Potter power: Universal sets 12-month attendance record.

[captainkidd]

Potter world would stick out like a sore thumb in either of those places, of course land isn't a factor but keeping to a theme is...

In the Magic Kingdom it might, but not at DHS. What does the Rock n Roller Coaster have to do with the Golden Age of Hollywood?

 

[captainkidd]

Regardless of any one fan's feelings towards this expansion, I think it's time this fanbase accepts that Disney really messed things up this time, and continues to do so every day management decides to sits idely by while Universal continues pushing the envelope.

I'm a Disney fanatic, I hate HP, and even I can see they screwed up big time. Anyone who doesn't see it just being ignorant.

 

[stlbobby]

Anything that is a huge win for Universal is a huge deal for WDW. Do you have any idea of the publicity that would come out if one of the Universal parks beats out any of the 4 Disney parks in attendance for a year? No theme park has ever placed ahead of any Disney theme park in attendance since Disneyland opened almost 60 years ago. If it happens, it will be HUGELY embarrassing and humiliating for the Disney company.

The fact of the matter is Disney had a shot at HP. They turned it down because they were too cheap. That looked bad. Now, seeing how Universal has been so successful with it just makes Disney look stupid.

Just because something is huge for US doesn't make it a big deal for WDW. They aren't playing in the same league. The actual fact is Disney wasn't being cheap. They didn't want to relinquish the amount of control Rowling wanted--that has been documented multiple times on these very forums.

Regardless of any one fan's feelings towards this expansion, I think it's time this fanbase accepts that Disney really messed things up this time, and continues to do so every day management decides to sits idely by while Universal continues pushing the envelope.

I'm a Disney fanatic, I hate HP, and even I can see they screwed up big time. Anyone who doesn't see it just being ignorant.

Funny how everyone assumed the WDW apologists would jump in with their extreme dismissals of HP, but it has turned out the Disney haters are throwing out their exaggerated claims.

This was a game changing win for US, but it wasn't a devastating loss for Disney. Disney has plenty of properties to exploit and are introducing new ones all the time. They have made a tremendous acquisition in Marvel, and they are also partnered with Lucas on Star Wars and Indy. Disney didn't need HP like US did. This wasn't a big time screw-up. Just a normal business decision.

 

[captainkidd]

Funny how everyone assumed the WDW apologists would jump in with their extreme dismissals of HP, but it has turned out the Disney haters are throwing out their exaggerated claims.

This was a game changing win for US, but it wasn't a devastating loss for Disney. Disney has plenty of properties to exploit and are introducing new ones all the time. They have made a tremendous acquisition in Marvel, and they are also partnered with Lucas on Star Wars and Indy. Disney didn't need HP like US did. This wasn't a big time screw-up. Just a normal business decision.

A.I am far from a Disney hater. Jeez man look at my signature.

B.The acquisition of Marvel was lunacy. Disney and Marvel go together like cheese and cool whip.

C.Universal didn't NEED HP. They just did the smart thing and went for it.

A "normal business decision" is not one that leads the competition to a 41% hike in attendance, while yours remains stagnant. I love Disney (more than Universal) but the sad fact is, Disney has been resting on it's laurels for FAR too long when it comes to WDW and for the first time in theme park history, Disney is in danger of losing one of it's top spots to a competitor.

As for the Lucas partnership, what have they done with it? They created a 3D version of Star Tours and have done absolutely nothing with Indiana Jones in nearly 20 years.

 

[invader]

It's funny you say they didn't need HP, but it's the total opposite. Two of the three rides there were already there. They only added shopping and ONE ride. Had they not done that, things would have remained the same. Not much really changed.

 

[stlbobby]

A.I am far from a Disney hater. Jeez man look at my signature.

B.The acquisition of Marvel was lunacy. Disney and Marvel go together like cheese and cool whip.

C.Universal didn't NEED HP. They just did the smart thing and went for it.

