Interview with Bob Iger about the Parks

[Slov72]

There's been dozens of industry analysts who have cited the issues. First, the inflated budget due to reshoots. The budget was raised so high due to heavy reshoots that it would've taken a huge return to be truly a blockbuster. Second, there was absolutely NO marketing in place for Solo until the SuperBowl. So they were trying to generate awareness and buzz for a movie in the midst of the biggest movie month of the year. Third, they followed Infinity War, which was going to be insanely popular regardless. Also Deadpool 2 before it. Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World 2 after. You throw a movie out that's completely unrelated to anything in the biggest movie window of the year with little to no marketing, it's going to suffer. Lastly, I think there's growing movie theater fatigue. It's expensive now to take a family to see a movie and I think a lot of families chose Infinity War over Solo. Solo was a box office failure but it was not due to fan backlash. Fans do not make or break a movie. As much as we like to think so, businesses will always cater to the general audience and new fans over old ones.

I think in the case of Star Wars the fans do make or break movies. In most cases, the rabid fan base is not large enough to really affect anything, but not here. The star wars fan base does not only consist of the super fans, there are a huge number of fans that are heavily invested in star wars, were turned off by TLJ and don't even own the movies or any products(myself for instance). I went into TLJ excited, but within the first five minutes there were two cringe worthy scenes that already made me laugh and not in the good way (Poe distracting the general and the Luke over the shoulder throw) and it just went from there.

 

[Rogue1138]

It is true that there are plot holes in the earlier movies as well, I will acknowledge that, but they usually were more minor in nature that didn't effect the rules of the universe as a whole (I am no super fan, so I may be missing some large ones, but I can't think of them currently). Personally I think the problems that comes out of TLJ is that it is obvious that there was no over arching plan for the trilogy. They let each director do whatever they wanted and then would just give the results to the next director in line. They should have had a framework for the trilogy as a whole in order to tell a consistent and concise story. It feels like there was almost no planning in where these movies were going. JJAbrams and Rian Johnson had completely different ideas and were allowed to make movies that conflict with each other.

Minor in nature? Like a whole plot about Kenobi finding out a mysterious army created by people with dark intentions and then completely forgetting about that mid-movie to use said army?

Do you honestly think a major movie franchise with a $225m budget was left to Rian Johnson to do what he wanted with no input? You do realize that JJ was executive producer for the movie? That he also changed some things in Force Awakens based on requests by Rian? That not only was the script for Last Jedi done before the filming ended for Force Awakens that JJ said how much he loved it and wished he did it himself?

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

To be fair,

That’s so passé...

 

[Rogue1138]

A few things... Holdo maneuver being the most prominent. If this was possible, it would make the whole attack on the death star irrelevant.... why not just create a bunch of drone driven cargo containers with hyperdrives and blast them into the death start for instant destruction? Destruction of entire fleets would be easily achievable with multiple small autopilot or drone piloted craft. The Leia flying thing was silly and a power never before seen (which isn't a deal breaker, but it was out of nowhere and other than empathic powers she never demonstrated the ability to do something of this magnitude; the Luke projection was at least feasible through years of training that he would acquire this power). The fact that Rey is such a powerful Jedi and fighter without any training (unless you count Luke's "lessons". Those are off the top of my head

Honestly, you're questioning a plot choice in a film series that has planet (or system) destroying super weapons? You don't think that Leia, being of the mighty Skywalker blood, wouldn't be trained just a wee bit by Luke? Or as I see it, was completely reactionary that she saved herself by using the Force since she instantly went into a coma. Where do you see Rey as some super Jedi warrior? She was proved to be a skilled fighter in TFA. She beat a heavily wounded Kylo in TFA (dude got shot in the kidney with Chewie's bowcaster and it was shown all movie how it was uber-powerful). She had just as much training as Luke in Empire. People use some weird basis of video game experience that Rey didn't "level up" enough to be good at anything. The Force has always been a plot device. New powers were shown in almost every single movie for purposes of plot or wow factor. And frankly, who cares? Is it as believable that Tony Stark not only built a functioning suit of armor but amazingly knows how to do everything with it? Or Peter Parker learned spider kung fu with his powers?

