Screamscape: Possible Buy Out of Universal for Marvel Theme Park Rights?

[lebeau]

I pretty much agree, except for the five year part.
No reason for Universal to just give the rights up voluntarily.

- It's not like the general public looks at Marvel characters as representing Disney. They don't have a Mickey ride at IoA. The GP, those who are aware of Disney's ownership of the characters at all, just see Marvel as Marvel. That doesn't hurt Uni at all.

- Why give away what you maybe can get paid for? Uni is in the driver's seat. They can sit back and rake in the increased profit that comes increased attendance and merch sales brought on by the new films. If Disney wants the rights, Uni can set their own price. Personally, if I were them, I'd ask for several hundred million. Enough to totally retheme Marvel Island, re-do all the merchandising and advertising, all the signage around the resort and a quite a few million more just because.

Disney won't be in any hurry either. Why would they be? They can just sit back and let Uni make money for them by selling merchandise. Disney has no plans to add Marvel to the Florida parks anytime soon. (As I said, that will happen overseas first.) Why pay the mega-millions it would take to buy the rights, when it would not be easy to make that money back? Say they pay $200mil to get the rights back. What do they do with them? Build a $100m E-ticket at DHS? Then they are $300mil in the hole, and it ain't easy to get that back in merch sales or increased attendance if you aren't talking Potter. Doesn't make good sense.

That is what I have been saying since Disney bought Marvel. I intend to refer to this post often.

 

[jt04]

I pretty much agree, except for the five year part.
No reason for Universal to just give the rights up voluntarily.

- It's not like the general public looks at Marvel characters as representing Disney. They don't have a Mickey ride at IoA. The GP, those who are aware of Disney's ownership of the characters at all, just see Marvel as Marvel. That doesn't hurt Uni at all.

- Why give away what you maybe can get paid for? Uni is in the driver's seat. They can sit back and rake in the increased profit that comes increased attendance and merch sales brought on by the new films. If Disney wants the rights, Uni can set their own price. Personally, if I were them, I'd ask for several hundred million. Enough to totally retheme Marvel Island, re-do all the merchandising and advertising, all the signage around the resort and a quite a few million more just because.

Disney won't be in any hurry either. Why would they be? They can just sit back and let Uni make money for them by selling merchandise. Disney has no plans to add Marvel to the Florida parks anytime soon. (As I said, that will happen overseas first.) Why pay the mega-millions it would take to buy the rights, when it would not be easy to make that money back? Say they pay $200mil to get the rights back. What do they do with them? Build a $100m E-ticket at DHS? Then they are $300mil in the hole, and it ain't easy to get that back in merch sales or increased attendance if you aren't talking Potter. Doesn't make good sense.

I guess I need to keep repeating it because it isn't sinking in with many. Disney can use MARVEL characters in the WDW theme parks now. This includes almost all of the 5000 existing characters AND any new characters MARVEL creates from now on. That is the important point. Rest assured Disney will be marketing previously obscure characters and inventing utterly new characters that will receive a marketing push at least equal to or bigger than those campaigns previously used for Disney's teen pop stars. Disney can use the characters at IoA anywhere but WDW's theme parks. Meaning they can probably be used outside the parks at WDW. They don't need the rights especially if there is a price tag attached. :lol:

 

[flavious27]

I guess I need to keep repeating it because it isn't sinking in with many. Disney can use MARVEL characters in the WDW theme parks now. This includes almost all of the 5000 existing characters AND any new characters MARVEL creates from now on. That is the important point. Rest assured Disney will be marketing previously obscure characters and inventing utterly new characters that will receive a marketing push at least equal to or bigger than those campaigns previously used for Disney's teen pop stars. Disney can use the characters at IoA anywhere but WDW's theme parks. Meaning they can probably be used outside the parks at WDW. They don't need the rights especially if there is a price tag attached. :lol:

bring on the daredevil ride?

 

[lebeau]

bring on the daredevil ride?

As the most popular recent Marvel creation, I'm looking forward to Deadpool-land

 

[Mouse Detective]

Disney can use MARVEL characters in the WDW theme parks now. This includes almost all of the 5000 existing characters AND any new characters MARVEL creates from now on. That is the important point.

It's an unimportant point. Disney can't use any of the ones Universal uses or any characters in the same family as those Universal is using. Universal has the exclusive theme park rights in Florida to those. Universal has all the main characters tied up. If Disney wants to use minor ones, have at it. If they want to have have Spiderman and the Hulk running around DTD, go for it. Just free advertising for the rides at Universal.

Which is why it ain't going to happen!

 

[Krack]

If they want to have have Spiderman and the Hulk running around DTD, go for it. Just free advertising for the rides at Universal.

Which is why it ain't going to happen!

Actually, I think even that might be precluded by the contract. Nobody can use Marvel within 60 miles of Universal Orlando. At the very least, it's an issue that would cause litigation if Disney tried. My interpretation is that they could probably get away with Meet & Greet characters, but the instant you build any structure or utilize any advertising, it's a bad-faith breach of the contract.

 

[jt04]

It's an unimportant point. Disney can't use any of the ones Universal uses or any characters in the same family as those Universal is using. Universal has the exclusive theme park rights in Florida to those. Universal has all the main characters tied up. If Disney wants to use minor ones, have at it. If they want to have have Spiderman and the Hulk running around DTD, go for it. Just free advertising for the rides at Universal.

Which is why it ain't going to happen!