A "normal business decision" is not one that leads the competition to a 41% hike in attendance, while yours remains stagnant. I love Disney (more than Universal) but the sad fact is, Disney has been resting on it's laurels for FAR too long when it comes to WDW and for the first time in theme park history, Disney is in danger of losing one of it's top spots to a competitor.

As for the Lucas partnership, what have they done with it? They created a 3D version of Star Tours and have done absolutely nothing with Indiana Jones in nearly 20 years.

A. You've done nothing but irrationally hate on Disney this entire thread.

B. The Marvel acquisition works for Disney in numerous ways. It targets a demographic Disney has lacked. It creates tons of opportunities for cross promotion and merchandise sales. It also has the potential to out-perform HP over the long haul. Due to the number and variety of characters and the fact that they will continue to produce new media.

How can you decry the Marvel acquisition as non-Disney, but lament they didn't get HP? You are subverting your own argument.

C. US definitely needed the boost of the HP property. The fact that the attendance figures grew they way they did shows interest was lagging.

And yes sometimes normal business decisions do lead to big gains for the competition. It would have been a bad decision to spend a ton of money just to keep property from US. HP wouldn't have made as big an impact at Disney as it did at US.

Lucas is utilized in Disney parks all over the world. Indy has several rides and shows in the parks. Star Wars, besides a great new attraction, has provided Disney with years of Star Wars weekends, tons of Disney Star Wars tie-in merchandise, and an extremely popular Jedi Training academy.

What do you expect them to do with a property? They build rides and then refurbish or revamp them after they have been around a while. Most of the original park rides are essentially the same as when they opened, and when they do make changes people usually throw a fit--see Tiki Birds and Imagination.

US does the same thing. Their signature rides are all essentially the same as when they premiered. Have Jaws, Terminator, ET, Jurrasic Park, or the Hulk significantly changed since they opened? But you aren't blasting them for not doing anything with those franchises. How much do you think US will be doing with HP in 20 years?

Again my original point stands. The haters will hate, making this a much bigger deal than it is, and the apologists will defend, although they have been quiet so far, but the reality is it falls somewhere in between. A huge win for US, but not a disaster for WDW.

 

[captainkidd]

I haven't been "hating" on Disney at all. Telling my opinion as to what I believe was a stupid business decision isn't "hating".

The acquisition of Marvel was pointless when it comes to the theme park end, which is what this topic is about.

I'll give you the Star Wars Weekends point, but it's not as if Disney owns Star Wars. Lucas simply allows them to use it.

The fact that the attendance figures boosted so much at Universal doesn't mean they were "lagging" before. The only park that drew more people were Disney Parks.

You say it's bad business to buy property to keep competition from having it. What do you call the purchase or Marvel?

I'm not dissing Disney for what's currently on property. I love WDW. I do think Universal has certainly stepped up their game more so than Disney in the past several years (Revenge Of The Mummy, Harry Potter, Hollywood RRR). The only thing Disney has done to compare to any of those is Everest, which turned out to be a bust of sorts given the main point of the ride doesn't even work.

I never used the word "disaster" for Disney. I do think it's embarrassing considering they passed on it. And I do think they need to get off their kiesters and start adding things of relevance to the parks other than Magic Kingdom.

 

[stlbobby]

I'm a Disney fanatic, I hate HP, and even I can see they screwed up big time. Anyone who doesn't see it just being ignorant.

How dumb must Disney feel about this? This could have possibly put a nail in Universal's coffin, and instead, they're now a SERIOUS competitor to Disney.

The fact of the matter is Disney had a shot at HP. They turned it down because they were too cheap. That looked bad. Now, seeing how Universal has been so successful with it just makes Disney look stupid.

Lots-o-hate in those statements.

 

[stlbobby]

The acquisition of Marvel was pointless when it comes to the theme park end, which is what this topic is about.