 

[jt04]

If you don't like the movie, that's fine. There's 11 movies now. I think the Prequels are a dumpster fire but more power to those who enjoy them. What you're saying is easily proven to be incorrect because you're taken a political opinionated stance over reality.

2015 - The Force Awakens - #1 grossing movie of the year
2016 - Rogue One - #2 grossing movie of the year, Force Awakens #1 grossing blu-ray
2017 - The Last Jedi - #1 grossing movie of the year, Rogue One #1 grossing blu-ray
2018 - Solo - #12 grossing movie of the year (pretty much tied with Antman & The Wasp), Last Jedi #1 grossing blu-ray, Solo is #12

Man, sure looks like a failing franchise to me. Or maybe some people are so wrapped up in their own political discord and being told that some liberal boogeyman is coming to get them because reasons that are totally not coming from racism or misogyny.

Star Wars has a problem of foreign markets especially China. The Original Trilogy never screened in China. Now it's the second largest film market and what has been released are prequels/sequels to a series they never saw. So if you make a sequel and release it 32 years after the last movie in the trilogy released there's no nostalgia connection to help promote the movie. China can make or break the success of a film like the Transformers franchise or Pacific Rim.

All you have to do is look at the drop from TFA (a good movie) to TLJ (not a good movie). I am confident JJ will return the franchise to a more sane Universe. If they force him to include modern tropes no amount of rationalizing will hide the decline.

I don't believe in boycotts especially because we don't know if we will get old school or new age. I will be watching the early reviews carefully.

PS- Katzenberg advocated for a sharper more modern edge to his family targeted films. How'd that work out ultimately?

 

[Rogue1138]

All you have to do is look at the drop from TFA (a good movie) to TLJ (not a good movie). I am confident JJ will return the franchise to a more sane Universe. If they force him to include modern tropes no amount of rationalizing will hide the decline.

I don't believe in boycotts especially because we don't know if we will get old school or new age. I will be watching the early reviews carefully.

PS- Katzenberg advocated for a sharper more modern edge to his family targeted films. How'd that work out ultimately?

Sequel drop off is actually very common. Empire Strikes Back had a huge drop off (and outrage) compared to A New Hope.

The problem with boycotts is that major companies don't usually bend a knee to fans. I'm more convinced that if the Star Wars films start to tank, Disney will throw them in the vault, do a few little TV shows and live on merch/theme parks to increase demand again. Now if you're unhappy with the current state, I hope you find something new you do that comes out. There's no law that it's all or nothing with Star Wars. We can pick and choose what we like and let other people do the same.

 

[jt04]

Sequel drop off is actually very common. Empire Strikes Back had a huge drop off (and outrage) compared to A New Hope.

The problem with boycotts is that major companies don't usually bend a knee to fans. I'm more convinced that if the Star Wars films start to tank, Disney will throw them in the vault, do a few little TV shows and live on merch/theme parks to increase demand again. Now if you're unhappy with the current state, I hope you find something new you do that comes out. There's no law that it's all or nothing with Star Wars. We can pick and choose what we like and let other people do the same.

Star Wars movies should print money. I absolutely do not believe Disney is trying to kill the franchise as some claim. They will return to basics and not repeat the recent errors. Trust me.

And I said I don't do boycotts but I will avoid another movie like tlj. It is the only Star Wars trilogy movie I have seen once. I saw TFA 6 times in the theater.

 

[Slov72]

Honestly, you're questioning a plot choice in a film series that has planet (or system) destroying super weapons? You don't think that Leia, being of the mighty Skywalker blood, wouldn't be trained just a wee bit by Luke? Or as I see it, was completely reactionary that she saved herself by using the Force since she instantly went into a coma. Where do you see Rey as some super Jedi warrior? She was proved to be a skilled fighter in TFA. She beat a heavily wounded Kylo in TFA (dude got shot in the kidney with Chewie's bowcaster and it was shown all movie how it was uber-powerful). She had just as much training as Luke in Empire. People use some weird basis of video game experience that Rey didn't "level up" enough to be good at anything. The Force has always been a plot device. New powers were shown in almost every single movie for purposes of plot or wow factor. And frankly, who cares? Is it as believable that Tony Stark not only built a functioning suit of armor but amazingly knows how to do everything with it? Or Peter Parker learned spider kung fu with his powers?