I would accept this if Disney had sent Lego packing which, as it turned out, is exactly opposite of what happened. Lego is expanding at DTD. Where did you get Disney can't use characters in the same "family"? That is not what the reports have been. Again, Disney has already said they are going to develop new characters. Those will be used in the parks IMO.

Actually, I think even that might be precluded by the contract. Nobody can use Marvel within 60 miles of Universal Orlando.

This is something that has not been reported before by anyone. If true it changes everything people have been claiming, including me. Do you have proof of this 60 mile radius applying to all MARVEL content?

 

[lazyboy97o]

This is something that has not been reported before by anyone. If true it changes everything people have been claiming, including me. Do you have proof of this 60 mile radius applying to all MARVEL content?

The actual contract was posted just a couple of pages back. He is not speaking from guesswork, media reports or friends, but his reading of the contract between Marvel and MCA (then owners of Universal).

 

[flavious27]

As the most popular recent Marvel creation, I'm looking forward to Deadpool-land

If there is a 5th park, you know the avengers will be a big part of it with a signature ride at the center of its land.

There should be a deadpool attraction but it won't happen unless any future movie does well. Also matter what kind of land they will put it in. I see a x-men land, there is depth and a classic set of characters there.

 

[flavious27]

Actually, I think even that might be precluded by the contract. Nobody can use Marvel within 60 miles of Universal Orlando. At the very least, it's an issue that would cause litigation if Disney tried. My interpretation is that they could probably get away with Meet & Greet characters, but the instant you build any structure or utilize any advertising, it's a bad-faith breach of the contract.

Well with the avengers and their movies being released in the next 2 years, whatever happens at dhs will shown what the terms are.

 

[Krack]

Well with the avengers and their movies being released in the next 2 years, whatever happens at dhs will shown what the terms are.

Well, we know what the terms are regarding the parks themselves - no characters are appearing in any of the parks until that license is bought out. The contract is as clear as day on that point.

 

[jt04]

The actual contract was posted just a couple of pages back. He is not speaking from guesswork, media reports or friends, but his reading of the contract between Marvel and MCA (then owners of Universal).

The press reports were wrong then. Figures.

 

[SeaCastle]

The press reports were wrong then. Figures.

Just like the ones that said Australia was greenlit for the Animal Kingdom. :lol:

Or are we not laughing at that yet? :lookaroun

 

[flavious27]

Well, we know what the terms are regarding the parks themselves - no characters are appearing in any of the parks until that license is bought out. The contract is as clear as day on that point.

So when he hear about casting calls for a small group of characters we will know what it means?

 

[lebeau]

The press reports were wrong then. Figures.

I don't think the press reports were wrong so much as some people read into them or ignored the parts they didn't like. I didn't see anything that supported a lot of the Marvel speculation that was being tossed around these boards.

I didn't see any respectable news source that got the details wrong. Just a lot of posters who aggressively ignored or spun the facts to suit their agendas.

 

[jt04]

I don't think the press reports were wrong so much as some people read into them or ignored the parts they didn't like. I didn't see anything that supported a lot of the Marvel speculation that was being tossed around these boards.

I didn't see any respectable news source that got the details wrong. Just a lot of posters who aggressively ignored or spun the facts to suit their agendas.

So are you saying Universal does not have to give Disney money everytime they sell a MARVEL product at IoA or anywhere else for that matter?

I guess Disney did pay too much. :lol:

 

[lebeau]

So are you saying Universal does not have to give Disney money everytime they sell a MARVEL product at IoA or anywhere else for that matter?

I guess Disney did pay too much. :lol:

No, I'm not saying that at all. In fact, I'm at an utter loss as to how any reasonable person could come to that conclusion based on my post. :shrug:

I was talking about the exclusivity of the Marvel/Universal contract and what Disney can and can't do with the Marvel characters in Florida.

Perhaps I was unclear. Basically, people (you included) have been predicting Disney would make use of Marvel characters at WDW since the purchase was announced. Several people (again, you are in this group) have made wildly unspported assertions about the limits of the exclusivity.

Now that we have read the contract and seen that Universal is indeed holding all the cards, you're trying to blame your faulty predictions and assertions on bad press releases. But nothing from the press ever supported your claims.

In my original post, I was trying to make this point without directly calling you out. But I guess it doesn't pay to be indirect.

 

[Mouse Man]

Little confused here. How will this play into the Comcast NBC/Universal deal that is in the final phases of completion. Comcast will have a 51% stake in NBC Universal with exclusive rights to the park along with the current existing owner. Then within 7 years Comcast will have 100% of Uni and NBC and I believe 50 % in the parks. This is really getting complicated and at this point keeping a score card is not working either. I am not trying to confuse this thread further, but Comcat is now in the mix as well.

 

[trr1]

Little confused here. How will this play into the Comcast NBC/Universal deal that is in the final phases of completion. Comcast will have a 51% stake in NBC Universal with exclusive rights to the park along with the current existing owner. Then within 7 years Comcast will have 100% of Uni and NBC and I believe 50 % in the parks. This is really getting complicated and at this point keeping a score card is not working either. I am not trying to confuse this thread further, but Comcat is now in the mix as well.

dont you mean Xfinity?

 

[lebeau]

dont you mean Xfinity?

I thought it was Kabletown? :shrug:

If you don't get the reference:

http://www.businessinsider.com/30-r...erger-with-hilarious-mock-cable-lineup-2010-3