Harry Potter IS making a difference!!

[T-1MILLION]

Now Universal Orlando just needs to pay to be the presenter of these films. I can hear it now, "You're watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, presented by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, only at Universal Orlando Resort, on ABC Family."

The Universe will then explode..no..implode.

 

[Captain Neo]

According to this article

,http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-world-attendance-20101126,0,5013073.story

it seems as though HP is really making a difference.. I'm glad to see uni stealing disney customers, hopefully it lights a fire, and disney will start making rides and attractions actually worthy of the disney name again.

Good article. I think just about everyone (including Disney) knew Harry Potter was going to make a big impact in the theme park industry. The only place I saw denial about it was this forum.

 

[JimboJones123]

The Universe will then explode..no..implode.

I am stealing this -- and I won't give you credit. Sorry.

 

[JimboJones123]

Good article. I think just about everyone (including Disney) knew Harry Potter was going to make a big impact in the theme park industry. The only place I saw denial about it was this forum.

And a pretty high penetration as well.

 

[trr1]

here is a new story about universal
there is a thread started here

 

[hadesrules]

Take a look at the kind of movies disney animation has been releasing compared to pixar, Tpatf was made for little girls, while wall-e and up were movies made for the whole family. Both wall-e and up were way more successful than tpatf. FLE is the only big thing they're working on right now, and what does it consist of? MORE PRINCESS STUFF! Granted these are two timeless movies that they're making attractions out of, but they are still more geared towards little girls. The reason hp is so successful is because grown ups as well as kids are interested in it, and until disney finds things grown ups and kids will both be in to. People will be spending they're money elsewhere.

While I did happen to enjoy The Princess And The Frog (I think that's what Tpatf stands for), I have to agree that the Disney focus is totally on the pre-teen girl crowd. It's hard to find something that my son can do (other than pirate stuff), while there is a large selection of special features for girls. Make the parks for everyone.

 

[JimboJones123]

While I did happen to enjoy The Princess And The Frog (I think that's what Tpatf stands for), I have to agree that the Disney focus is totally on the pre-teen girl crowd. It's hard to find something that my son can do (other than pirate stuff), while there is a large selection of special features for girls. Make the parks for everyone.

PatF suffered from having to be WAY too careful to make Tiana a strong resourceful black woman. History of racial sterotyping forced them into developing a very "safe" formula for the movie.

 

[Mouse Detective]

HP has put Universal on the map this year. If they can capitalize on that in the future while Disney continues resting on past glory, Uni could one day be a player. I could see future generations being as devoted to Uni as current generations are to Disney.

Universal can never be what Disney World is. It's just way too small. Disney will always be the king. But Universal is outdueling Disney at the moment and WWoHP is just one of many fantastic rides/attractions that the two Universal parks offer. I appreciate Lee's thoughts on the matter from a Disney perspective because clearly, many many people who never visited Universal before are now doing so and most of them are finding out that there's a lot of cool things there. All of us love Disney otherwise we wouldn't be on this Disney website. But those who pretend Harry Potter isn't making an impact, a huge impact, are just plain blind.

Keep in mind that everytime one of the folks you describe ride Spiderman and then buy anything MARVEL a cash register rings at Disney. That drives Uni nuts.

Universal doesn't give a rat's a-- to this. First of all, there is no fee that get's paid when someone rides a Marvel-themed ride. Second of all, they pay Marvel, not Disney. The fact that Marvel is owned by Disney is irrelevant. They pay whatever the contract called for. Third of all, Universal clearly has the last laugh. They have Marvel's very best characters for themselves and they've got Marvel's theme park rides east of the Mississippi River locked-up. That drives Disney nuts!

 

[bryPOD]

I can make the comparison easily: WDW is Tiki Room Under New Management and DLR is Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.

I totally agree with this statement, well said!

 

[stitch2008]

Universal doesn't give a rat's a-- to this. First of all, there is no fee that get's paid when someone rides a Marvel-themed ride. Second of all, they pay Marvel, not Disney. The fact that Marvel is owned by Disney is irrelevant. They pay whatever the contract called for. Third of all, Universal clearly has the last laugh. They have Marvel's very best characters for themselves and they've got Marvel's theme park rides east of the Mississippi River locked-up. That drives Disney nuts!

What?

 

[inluvwithbeast]

Too bad they blew first pick at production and distribution of the films.

In a deep dark urban legend, they also blew a chance at printing rights too.

Maybe why Hyperion (Disney) jumped on board so quickly with the Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson) novels?

 

[Flip83]

Universal doesn't give a rat's a-- to this. First of all, there is no fee that get's paid when someone rides a Marvel-themed ride. Second of all, they pay Marvel, not Disney. The fact that Marvel is owned by Disney is irrelevant. They pay whatever the contract called for. Third of all, Universal clearly has the last laugh. They have Marvel's very best characters for themselves and they've got Marvel's theme park rides east of the Mississippi River locked-up. That drives Disney nuts!