I do think that the argument that "its a sci-fi movie" is weak. Just because a movie is set in a fantastical world doesn't mean that it doesn't have rules that are set forth in the prior works. As for Rey, she was able to lift a ton of large boulders at the end of TLJ while in Empire you can see how difficult it was for Luke to learn to lift his ship or even small rocks. I believe it is clear that there are differences in opinions on the quality of TLJ and yes, some of this is due to plot choices and the path the movie took. If you don't like the direction of the plot you are more liable to also pick out plot holes and moments that exemplify your dislike. One of my more overarching concerns though is that anyone that dislikes TLJ for any of my stated reasons seems to be labeled as an incel/racist/you name it. Just because I didn't like the movie doesn't mean I dislike female characters or diversity (in fact I prefer these things). As for the fandom as a whole, I am sure there are some people that hate it for its messaging, but I believe most dislike the movie for plot decisions. For instance, one of the most loved characters in the clone wars and other animated movies is a strong alien female force wielding character (Ahsoka).

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I don’t think his “nondescript coaster maybe set in India” comment was about Everest. Am I wrong in thinking this? Everest is anything but nondescript. I think he’s just saying Disney does storytelling better than a Six Flag attraction that is just plopped there.

I just read the article today and noticed this at the bottom:

“Corrections & Amplifications

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, when asked about Disney park investments, said, “When you have Star Wars to market at the parks...Avatar is a good example, Cars Land, we’re building a Frozen land in [Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Paris parks], the interest among the potential audience is higher. It’s not like, ‘Well, I’m going to ride some nondescript named coaster somewhere that maybe is like, maybe is in India or whatever.’ “

A previous version of this interview incorrectly omitted the word “named” and quoted Iger as saying, “It’s not like, ‘I’m going to ride some nondescript coaster somewhere that maybe is [themed like] India or whatever.” Some readers took the published comment as a criticism of Expedition Everest, a ride with elements of a Nepalese theme in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Iger responded in a tweet that he loves the ride and the land around it. In an attempt to clarify matters, Barron’s eliminated the part of the quote that alluded to India. The interview has now been updated to reflect the original quote.”

Amazing. Every thing you just said was wrong.

Star Wars has ALWAYS been about social commentaries. The difference is now there's money to be had in it. Make clickbait YouTube videos how "SJW's" or pro-feminist agendas are "taking over Star Wars", you get enough eyes to make a buck. Social Media is solely based on forced tribalism and the clickbait media follows. It takes no effort now to go online and verbally disagree with whoever you want, whenever you want. At the heart of every single Star Wars movie was political commentary.

Don't believe me? Hear it from George Lucas himself.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ar-wars/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.68256440ba2f

A few thoughts on this... 1) Just because a creator has something in mind when they make a film doesn’t mean that’s what ultimately draws the crowds. I don’t know anyone who watched SW and thought “what a great morality tale reminiscent of the Vietnam War and the period when Nixon was running for a second term...” — even if that is supposedly what Lucas had floating around in his head. 2) Let’s assume some actually drew parallels btwn SW and Vietnam/Nixon and were drawn to it for those reasons. SJW themes suck up so much oxygen these days — those political narratives are bombarding people so much today — that they might intrude a bit too much for some on the escapism aspect of this genre. 3) When one deals with larger political themes in a heavy-handed way (ie TLJ), I think it will always be poorly received by a measureable portion of the audience.

 

[DDLand]

Lucasfilm does have problems.