It isn't pointless to the parks. They are already selling Marvel merchandise in the parks and as time goes by they will be adding rides, shows, and events. Those things will intrigue pre-teen and teen boys who now snub WDW as a kiddie/princess park.

They haven't done a great deal with it yet. I assume because of contracts in place before Disney bought Marvel, but they will integrate the Marvel Universe into WDW over the next few years.

Look how long it took US to get HP up and running and I'm sure there were a lot fewer preexisting contractual issues there.

 

[stlbobby]

I'll give you the Star Wars Weekends point, but it's not as if Disney owns Star Wars. Lucas simply allows them to use it.

And US doesn't own HP. Rowling simply allows them to use it.

I never said Disney owned Lucas. My point was WDW has so many character lines and properties--classic Disney, Pixar, and Lucas among others--to exploit Disney didn't need HP like US did. I'm not saying getting HP wouldn't have brought people to WDW it would have, but it wouldn't have change the entire focus of the parks like it did at US.

 

[stlbobby]

The fact that the attendance figures boosted so much at Universal doesn't mean they were "lagging" before. The only park that drew more people were Disney Parks.

Clearly US wasn't fulfilling their potential since they have improved 41% since the opening of HP.

 

[stlbobby]

You say it's bad business to buy property to keep competition from having it. What do you call the purchase or Marvel?

The Marvel purchase wasn't made just to block competitors. It was made because it appealed to a major, and growing demographic that was underrepresented in the Disney universe.

They didn't buy it just to keep it away from someone else. They bought it to exploit the properties in movies, in the parks, and in comic books.

 

[JT3000]

They haven't done a great deal with it yet. I assume because of contracts in place before Disney bought Marvel, but they will integrate the Marvel Universe into WDW over the next few years.

No they won't. Universal has *exclusive* use of every relevant character in the Marvel Universe.

 

[stlbobby]

I'm not dissing Disney for what's currently on property. I love WDW. I do think Universal has certainly stepped up their game more so than Disney in the past several years (Revenge Of The Mummy, Harry Potter, Hollywood RRR). The only thing Disney has done to compare to any of those is Everest, which turned out to be a bust of sorts given the main point of the ride doesn't even work.

You were dissing Disney. You said they hadn't done anything with the Lucas properties in twenty years, except that huge new 3-D simulator. I was responding to that specific criticism--which I believe is unfounded.

US may have added more big ticket attractions recently, but it's because they needed them. You are also discounting the things Disney has done recently. They have added Soarin', Toy Story, Everest, MIssion Space, refurbished Haunted Mansion, POTC, The Seas, and Star Wars. They have added a ton of interactive experiences like the Pirates League and Jedi Training Academy. Right now they are in the middle of a huge Fantasyland Expansion.

I'm not trying to compare those things to HP, but to say WDW has just sat stagnate isn't giving them credit for what they have done.

Remember you may not like these things, but they are all extremely popular with the average Disney guest. It also shows how specific attractions don't have the impact at WDW as they do at other parks. Soarin' and Toy Story would have made a huge impact at any other park, but at WDW they are just part of the already massive experience. This is why HP wouldn't have had the impact for Disney as it did for US. That's why it wasn't as valuable to Disney and their passing wasn't an embarrassing mistake, just a decision.

 

[JT3000]

Remember you may not like these things, but they are all extremely popular with the average Disney guest. It also shows how specific attractions don't have the impact at WDW as they do at other parks. Soarin' and Toy Story would have made a huge impact at any other park, but at WDW they are just part of the already massive experience. This is why HP wouldn't have had the impact for Disney as it did for US. That's why it wasn't as valuable to Disney and their passing wasn't an embarrassing mistake, just a decision.

That "massive experience" must be why Toy Story, a D-ticket at best, still gets 90-minute waits. Or maybe it's just the complete lack of things to do in DHS.

 

[stlbobby]

No they won't. Universal has *exclusive* use of every relevant character in the Marvel Universe.

