Galaxy's Edge popularity vs Potter's popularity

[GoofGoof]

One of the things that Uni did well with HP is they kept it very simple and basic. A casual fan or even someone who has never seen the movies can easily understand what’s happening in the lands and the rides. You don’t need intimate knowledge of everything Potter to enjoy the land. For the Potter fanboys there are also plenty of details as well that may go over the heads of the average guest. It keeps all types of visitors happy. I assume SW Land will have a similar dynamic. If not and the casual fans have trouble understanding what’s going on it could end up being less popular even though the franchise itself has a larger fan base.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Yup. I'm sure the Potter fan base is getting excited over that picture with the Model-T

Actually, there is a very vocal group of the Potter base that is ed off Depp is in the films and is planning to boycott. I'm not sure how many there actually are though or how it might affect the eventual box office. You also have to wait until the 5th movie to see the battle based on what we know from the Potter books.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I think its worth mentioning when DHS is connected to Epcot and thus MK, those three parks essentially merge! When DAK is eventually connected, there won't be worries of capacity because customers can more easily move between the parks and the crowd level will even out.

 

[TJJohn12]

I think its worth mentioning when DHS is connected to Epcot and thus MK, those three parks essentially merge! When DAK is eventually connected, there won't be worries of capacity because customers can more easily move between the parks and the crowd level will even out.

I... Um... Huh? "Merge?"

DHS and EPCOT are already connected by bus, boat, and pathway. The gondolas will add to this, but I don't think they're going to *suddenly* make parkhopping a new or more popular thing. I already think of DHS and EPCOT as a tandem visit with a quick walk in between when I'm doing a 3-park mega-hop-day while my wife does her own thing on our "on our own" days.

What I'm saying is that the barrier to crowds spreading and dispersing across the resort *already* has little standing in its way. And yet we still see Pandora swamped. Why aren't all those people wising up and hopping a bus to MK's or EPCOT's offerings? We'll see the same with SW:GE. No number of new transit is going to convince people to visit 7DMT or M:S in lieu of Big Bird or Alcatraz.

 

[Frizzball]

My feeling is that to Disney it's not going to matter that Star Wars is arguably the larger IP because HP beats it hands down in terms of saleable merchandise. Disney limiting the land to only 'in world products' is not the same as Universal doing the same simply because there are vast scores of Harry Potter related artifacts that are astoundingly recognisable and saleable to a much higher degree than the items crafted on Batuu that Disney are going for. Their construct-a-droid station at $100 a pop is past the point of impulse purchase. Universal wins out because the shops of Diagon Alley are a key feature in the books and their products can therefore be cannon and thus desirable. Olivanders wand shop is popular enough that it has a wait time to enter even on quiet days. In the HP worlds at Universal the shops themselves are attractions.

Ultimately this difference in merchandising is I think going to be the key as to which is deemed the larger success.

 

[MisterPenguin]

My feeling is that to Disney it's not going to matter that Star Wars is arguably the larger IP because HP beats it hands down in terms of saleable merchandise. Disney limiting the land to only 'in world products' is not the same as Universal doing the same simply because there are vast scores of Harry Potter related artifacts that are astoundingly recognisable and saleable to a much higher degree than the items crafted on Batuu that Disney are going for. Their construct-a-droid station at $100 a pop is past the point of impulse purchase. Universal wins out because the shops of Diagon Alley are a key feature in the books and their products can therefore be cannon and thus desirable. Olivanders wand shop is popular enough that it has a wait time to enter even on quiet days. In the HP worlds at Universal the shops themselves are attractions.

Ultimately this difference in merchandising is I think going to be the key as to which is deemed the larger success.

You have no idea what Star Wars fans plunk down money on: full costumes, realistic light sabers, underpants...

No other entertainment franchise - not even James Bond and Harry Potter combined - reaches the estimated total of $42 billion in the Star Wars ledger. (Potter’s total revenue from books, movies and toys has been estimated at $25 billion; Bond’s estimate is a paltry $8 billion.) [From here.]​

 

[Marlins1]

Wow ... i don't even know what to say to that.
It is entirely subjective and i can't say your opinion is wrong but Wow.

I think they are both very impressive and hard to measure against each other. I’ll throw in a curve and say that the expanded Africa in AK is a better overall land than both Pandora and Diagon.

 

[TJJohn12]

...Disney limiting the land to only 'in world products' is not the same as Universal doing the same simply because there are vast scores of Harry Potter related artifacts that are astoundingly recognisable and saleable to a much higher degree than the items crafted on Batuu that Disney are going for. Their construct-a-droid station at $100 a pop is past the point of impulse purchase....Olivanders wand shop is popular enough that it has a wait time to enter even on quiet days. In the HP worlds at Universal the shops themselves are attractions.

I'd second @MisterPenguin on this one - Star Wars fans are basically insane when it comes to what they spend on products, especially products that I'd call obscure to the extreme. Take a look at the RPF's sales forums to see just how much a fan-made garage kit for a particular prop or another that had 2-3 minutes of screen time. I don't think of $100 as an impulse purchase. But I've watched the armloads of crap dumped at the till by even average visiting families at Tatooine Traders too. So maybe it's not so far off one. Between the die hards buying Batuu's "local" crafts and average families high-end buying lightsabers and droids, I think the merch will be just fine without you and me.