Facts:
1) They have awknowledged brand fatigue as an issue. It’s the stated reason that a beloved LegoLand event was cancelled. It’s also the reason that a numerous Star Wars films have been cancelled.
2) They have had to cancel or reshoot multiple films late in development. Kennedy has done a terrible job of vetting directors and stories. You don’t choose a director with a certain vision and then pull the plug after millions have been spent. That’s terrible business and art.
3) They did not have a Marvel Like plan for the entire trilogy. Instead they’ve been making it up as they went. Did you know Poe was supposed to die in Episode VII? Did you know JJ had no clue who Rey’s parents were? It’s okay to change plans and take unpredictable risks (stories are organic and reflective of their time), but these are major plot points that have had major impact on the story.
4) Star Wars toy sales were down: https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/fortune/2018/03/28/hasbro-star-wars-toys

Meanwhile Marvel has been crushing it. While I’d argue Marvel is coming to an end of strategy, no one can argue with Black Panther’s success. Show me the person five years ago that thought a guy in a cat suit would destroy Han Solo.

Oh and Infinity War was a major win in China.

 

[LSLS]

I just read the article today and noticed this at the bottom:

“Corrections & Amplifications

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, when asked about Disney park investments, said, “When you have Star Wars to market at the parks...Avatar is a good example, Cars Land, we’re building a Frozen land in [Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Paris parks], the interest among the potential audience is higher. It’s not like, ‘Well, I’m going to ride some nondescript named coaster somewhere that maybe is like, maybe is in India or whatever.’ “

A previous version of this interview incorrectly omitted the word “named” and quoted Iger as saying, “It’s not like, ‘I’m going to ride some nondescript coaster somewhere that maybe is [themed like] India or whatever.” Some readers took the published comment as a criticism of Expedition Everest, a ride with elements of a Nepalese theme in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Iger responded in a tweet that he loves the ride and the land around it. In an attempt to clarify matters, Barron’s eliminated the part of the quote that alluded to India. The interview has now been updated to reflect the original quote.”

That corrections is so strange. Some readers took it as a criticism of a Disney ride, Iger tweeted it wasn't, so you eliminated part of the quote? Why edit the quote and no just include the disclaimer that it is not about Everest according to a tweet? The editing of a quote because it raised eyebrows really bothers me.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

That corrections is so strange. Some readers took it as a criticism of a Disney ride, Iger tweeted it wasn't, so you eliminated part of the quote? Why edit the quote and no just include the disclaimer that it is not about Everest according to a tweet? The editing of a quote because it raised eyebrows really bothers me.

Struck me as bizarre.

 

[Rogue1138]

Lucasfilm does have problems.

Facts:
1) They have awknowledged brand fatigue as an issue. It’s the stated reason that a beloved LegoLand event was cancelled. It’s also the reason that a numerous Star Wars films have been cancelled.
2) They have had to cancel or reshoot multiple films late in development. Kennedy has done a terrible job of vetting directors and stories. You don’t choose a director with a certain vision and then pull the plug after millions have been spent. That’s terrible business and art.
3) They did not have a Marvel Like plan for the entire trilogy. Instead they’ve been making it up as they went. Did you know Poe was supposed to die in Episode VII? Did you know JJ had no clue who Rey’s parents were? It’s okay to change plans and take unpredictable risks (stories are organic and reflective of their time), but these are major plot points that have had major impact on the story.
4) Star Wars toy sales were down: https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/fortune/2018/03/28/hasbro-star-wars-toys

Meanwhile Marvel has been crushing it. While I’d argue Marvel is coming to an end of strategy, no one can argue with Black Panther’s success.

Oh and Infinity War was a major win in China.

1) I don't know if it's brand fatigue just yet. Marvel released how many movies between the end of 2017 to 2018 with no impact. I think a lot of it is appealing to three different generations. The Original Trilogy generation has different expectations than the Prequel generation. Marvel has been successful since it's been a ten year plot spread over multiple movies. Every movie adds something more. The sequels were kind of destined to fall under the weight of expectations.
2) I can't agree or disagree with the behind the scenes because I haven't seen or read what could've been. Rogue One had a major rewrite/reshoot but it's a solid movie. Solo wasn't in my top favorites but it's a fun ride of a movie. What I can say is that they have done a very poor job of getting ahead of the media. If you let multiple articles run rampant about trouble and don't get ahead of it with positive marketing, it will suffer (like I believe was one of the causes of Solo's poor box office).
3) Problem is you have JJ who loves his "mystery box" concept and that does leave room for some questionable decisions to fans. Now the Last Jedi is my favorite movie now but I can see why some choices would turn some fans away. I'm hoping with the ending of the Sequel Trilogy, they will use a Marvel like formula going forward.
4) Toy sales are down all over but Star Wars has suffered from releasing too early. Force Friday for Last Jedi was in Sept and there were very little to no new product on the shelves for the holidays. A lot of Big Box retailers were discounting and condensing since all the hot stuff moved already. They need to stagger releases or push product close to the film release.

