alone, not until the prequels anyways. But even the prequels are discussed to this day, they are still very memorable movies. Memorable in how bad they are granted, but they have stayed in the public conscience regardless of how they are remembered. Two generations have grown up with Star Wars trilogies, with a new one about to arrive for yet another new generation. People remember and still quote Darth Vader's famous plot twister line to Luke in ESB (no spoilers but i'm sure you all know what i'm referring to). Even the prequels were memorable and even entertaining enough to spawn an immense quantity of amusing parodies and internet memes. And while I consider them "bad" movies, they are still entertaining in a way and do have their moments (did enjoy the lightsaber battles a lot). Every kid growing up with and loving these movies has imagined about how awesome it would be to make objects float with your mind, twirl around a lightsaber (making the iconic buzzing and cracking sounds with our mouths if we didn't have toy sabers to do it for us), piloting the Millennium Falcon etc. And lets face it (though nerdy and perhaps immature and most of us wouldn't admit it in public), all of those things STILL sound cool even to a ton of adults.

Episode 7 is being marketed towards the people who loved the original trilogy, so it will get a lot of attention from that audience even if they didn't enjoy the prequels. But at the same time, the audience who enjoyed the prequels will also see it because it means more Star Wars. And then there's the new generation who will see it fresh who don't even have nostalgic familiarity with the franchise in the first place (Rebels is probably helping acquaint younger audiences to the franchise who are watching Disney XD). It's also my personal belief that the female lead may potentially bring an even larger female audience into the mix as well (an audience which was already large as it was given Leia's popularity). The hype for this movie is insane. I don't think there's any chance Star Wars 7 won't be a roaring success.

This is not my attempt to overhype Episode 7. I do not assume it will be a great movie from a critical perspective, it may or may not be. There's every chance it could suck as there is with any movie (just hopeful it could be good in this case). But I do think it's going to be incredibly successful regardless of its critical reception. Don't know how much it will make, but Disney will probably have to have absurdly unreasonable expectations for it to be a disappointment.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I'll wager that the Avatar sequels will do better or the same as the new Star Wars trilogy.

My prediction is that the new Star Wars movies will do better than the Marvel movies, but Cameron is out to push the limits of art and technology. The new Star Wars films are merely Iger's way of cashing in on a sure thing and has less to do with pushing the limits, which is Cameron's motivation.

As the wonderful bard and humanist Oscar the Grouch once said: "Ding Dong.... You're wrong."

 

[Progress.City]

As the wonderful bard and humanist Oscar the Grouch once said: "Ding Dong.... You're wrong."

We'll see.

 

[Progress.City]

I don't know how well the Avatar sequels will do, nor whether they will outperform SW at the box office (or Marvel for that matter). But I do think there's the distinct possibility that they won't perform nearly as well as the original. Not that i'm saying for sure, but there's a chance and I do have reasons to say that chance exists. The original Avatar was a movie that largely coasted on its technology and visuals, the story didn't really interest people that much. Even glowing reviews for it at the time (including many top critics on Rotten Tomatoes) mentioned that the story was bland and dull, they gave the movie crazy high praise because it was pretty and impressive. At this point however, a lot of people have cooled off from the initial visual punch and realized the movie wasn't very good after all. That could harm the success of the sequels. I don't expect them to do poorly, but the expectations from executives may be somewhat out of control given the success of the first. They probably expect the sequels to do better than the first, and that may not occur (then again it may but there's not a surefire chance of success unlike with Star Wars). From my own experience, i'd say Avatar has already been forgotten by many people. At least it's not often heard being talked about much anymore. Disney World related forums contain the most active buzz regarding the franchise nowadays given the AK land. The visuals remain very pretty (and I do look forward to the land at AK), but the story is bland and forgettable (as are the characters). I think it will take more effort to get the same level of success to strike again for the sequels.

The original Star Wars trilogy has remained popular throughout the years. Whether you like it or not they are very much ingrained into our culture now. The original three are considered great movies by the vast majority of people. Heck ESB is even commonly among people's top movie picks (IMDB has it as the #12 out of their top 250 movies). They're still discussed and adored by audiences and were impressive for the time from a technology perspective, remaining so even today (practical effects tend to age a good deal better than CGI as well). But they are most fondly remembered for the charming characters and story. They didn't coast on the technology alone, not until the prequels anyways. But even the prequels are discussed to this day, they are still very memorable movies. Memorable in how bad they are granted, but they have stayed in the public conscience regardless of how they are remembered. Two generations have grown up with Star Wars trilogies, with a new one about to arrive for yet another new generation. People remember and still quote Darth Vader's famous plot twister line to Luke in ESB (no spoilers but i'm sure you all know what i'm referring to). Even the prequels were memorable and even entertaining enough to spawn an immense quantity of amusing parodies and internet memes. And while I consider them "bad" movies, they are still entertaining in a way and do have their moments (did enjoy the lightsaber battles a lot). Every kid growing up with and loving these movies has imagined about how awesome it would be to make objects float with your mind, twirl around a lightsaber (making the iconic buzzing and cracking sounds with our mouths if we didn't have toy sabers to do it for us), piloting the Millennium Falcon etc. And lets face it (though nerdy and perhaps immature and most of us wouldn't admit it in public), all of those things STILL sound cool even to a ton of adults.

Episode 7 is being marketed towards the people who loved the original trilogy, so it will get a lot of attention from that audience even if they didn't enjoy the prequels. But at the same time, the audience who enjoyed the prequels will also see it because it means more Star Wars. And then there's the new generation who will see it fresh who don't even have nostalgic familiarity with the franchise in the first place (Rebels is probably helping acquaint younger audiences to the franchise who are watching Disney XD). It's also my personal belief that the female lead may potentially bring an even larger female audience into the mix as well (an audience which was already large as it was given Leia's popularity). The hype for this movie is insane. I don't think there's any chance Star Wars 7 won't be a roaring success.

This is not my attempt to overhype Episode 7. I do not assume it will be a great movie from a critical perspective, it may or may not be. There's every chance it could suck as there is with any movie (just hopeful it could be good in this case). But I do think it's going to be incredibly successful regardless of its critical reception. Don't know how much it will make, but Disney will probably have to have absurdly unreasonable expectations for it to be a disappointment.

You see, it is now part of the Disney marketing machine and no longer has the creative passion that drove Lucas to create it in the first place. It's only hope is JJ Abrams because Abrams was a passionate fan himself. I didn't say it would be a dud. I said the Avatar sequels will do just as good or better. Camron has that same kind of maniacal creative passion that drove Lucas and also Walt Disney. That kind of passion is unstoppable when empowered. Cameron is being empowered because he calls the shots and because he gets whatever financing he needs.

 

[PhotoDave219]

We'll see.

No one is excited for Avatar. Theme park attraction, movie, or otherwise.