 

[King Panda 77]

I think they are both very impressive and hard to measure against each other. I’ll throw in a curve and say that the expanded Africa in AK is a better overall land than both Pandora and Diagon.

Still disagree but it is nice different places appeal to different people.

 

[Frizzball]

You have no idea what Star Wars fans plunk down money on: full costumes, realistic light sabers, underpants...

No other entertainment franchise - not even James Bond and Harry Potter combined - reaches the estimated total of $42 billion in the Star Wars ledger. (Potter’s total revenue from books, movies and toys has been estimated at $25 billion; Bond’s estimate is a paltry $8 billion.) [From here.]​

But how much of that stuff can they sell in Batuu? I'd also argue that not much of that will be appealing to visitors that aren't star wars super fans. HP will win out by selling lots of lower priced items in larger quantities to a wider variety of people. My argument isn't that Star Wars is a less merchandisable franchise it's that the positioning of goods as in universe products works out more in favour of HP since it has more to offer in that respect.

 

[mergatroid]

But how much of that stuff can they sell in Batuu? I'd also argue that not much of that will be appealing to visitors that aren't star wars super fans. HP will win out by selling lots of lower priced items in larger quantities to a wider variety of people.

Have you seen a price list of Star Wars merchandise that will be on sale in GE?

 

[GoofGoof]

You have no idea what Star Wars fans plunk down money on: full costumes, realistic light sabers, underpants...

No other entertainment franchise - not even James Bond and Harry Potter combined - reaches the estimated total of $42 billion in the Star Wars ledger. (Potter’s total revenue from books, movies and toys has been estimated at $25 billion; Bond’s estimate is a paltry $8 billion.) [From here.]​

The value of SW merchandise sales alone was probably worth more than the $4B Disney paid for Lucas Films. It’s the most profitable franchise by a mile in terms of merchandise.

As far as unique items in the land, I think there is a huge niche market for unique SW merchandise. Half the draw of SW weekends was the merchandise areas. For the average park guest I would assume build your own lightsaber is just as big a draw as the wands. The toys like the build your own droid and other action figures and collectibles are well beyond anything Potter has. I still think butterbeer wins for a signature drink. The blue milk isn’t quite on par.

 

[GoofGoof]

I think they are both very impressive and hard to measure against each other. I’ll throw in a curve and say that the expanded Africa in AK is a better overall land than both Pandora and Diagon.

I agree that Africa in AK is the best theme park land in the US (I’ll leave out comparisons to Intl parks). It’s not the most popular land, but my personal favorite.

 

[King Panda 77]

The value of SW merchandise sales alone was probably worth more than the $4B Disney paid for Lucas Films. It’s the most profitable franchise by a mile in terms of merchandise.

As far as unique items in the land, I think there is a huge niche market for unique SW merchandise. Half the draw of SW weekends was the merchandise areas. For the average park guest I would assume build your own lightsaber is just as big a draw as the wands. The toys like the build your own droid and other action figures and collectibles are well beyond anything Potter has. I still think butterbeer wins for a signature drink. The blue milk isn’t quite on par.

I still think Disney killed a cash cow by nixing the jedi mickey etc range .

 

[GoofGoof]

I still think Disney killed a cash cow by nixing the jedi mickey etc range .

Maybe, but these 2 won’t be appearing in Galaxy’s Edge anytime soon. That’s probably a good thing

 

[Winter]

I really like both Harry Potter and Star Wars!

Star Wars is more popular overall though. Although both are extremely popular.

 

[brb1006]

Maybe, but these 2 won’t be appearing in Galaxy’s Edge anytime soon. That’s probably a good thing

View attachment 253206

That's nothing, remember the time Minnie was dressed as Slave Leia?

 

[Marlins1]

Potter changed the overall landscape in a way that will never happen again. Uni was so dead before Hogwarts opened. Now WDW is finally adding at the pace that they should because their top dog status was actually in danger. GE will have insane demand - that is why I am hoping the Mickey ride opens in time for me to enjoy it and then stay away from DHS for at least a year.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Potter changed the overall landscape in a way that will never happen again. Uni was so dead before Hogwarts opened. Now WDW is finally adding at the pace that they should because their top dog status was actually in danger. SWL will have insane demand - that is why I am hoping the Mickey ride opens in time for me to enjoy it and then stay away from DHS for at least a year.

I'm not saying this to demean Uni, which has some really nice things, but, WDW has been so far ahead of Uni, that in order for Uni to catch up, they'd have to be doing what they're doing for the next ten years with WDW doing nothing. That's 10 years of nothing new to get into the danger zone.

But, in just the next 4 years, WDW will be giving 8 attractions an overhaul and adding 8 more, among other things. WDW is very easily staying ahead.

 

[Marlins1]

I'm not saying this to demean Uni, which has some really nice things, but, WDW has been so far ahead of Uni, that in order for Uni to catch up, they'd have to be doing what they're doing for the next ten years with WDW doing nothing. That's 10 years of nothing new to get into the danger zone.

But, in just the next 4 years, WDW will be giving 8 attractions an overhaul and adding 8 more, among other things. WDW is very easily staying ahead.

I agree - I like both but to me the two are not even close. But young people in south Florida seem to look at it very differently. Most of my daughters friends prefer Uni so eventually that would have caught up with WDW. Luckily my daughter is still a Disney girl and when she brings a friend they realize how much it still has to offer even for teenagers.