The China market is the huge goose egg for Star Wars. Until they can crack that egg, they will have issues.

 

[jt04]

Struck me as bizarre.

Maybe he was misquoted. Nah, that never happens.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Maybe he was misquoted. Nah, that never happens.

Sure it happens, but their explanation was bizarre.

 

[jt04]

Sure it happens, but their explanation was bizarre.

I wonder if the Fox deal being almost complete caused a momentary glitch in Disney's usual disciplined public relations front.

Or people are reading way too much into it. I believe the latter personally.

 

[LSLS]

Maybe he was misquoted. Nah, that never happens.

It absolutely does. However, the correction states it was removed because he tweeted the ride was not everest. It is not corrected because the quote was wrong. If it was misquoted, the statement would say it was a misquote, and iger would have said the same. It's not like iger tweeted the quote was wrong, he tweeted it wasnt about everest

 

[jt04]

It absolutely does. However, the correction states it was removed because he tweeted the ride was not everest. It is not corrected because the quote was wrong. If it was misquoted, the statement would say it was a misquote, and iger would have said the same. It's not like iger tweeted the quote was wrong, he tweeted it wasnt about everest

I am going with it being about the Indy coaster in Paris. Or possibly Busch Gardens level of theming coasters.

 

[TwilightZone]

If you don't like the movie, that's fine. There's 11 movies now. I think the Prequels are a dumpster fire but more power to those who enjoy them. What you're saying is easily proven to be incorrect because you're taken a political opinionated stance over reality.

2015 - The Force Awakens - #1 grossing movie of the year
2016 - Rogue One - #2 grossing movie of the year, Force Awakens #1 grossing blu-ray
2017 - The Last Jedi - #1 grossing movie of the year, Rogue One #1 grossing blu-ray
2018 - Solo - #12 grossing movie of the year (pretty much tied with Antman & The Wasp), Last Jedi #1 grossing blu-ray, Solo is #12

Man, sure looks like a failing franchise to me. Or maybe some people are so wrapped up in their own political discord and being told that some liberal boogeyman is coming to get them because reasons that are totally not coming from racism or misogyny.

Star Wars has a problem of foreign markets especially China. The Original Trilogy never screened in China. Now it's the second largest film market and what has been released are prequels/sequels to a series they never saw. So if you make a sequel and release it 32 years after the last movie in the trilogy released there's no nostalgia connection to help promote the movie. China can make or break the success of a film like the Transformers franchise or Pacific Rim.

Like I said once earlier, I think even in this thread, box office numbers don't always equal high amounts of love.
Lots of people saw Twilight, that doesn't mean lots of people love it.
Lots of people saw Transformers, that doesn't mean lots of people love it.
Lots of people saw 50 shades of grey, that doesn't mean lots of people love it.
Think about the reason why you go to see a movie. You go to see a movie because you are curious about it. Maybe you heard it was good, maybe it's from a franchise you like, maybe it's because the trailer was compelling to you.
It's not because you love a movie you haven't even seen yet.

 

[LSLS]

I am going with it being about the Indy coaster in Paris. Or possibly Busch Gardens level of theming coasters.

That whe article is about building more ip rides, then he bashes an ip ride in it? I dont buy that one bit.

That quote is too specific to be just off the top of the head. He is talking about something. Now, could be a different ride, or could be an inside joke, but its specific enough it is about something. I'm more than willing to believe it is not about everest, but I dont buy it being about an IP ride, and I dont buy it being just off the cuff meaning nothing.