Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
They are already moving dirt (mass grading) and have permitted the construction trailer offices which should be in place soon.
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"Fantastic Worlds" 4th gate
- Thread starter danpam1024
- Start date
DarleneBurrows
Active Member
Good news.
But you'd think if there was anything concrete it would be a big announcement, rather than some casual drop in the middle of a speech.
Timothy_Q
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't doubt to see this finished before the replacement for Imagination comes to fruition
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
What’s your definition if soon? The park is actively in design.
The CEO's of Comcast and Disney think a lot less (often) about the parks than the park fans would like to believe.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
That's how Universal rolls. Diagon Alley was under construction for 18 months before they told us that it was even Potter related. And we still have no info on the new potter coaster that has been under construction for a year.
DarleneBurrows
Active Member
The CEO's of Comcast and Disney think a lot less (often) about the parks than the park fans would like to believe.
Shanghai Disney cost estimate figures around 5 billion dollars to make (and that was with primarily cheap Chinese Labour), so you are going to look at around that kind of investment for Orlando.
If Comcast were planning to spend around 5 billion dollars imminimently, they'd have made more of a thing of it to their investors at the shareholders meetings, rather than just a casual mention.
It's for that reason i theorise we are still a long long way ahead of any spades in ground.
DarleneBurrows
Active Member
400 million, is a fair bit different to 5 billion though, especially when you have to answer to shareholders.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Closer to $3B over a 3 year span. And they will lump it into their worldwide Capitol Investment number. They mentioned it to prepare stockholders that it is coming. Universal is investing a lot right now. They already have a new park under construction in Beijing, and Super Nintendo Worlds in Osaka, and Hollywood.
DarleneBurrows
Active Member
When do you expect to see a spade in the ground ?
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
They’re already doing early site work...
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Like @lazyboy97o said, it has started already. Jim Hill is sayin' that they want the park open in 2021 to compete with WDW's 50th. I would die laughing if they opened on Oct. 1st, 2021.
UpAllNight
Well-Known Member
I went to IOA as a kid a few months after it opened and I was so excited. I’ve just got the same kind of vibe reading this thread. I’m hopeful they smash this out the park, but I wish they’d bleeding announce what they’re up to in the 2 parks that are there.
Universal Studios is a mess. Kidzone is still waiting for whatever is going there. What is happening with T2?What’s this JPark project? What on Earth is going on with secret life of pets we’ve been speaking about for what seems like forever? Come on Uni, F&F has opened now, everyone knows it’s rubbish let’s move on.
They did a mini ‘info drop’ 3 years back when they announced Fallon and F&F in one. It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for the next one.
Universal Studios is a mess. Kidzone is still waiting for whatever is going there. What is happening with T2?What’s this JPark project? What on Earth is going on with secret life of pets we’ve been speaking about for what seems like forever? Come on Uni, F&F has opened now, everyone knows it’s rubbish let’s move on.
They did a mini ‘info drop’ 3 years back when they announced Fallon and F&F in one. It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for the next one.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
It won’t be open in 2021 but there should be a much more active looking construction site to show off. A preview center would be nice.
BubbaQuest
Well-Known Member
This is pretty typical of an earnings call. Most companies are not going to mention anything about future plans as it could be used as a lawsuit if it doesn't happen. The fact they mentioned anything at all is a pretty big deal.
I'll have to look around to find the old official announcements, but if I remember correctly during the Hollywood "Evolution" plan updates and the Japan park buyout, Uni (Comcast) raised their scheduled R&D investment to something like $500M/quarter. Obviously much of this went to Diagon Alley, Volcano Bay and Potter West, and there is still expansion at Potter East and a mystery project on the lower level of Hollywood, but with the big stuff done there are still spending $2B/year on "new" investment and I've never seen this estimate lowered. They could easily hide funding for a large new park in those numbers.
P.S. Here's the latest I could find from the Q2 earnings report: "NBCUniversal’s capital expenditures of $461 million increased 36.3%, reflecting continued investment at Theme Parks.". So $500M isn't all going to parks since NBC is in that bundle of cash. The only thing I can't figure out is how much of that is going to the new Beijing park.
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DarleneBurrows
Active Member
Well they did go quite heavy on talk with Universal in Beijing, which does have a spade in the ground.
GLaDOS
Well-Known Member
Yea, Universal doesn't talk about stuff until they absolutely have to/it's close to becoming reality, so the fact that the CEO freely brought it up is a big deal for sure