That made no sense. LOL. Disney OWNS Marvel. Owns! Earns the money that Marvel brings in. Holy smokes.

 

[inluvwithbeast]

Just wanted to say that I'm in the twenty something range too, but I only consider Potter as a annoying little blip of my preteen life. I read the first 4 books, but by then I had graduated to reading adult authors. I can't stand Potter now...Star Trek was a much larger part of my childhood .

I still only see HP as a fad...and that Uni jumped on the bandwagon. Albeit this fad has been around for 11 years now, but I still don't think it has the staying power of Star Wars and/or Trek. And when I read that Sentinal article, all I really got out of it was that Disney wasn't releasing their separate attendence figures and that attendance is pretty much flat, in the meantime Uni is up. I failed to see how that means Uni is making a difference on Disney though.

Rates on mortgages are very good now btw you should look into it!

Well I could give you all sorts of anecdotes but of course that is all they'd be. I can only speak for myself and of my experiences. I can tell you though that it made me feel 11 again when I was talking about going to the midnight premiere with my classmates in my Engineering Ethics class. And the good feeling of being 11 where you don't have to worry about bad roommates and finals. Not those awkward preteen feelings. Lol.

And I'm too much of a transient for a mortgage right now. I'm kinda hoping to move to FL once I finish my BS.

The only way the words "fad" and "Harry Potter" belong in the same sentence is if the words "is not a" are in the middle. Calling HP (the books, the movies, the theme park attraction, the merch, or the cultural phenomenon) a fad is just a way of pronouncing your pop culture ignorance.

Can I get an amen?!?

 

[misterID]

I think what Mouse Detective was saying is that UNI was paying Marvel before Disney bought them so it makes no difference where or who that money is going now. They were paying before, still paying the same, no difference now. And I think the HP merch sales has them consoling themselves. :lol:

Not entirely correct.
I can state for a fact that Disney is not happy about the effect that Potter is having on them. They are in fact seeing guests take days off their trip to go to IoA. True, that has always happened to some extent, but nowhere near the level it has happened this year. It is having an effect on Disney's bottom line. Agreed, WDW's resort superiority will never be in doubt, but that extra money that is going to Uni instead of Disney is causing quite a few headaches.
And it is in fact lost days. According to what I am hearing from inside Disney, guests are not adding days to their trip for Uni, they are giving up a Disney day, or two.
Sorry if you don't like to hear that.
Also, the huge spotlight that Disney has enjoyed to itself in Orlando is now being eroded by Uni. More guests than ever, both international and domestic, are pointing to Universal as a reason to visit central Florida. That drives Disney nuts. Sure, they know competition is a good thing, but they really hate that they aren't the hot property in town right now. They have lost the bragging rights for best-themed area and best ride. They don't like that.

Man, I've been saying that forever. And still people refuse to accept it! :lookaroun

 

[marni1971]

The success of HP - and the willing to build it - is possibly the best thing to happen to Uni Orlando since they redeveloped the whole resort in the late 90`s. They took a gamble and it has more than paid off. Attendence is up this summer 36%, revenue 62%. They couldn`t be happier. The better news is I know for a fact they are no longer scared to invest heavily knowing if they get it right the rewards will far outweigh what goes in. And they are going to invest. Big time. This is just the start. Potter will be expanded, there are at least 2 large expansions planned for the Studios, and the empty plot in IOA is still being eyed. This is a renaissance of the Uni Orlando complex and it is about time.

The buzz in the UK is huge; all year holiday brochures have been plugging Potter. Walk into any travel agents and it is Harry, not Mickey, on all the covers. Window displays. Airlines are advertising. I`m sure some of you have seen Virgin Atlantics 747s at MCO with the Potter logos? The buzz, heresay and expectations are huge for travellers from the UK. When I got back to work people wern`t asking me about Space Mountains new music or how dirt mountain was coming along - they asked me about Potter. And these are regular people who enjoy - or plan to enjoy - Orlando as a family vacation.

Remember when Disney used to invest heavily knowing the payback would be worth it? The last time that happened in Orlando would have been 1994's Sunset Blvd with the TZTOT - a fully immersive area with a cutting edge, highly detailed E Ticket. It`s been said time and time again that the WDW complex needs to get off its backside and stop living on its name and the past. WDW will always be #1 due to its name and sheer scale. But new kids on the block are making the gap between #2 and #1 get smaller and smaller.

Disney had `Potter killers` lined up and ready to go in each park. A full rebuild and relaunch of Space Mountain. Imagination 4 and SkyDance. M:I coaster. Mythica Mountain. Instead they tried to hold guests with Nightastic and a Mermaid ride that was delayed so much it won`t be ready for the 40th. Now they are indeed regretting it. They arn`t hospitalised, but they are bruised.

 

[devoy1701]

The only way the words "fad" and "Harry Potter" belong in the same sentence is if the words "is not a" are in the middle. Calling HP (the books, the movies, the theme park attraction, the merch, or the cultural phenomenon) a fad is just a way of pronouncing your pop culture ignorance.