I said the pre-existing contracts are why Disney hasn't just dumped Marvel into the parks.

There are literally dozens of characters, maybe more I'm not really a comics guy, that aren't licensed to anyone. Are Thor and Green Lantern US's?

I would also be extremely interested to know exactly how long those exclusive deals last. Either way, Disney will develop the other Marvel Characters and sit back and reap the profits US is now paying to their main competitor, and bring Marvel into WDW in a targeted way to maximize merchandise and provide a bit of interest to teen boys.

 

[JT3000]

I said the pre-existing contracts are why Disney hasn't just dumped Marvel into the parks.

There are literally dozens of characters, maybe more I'm not really a comics guy, that aren't licensed to anyone. Are Thor and Green Lantern US's?

I would also be extremely interested to know exactly how long those exclusive deals last. Either way, Disney will develop the other Marvel Characters and sit back and reap the profits US is now paying to their main competitor, and bring Marvel into WDW in a targeted way to maximize merchandise and provide a bit of interest to teen boys.

Because of the "family" stipulation in Universal's contract, all of the big characters that anyone cares about are covered. Also, the contract is perpetual. It doesn't expire. Ever.

Disney is reaping the benefits of merchandise sold at IOA. Universal is reaping the benefits of everything Disney does with the Marvel franchise. Everything Disney does to make their property more valuable, makes Marvel Superhero Island more valuable.

BTW, Green Lantern is a DC character.

 

[stlbobby]

That "massive experience" must be why Toy Story, a D-ticket at best, still gets 90-minute waits. Or maybe it's just the complete lack of things to do in DHS.

This is a ridiculous post. You contradict yourself with-in the post. If it still has 90-minute waits it must be popular.

To call Toy Story, a fun, interactive, 3-D experience featuring some of the most popular characters in any theme park, a D-ticket ride proves my point. The haters don't like what Disney has done to appeal to the average Disney family, and discredit everything.

I am always amazed that people say there is nothing to do at DHS since it is the park I have the hardest time doing everything I want in a day. It doesn't have as many rides as other parks, but with all the shows and atmosphere it is a full day of fun.

Posters tend to forget that just because something isn't directed at them or doesn't appeal to them doesn't mean it is bad, sometimes they completely forget it exists.

 

[stlbobby]

Because of the "family" stipulation in Universal's contract, all of the big characters that anyone cares about are covered. Also, the contract is perpetual. It doesn't expire. Ever.

Disney is reaping the benefits of merchandise sold at IOA. Universal is reaping the benefits of everything Disney does with the Marvel franchise. Everything Disney does to make their property more valuable, makes Marvel Superhero Island more valuable.

BTW, Green Lantern is a DC character.

Are you sure they never expire. I don't have any information to the contrary, but I'd like to see a source on that.

I think all this just shows that a strong US isn't necessarily a bad thing for Disney. Clearly they knew about all of these issues when they bought Marvel, so obviously they weren't interested in driving US out of business.

When HP opened many people said it would a boon to WDW as well as US. Because all the people coming in for HP would spend a few days at Disney. I don't know if there was a spill over affect, but I think an argument can be made that having two massive resort complexes co-located actually benefits both. I'm sure US thought about it when they decided to build in Orlando.

Again my first point was that this was going to be overblown. It seems on that point I was correct.

As far as Green Lantern, I said I'm not a comic guy.

 

[The Mom]

Posters tend to forget that just because something isn't directed at them or doesn't appeal to them doesn't mean it is bad, sometimes they completely forget it exists.

How true! Different things appeal to different people - and even just because of different stages of your life. There were many "must do" attractions from when my children were little that I haven't visited in years. But maybe, someday, if I have grandchildren, they'll be back on the top of the list.

Many of you who today run from thrill ride to thrill ride might spend more time on/in other attractions if you start a family - or have a partner with motion sickness or acrophobia.

What you consider a waste of time and space could well be a favorite for someone else.