News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Permanently Closed Fall 2023

[lazyboy97o]

When did Lucasfilm decide to take that position?

They allowed "Christmas in the Stars" to happen as well as the Star Wars Holiday Special. Both exist, yet as far as I know have no impact on canon. They might want to forget that we know about those two "works", but they havent had any impact on anything after their existence.

Pretty much when Disney bought Lucasfilm. They jettisoned the Expanded Universe and decided that most everything going forward would all be canon.

 

[Mmoore29]

Then why is Grogu the only character created under Disney that sells like the originals? I work in retail and currently the only Star Wars merch we got is Mandalorian and RotJ 40th.

If the sequels were so popular surely they’d still be making toys of those characters to meet demand, correct?

They still are, doofus. I see those toys everywhere, all the time, costumes all the time, and not just from little kids. These characters are beloved alongside the original six films. And Grogu is a once in a lifetime lightning in a bottle moment, something no one could ever predict. Favreau and Filoni certainly didn't expect that. But neither is Grogu "just a marketing ploy" any more than Jar Jar and the Ewoks were.

 

[Mickey's Pal]

The defunctland will be before the end of the year! Can't wait to watch it!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I’m sure they did plenty of marketing research on this…? How did they get it so wrong…?!

This feels like one of those projects where the writing was on the wall, but so much money, time and ego were invested that nobody was willing to admit they might be wrong and pull the plug before launch.

 

[Mmoore29]

HA HA HA HA HA!! Hey remember the posters defending this saying we didn't get it or them saying because some days were not sold out does not mean they are not busy or when days were being cancelled said the days still open makes it a success? I do. HA HA HA HA HA

It it weren't for Chapek's moves and Iger having to clean up the mess, it would've succeeded and they could've kept it. It was on its way to working. But because of the political mess added to it from 2020 onward, recovery conditions didn't materialize that would've kept it afloat.

It needed time to work. Given another 5 years, it would've. But they had to shore up the position now.

 

[Figments Friend]

Oh good, maybe they'll switch it over to Star Trek.


*I know, I know, I'll see myself out*

Only if they serve outlawed Romulan Ale…!



-

 

[lazyboy97o]

So I heard from someone who knows … that the true development cost of the Starcruiser was more like $250 million for the building and close to $1 billion for the concept.

Ouch.

I could see that Galactic Starcruiser was the result of $1 billion in various work over the years. Things like Story Engine were being developed over a decade ago and even involved public testing at Disneyland.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I guarantee Uni was watching this whole thing thinking about potter.

Question is…. Does this kill any potential idea, or do they learn from these mistakes and improve on the idea….

 

[Mickey's Pal]

It it weren't for Chapek's moves and Iger having to clean up the mess, it would've succeeded and they could've kept it. It was on its way to working. But because of the political mess added to it from 2020 onward, recovery conditions didn't materialize that would've kept it afloat.

It needed time to work. Given another 5 years, it would've. But they had to shore up the position now.

Um no. This thing was dead on arrival because the concept was all wrong. Should have been based on actual Star Wars Characters. Maybe the pool guy was right? They should have put a pool in. We should have listened to that young man.

 

[Coaster Lover]

So... more likely this gets repurposed (to be more along the lines of a standard hotel) or more likely this goes SBNO for the moderate future?

 

[donaldtoo]

They know Jack about what made Star Wars popular…

Yea, I get that, as I’m 60 and saw the first 3 movies in the theater.
I’ve never seen any of the latter movies all the way through. I saw “The Last Jedi” (I think it was…?) in the theater, but, fell asleep halfway through.
Again, it appears they just didn’t do proper marketing research, or they did and thought “To heck with it” we’ll be cool and put a different spin on it…?!

 

[twilight mitsuk]

I guarantee Uni was watching this whole thing thinking about potter.

Question is…. Does this kill any potential idea, or do they learn from these mistakes and improve on the idea….

this is exactly why jk Rowling did not allow any Hogwarts themed hotels at WWOHP

 

[Miru]

I’m not sure why everyone here who has bemoaned Disney’s cuts on service and guest experience is cheering the failure of their most service and guest experience project in decades.

This isn’t going to convince Disney to increase service levels at the parks.

Because at some point, spite for the company takes over and you don’t care about what they do, only wanting to see them take a fall no matter how it happens.

Anyway, this hotel would make a great Defunctland episode about 3 months after closure.

 

[WaltsTreasureChest]

You really think bad cosplay was the answer?

Yeah I had no interest in the Starcruiser until I found out they had a guy running around dressed up as Luke Skywalker. He kinda looks like him from a distance if you squint!

It wasn’t one thing that made it bad, but a collection of things. I can assure you that if this hotel was based around the OT timeline with characters/aliens interacting you from those movies combined with not outrageous hotel staying prices, it would’ve been much more successful.

 

[Miru]

It wasn’t one thing that made it bad, but a collection of things. I can assure you that if this hotel was based around the OT timeline with characters/aliens interacting you from those movies combined with not outrageous hotel staying prices, it would’ve been much more successful.

Or if there were layers based on each trilogy. Like Tattooine and 3 other planets each.

 

[TalkingHead]

How bad were the prospective numbers for 2024 for them to cut their losses and not even try to gin up business during the Nov-Jan holiday season?

 

[Mike S]

It wasn’t one thing that made it bad, but a collection of things. I can assure you that if this hotel was based around the OT timeline with characters/aliens interacting you from those movies combined with not outrageous hotel staying prices, it would’ve been much more successful.

This thing would’ve been full year round if it had a recreation of Mos Eisley Cantina as the dining room and performers in proper costume.

 

[dreamfinder912]

I’m surprised it was ever allowed to open. Who is going over these ideas and thought someone was going to pay that much ?

Maybe you pay that much for Luke, Vader and better theming. What Disney came out with just shows they are completely out of touch with the fans.

Embarrassing.

I did. Three times. And I was in the group approved to charter it for a cosplaying adults only that would've been in January 2024. Not a lot of people got to experience this, but those of us who did loved it. We met some amazing people on board who have become friends in real life. Yes the marketing was terrible, yes the price point was out of reach, but the experience was wonderful each time.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Nice try, troll. Disney knows Star Wars inside out and has made incredible additions to the canon that fit hand in glove with what George Lucas accomplished. Kathleen Kennedy deserves to be praised for that, as does Abrams, Johnson, Filoni, Favreau, Rodriguez and everyone that's worked on these incredible visual projects. Times have changed. You didn't understand the saga as well as you think you did, so you come up with excuses rather than admit you were wrong. Cope.

 

[Fordlover]

It it weren't for Chapek's moves and Iger having to clean up the mess, it would've succeeded and they could've kept it. It was on its way to working. But because of the political mess added to it from 2020 onward, recovery conditions didn't materialize that would've kept it afloat.

It needed time to work. Given another 5 years, it would've. But they had to shore up the position now.

Some of 2021 and all of 2022 were revenge vacation years post Covid lockdowns. Have you seen how crowded the parks were? If these heavy demand times weren’t enough to support it, I don’t think there is anything the Iger/Chapek/Iger tag team could have done to make it profitable. But I admire your optimism towards Iger and hope I’m dead wrong.