Really??? Florida would have next to no economy if it wasn't for Disney and what they started 50 something years ago. The money this company has brought into the state is uncountable. I get what you are saying, but its lacking some honesty.
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News Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
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GoofGoof
Premium Member
Less than a year is not exactly the long run
On that point, Disney had 3 of the top 4 and 5 of the top 10 grossing films of 2022 if you count Spider-Man which was technically Sony. They may not have been animated films but why would that matter? People say they are done with Disney then drop $20 to see little blue men or a Superhero movie. As far as parks I’m not sure Universal’s success has much to do with people quitting Disney. As I said, it’s a nice story and people want to believe it, but doesn’t make it so.
Less than a year is not exactly the long run
On that point, Disney had 3 of the top 4 and 5 of the top 10 grossing films of 2022 if you count Spider-Man which was technically Sony. They may not have been animated films but why would that matter? People say they are done with Disney then drop $20 to see little blue men or a Superhero movie. As far as parks I’m not sure Universal’s success has much to do with people quitting Disney. As I said, it’s a nice story and people want to believe it, but doesn’t make it so.
Spiderman was pre this political drama.
I don't think many people who are invested in Avatar 2 did know that Fox, including Avatar is now Disney. That is recent to the lameman. Avatar 2 also grossed much less than anticipated, but that again in truth probably speaks to quality. Not relevant to the political non supporting basis though.
The bigger picture is that neither Spiderman Homecoming or Avatar 2, Black Panther had the political statements that have had people boycotting as plot points or character development. They do not need to boycott the company, but not supporting the products that deal with it have been evident. Lightyear and Strange World are no coincidence. No matter what your opinion on it, they were less profitable because of their direct association with the content.
You are right though. Universal's achievements over Disney have been in quality more than politics. Although staying out of the limelight with it did not hurt them at all.
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Miami has entered the chat
The City of Miami has more than double (and close to triple) the GDP of both Orange and Osceola Counties combined.
Yeah, those arguments that FL, if not for Disney would be nothing should only ever really say Central FL, when they say all of Florida it is a gross exaggeration. It certainly helps but it is not the big winner.
FL would still have some of the best beaches and produce in the world. It would be different, but by no means desolate.
OrlandoRising
Well-Known Member
There have been rumblings that Disney's own surveys have seen a legitimate political blowback against the company from the 60+ age group, similar to how the right criticizes most of Hollywood. That's also an age group that is more conservative than the rest of the company and it's not as important of a demo as families with small children.
There's no viable political path for legislators or a new governor to hand Disney back the reigns of power over RCID once they've been taken. It would be all downside for the politicians and no voters, R or D or independent, would look upon such a deal favorably.
Disney's only chance is to try to negotiate a solution that DeSantis can frame as a win now, and I'm not sure there's much political reason for him to compromise.
Even Tampa's GDP surpasses Orange/Osceola Counties combined.
Oddly though, Jacksonville's is less than Orange/Osceola. I had assumed it would've been higher owing to the city's relatively large finance and insurance sectors, as well as the HUGE port there.
It doesn't matter whether or not he wins or loses the RCID battle, because in the eyes of his supporters, he'll have won anyway.
If he loses to Disney, he still wins by 1- standing up to a "woke" corporation, and 2- because he's now a culture war warrior who needs to be elected to change the courts even further.
And if he wins against Disney, he wins for those same two reasons.
DeSantis doesn't need to beat Disney to win. But Disney needs to beat DeSantis, period.
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mikejs78
Premium Member
Really? Um, no. It had a not great first weekend but it's creeping up on $2B and is the highest grossing film in the pandemic era.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
This is not Disney’s only chance and it should now be clear that even a “compromise“ where they’re the only party making concessions is not actually on the table. The governor, not Disney, is the one publicly pushing back against Disney making “nominal“ concessions.
Thank god for having a relatively diverse economy that's less reliant on tourism and is more well equipped to weather an economic downturn.
Yes, and international money. Which is also a thing in Orlando, just not at the level of Miami.
And yes, while inland Central Florida would still be a backwater if it weren't for Disney, Disney is the main factor that artificially drives low wages in the region.
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
With enough appeals this case will take years to settle and DeSantis will be gone long before those appeals have made their way through the courts, as someone mentioned earlier a Disney friendly government makes this all go away by simply not challenging the first court ruling that's in Disney's favor.
At this point I think Disney could offer DeSantis everything he wants and he'd still turn them down, he wants the press that comes with fighting a woke company, not a win.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Lightyear was still the second highest grossing animated film of 2022. 2nd to Minions which is a major franchise, which was also succeeding on its own without people defecting from Disney. It surpassed many animated movies from other studios. Lightyear also wasn’t highly rated by critics who aren’t judging it based on political message or content. Got a 74% on rotten tomatoes from critics. Toy Story 4 got 97% from critics. Big drop in quality there.
Again, this isn’t about my personal opinion one way or the other. The masses do not “vote with their wallet” nearly as much as people think. It’s just the way it is.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Seriously? I said “Companies are being forced to “take a side” more and more and often they are faced with a decision of you are either with us or against us. This happens from both sides.” You think that only happens from the right and never the left? It clearly happens both ways on a whole variety of issues.
Yeah. well you have your opinions. Its clear you have an axe to grind.
Have a good night.
Well, no.
The first two lines are completely factual.
The third one is my opinion having been raised and educated almost entirely in Orlando, and then having left for 15 years to travel the world before returning to Orlando after a brief stint in Miami.
pdude81
Well-Known Member
I expect they could have joined with other companies to state opposition to the bill and then more or less wash their hands of it. Botching the PR and then going so far as to publicly state you're pulling all political donations in FL makes it such a big story that the Governor felt the need to have a show of force.
I agree with the majority of your post, but this one was an own goal by Chapek/Morrell.
Please, then provide the additional context that my comment missed.