Pardon me for not following the wave of everyone else in society. I also dislike the Twilight "saga", thought Avatar was a waste of my time, and fell asleep 3 times while trying to watch the first Lord of the Rings movie so I didn't bother watching the rest of them. Cool effects and wizarding world's don't do it for me. Doesn't mean I'm ignorant of pop culture, just means I don't give a damn about what's "popular"...it's definitely not popular for a guy of 22 to be crazy about Disney, but whatev...

Regardless, I still think that when my age group is all 50-60 we'll be having conversations along the lines of "remember that Harry Potter fella and how popular he was when we were younger?" and not "Man, I can't believe Harry Potter is still around, can you believe it? 40 years?!" I saw we have a thread reunion in 2038 and see how it all plays out.

 

[trr1]

Pardon me for not following the wave of everyone else in society. I also dislike the Twilight "saga", thought Avatar was a waste of my time, and fell asleep 3 times while trying to watch the first Lord of the Rings movie so I didn't bother watching the rest of them. Cool effects and wizarding world's don't do it for me. Doesn't mean I'm ignorant of pop culture, just means I don't give a damn about what's "popular"...it's definitely not popular for a guy of 22 to be crazy about Disney, but whatev...

Regardless, I still think that when my age group is all 50-60 we'll be having conversations along the lines of "remember that Harry Potter fella and how popular he was when we were younger?" and not "Man, I can't believe Harry Potter is still around, can you believe it? 40 years?!" I saw we have a thread reunion in 2038 and see how it all plays out.

by that time the harry potter movies would have been remade for 10 years

 

[devoy1701]

The success of HP - and the willing to build it - is possibly the best thing to happen to Uni Orlando since they redeveloped the whole resort in the late 90`s. They took a gamble and it has more than paid off. Attendence is up this summer 36%, revenue 62%. They couldn`t be happier. The better news is I know for a fact they are no longer scared to invest heavily knowing if they get it right the rewards will far outweigh what goes in. And they are going to invest. Big time. This is just the start. Potter will be expanded, there are at least 2 large expansions planned for the Studios, and the empty plot in IOA is still being eyed. This is a renaissance of the Uni Orlando complex and it is about time.

The buzz in the UK is huge; all year holiday brochures have been plugging Potter. Walk into any travel agents and it is Harry, not Mickey, on all the covers. Window displays. Airlines are advertising. I`m sure some of you have seen Virgin Atlantics 747s at MCO with the Potter logos? The buzz, heresay and expectations are huge for travellers from the UK. When I got back to work people wern`t asking me about Space Mountains new music or how dirt mountain was coming along - they asked me about Potter. And these are regular people who enjoy - or plan to enjoy - Orlando as a family vacation.

Remember when Disney used to invest heavily knowing the payback would be worth it? The last time that happened in Orlando would have been 1994's Sunset Blvd with the TZTOT - a fully immersive area with a cutting edge, highly detailed E Ticket. It`s been said time and time again that the WDW complex needs to get off its backside and stop living on its name and the past. WDW will always be #1 due to its name and sheer scale. But new kids on the block are making the gap between #2 and #1 get smaller and smaller.

Disney had `Potter killers` lined up and ready to go in each park. A full rebuild and relaunch of Space Mountain. Imagination 4 and SkyDance. M:I coaster. Mythica Mountain. Instead they tried to hold guests with Nightastic and a Mermaid ride that was delayed so much it won`t be ready for the 40th. Now they are indeed regretting it. They arn`t hospitalised, but they are bruised.

Your first paragraph is actually very exciting to read. I remember how great of a theme park I though IoA was when it first opened, and how disappointing it was going back year after year and seeing nothing change, nothing improved. Last time I was at Uni was back in 2007 during a slow day and we were able to ride every attraction at both parks within about a 6 hours time span. Universal Studios itself was actually smaller than it was last time I had been with the closing of Nickelodeon Studios. As much as I dislike Potter, I'm glad that Uni took a gambit and it paid off for them, and I hope that they will continue to invest more money into their parks. Between Potter, Rip Ride Rockit, and the Simpsons (another pop culture series I never got into), there is ALMOST a reason for me to check out these parks again...almost.

 

[devoy1701]

by that time the harry potter movies would have been remade for 10 years

or Rowling will pull a George Lucas and we'll get a 7 year prequel series of his mother and father's adventures.

 

[Tigger1988]

Universal doesn't give a rat's a-- to this. First of all, there is no fee that get's paid when someone rides a Marvel-themed ride. Second of all, they pay Marvel, not Disney. The fact that Marvel is owned by Disney is irrelevant. They pay whatever the contract called for. Third of all, Universal clearly has the last laugh. They have Marvel's very best characters for themselves and they've got Marvel's theme park rides east of the Mississippi River locked-up. That drives Disney nuts!

I could correct you but it's funnier to let you keep talking yourself into a hole.