Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[the_rich]

GE was amazing and I fully expect WDW to be mobbed when it opens. Almost all of the APs are blocked out, and we all know that DL is mostly locals. I was there during the reservation period and there were alot of APs in DCA who I talked to and were upset because they couldn't go to DL. There are plenty of people who want to be there but can't because of this reason. Once they're let back in I expect wait times to soar.

 

[peter11435]

Name the fact(s). I'll be happy to address them for you.

We already have. You have ignored or disregarded them. I don’t need you to address anything since most of us already have a better understanding of what’s going on at disneyland and within TWDC.

 

[WDW Pro]

We already have. You have ignored or disregarded them. I don’t need you to address anything since most of us already have a better understanding of what’s going on at disneyland and within TWDC.

It's a cute game you play when you make a claim, double down on it, refuse to substantiate it, and then claim superiority.

 

[peter11435]

It's a cute game you play when you make a claim, double down on it, refuse to substantiate it, and then claim superiority.

It’s been substantiated.

I know it sucks to be wrong but you’ll get over it.

 

[WDW Pro]

It’s been substantiated.

I know it sucks to be wrong but you’ll get over it.

You're still playing the game. Name the fact(s) you say I've been ignoring and I'll be happy to respond to them. This child's game of semi-witty retorts doesn't help you win some sort of game with a stranger online. And if that's your goal, go outside and do something productive. Just an idea.

 

[peter11435]

You're still playing the game. Name the fact(s) you say I've been ignoring and I'll be happy to respond to them. This child's game of semi-witty retorts doesn't help you win some sort of game with a stranger online. And if that's your goal, go outside and do something productive. Just an idea.

The facts have already been presented. No reason to type them again so you can ignore or twist them. I’m not trying to win a game you’ve already lost.

Star Wars and Galaxies Edge are just fine. This isn’t an issue with the IP or the land.

 

[WDW Pro]

Darn it, I can't believe it, but you've convinced me despite a total lack of data supporting your point. Quite persuasive you are.

These articles about Stars Wars merchandise crashing back in 2018 are total rubbish:
http://fortune.com/2018/03/28/hasbro-star-wars-toys/
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/2019-01-14-disneys-2018-annual-report-sees-star-wars-in-decline/

The overall charting of Star Wars box office and physical media sales is NOT on a diminishing trajectory like all of the tracking data shows. It is IN FACT going up like Marvel. Places like thenumbers.com are lying and misrepresenting the actual revenues.

Galaxy's Edge (not Galaxies Edge, I'll have to critique you there) is a pefect land with zero issues at all. Although https://www.isitpacked.com/live-crowd-trackers/disneyland/ repeatedly showed Hyperspace Mountain as having longer lines than the brand new Millenium Falcon ride, that's just because of FastPass, or throughput, or... well... it just doesn't matter... gosh darn it you're right and Millenium Falcon Smuggler's Run had three hour waits with rave reviews every single time today. There are tons of street performers, the background music is wonderful, John Williams is heard throughout the pathways. Why, I can't tell you how excited the younglings have been to meet Luke, Leia, and Han, not to mention Lando. The R2D2 and C3PO meet and greets have been tremendous. And who can forget that giant Hutt animatronic!? Yes, it is a wonderful and perfect land with zero problems. Disney may actually have to build yet another parking garage just to hold all the new guests that can't wait to get in there!

Thanks for helping me see the light, and understand that facts or substantiation are just... well, they're just in the way of a good mind cannon narrative.

 

[solidyne]

Any chance all three arguments have some validity? AP blackouts, fear of assumed crowds, and a single (imperfect) attraction not attracting enough?

 

[JenniferS]

Any chance all three arguments have some validity? AP blackouts, fear of assumed crowds, and a single (imperfect) attraction not attracting enough?

 

[TP2000]

GE was amazing and I fully expect WDW to be mobbed when it opens. Almost all of the APs are blocked out, and we all know that DL is mostly locals.

Disneyland is not "mostly locals" on a summer weekday like today. It is mostly locals on a Friday evening in October or a Sunday afternoon in April, but summer is something different. In summer Disneyland is mostly tourists. And the tourists haven't shown up yet this summer.

Which is why I blame the defensive marketing campaign that TDA and Burbank cooked up, likely after their Ops teams convinced them it would be Armageddon if they didn't do something to limit the amount of people allowed in to Disneyland once Star Wars Land opened.

 

[the_rich]

Disneyland is not "mostly locals" on a summer weekday like today. It is mostly locals on a Friday evening in October or a Sunday afternoon in April, but summer is something different. In summer Disneyland is mostly tourists. And the tourists haven't shown up yet this summer.

Which is why I blame the defensive marketing campaign that TDA and Burbank cooked up, likely after their Ops teams convinced them it would be Armageddon if they didn't do something to limit the amount of people allowed in to Disneyland once Star Wars Land opened.

DL always has a ton of locals. Summer is usually crazy because of all the tourist coming in adding to all the locals. Last year APs weren't blocked out like they are this year. That is the main cause of lower attendance.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

WDW GE isn't open yet, that's his point. GE just opened at DLR, and tickets are slashed 50%... Listen I really want this land to thrive, this is something I've dreamt about for a long time, I hope this all works out, cause I know I'm gonna love GE even if others don't.

Well, my point is that he doesn't know what he's talking about. They've blocked most APs for the summer at both parks, the sale tickets are a means of trying to entice those who are blocked out to spend more and purchase day tickets. It has nothing to do with Galaxy's Edge.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Also... All the people who planned their vacation months in advance and purposely avoided what they thought was gong to be crazy mobs time. These aren't locals with a blackout, they are the usual summer vacationers scared away long ago and they can't change their time off at the drop of a hat.

 

[Purduevian]

Name the fact(s). I'll be happy to address them for you.

I understand your logic on why SR has such short waits, but I am confused about how your theory explains why the rest of DL is so empty right now.

 

[wdisney9000]

Disneyland is not "mostly locals" on a summer weekday like today. It is mostly locals on a Friday evening in October or a Sunday afternoon in April, but summer is something different. In summer Disneyland is mostly tourists. And the tourists haven't shown up yet this summer.

Which is why I blame the defensive marketing campaign that TDA and Burbank cooked up, likely after their Ops teams convinced them it would be Armageddon if they didn't do something to limit the amount of people allowed in to Disneyland once Star Wars Land opened.

I just watched Adams latest upload this morning. It was a great idea to do a vlog of the crowds at DL/DCA now that GE is open. I was hoping they would pop in over at GE just to see how it looked, but it was still a fun video.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

"Disney’s remarks mirror the numbers Hasbro reported for its partner brands. Star Wars merchandise sales have been declining ever since October 2016 (remember that Disney’s fiscal year ends in September).
But not only merchandise seems to be affected, since Star Wars book sales and comic book sales are also down. So Star Wars as a whole seems to be in decline at the moment.

Now, it’s impossible to say how much of the revenue and ratings decline is due to decreasing Star Wars merchandise and book sales, Disney has an expansive list of licensed products out there.
But Disney’s fiscal year 2018 saw three major Star Wars releases, Battlefront II, The Last Jedi and Solo. That overall Consumer Products & Interactive revenue and earnings are down nevertheless should be reason to be worried for Disney. We’ve never had as much Star Wars content as in that period and if Star Wars was still a powerhouse revenue should have increased, especially given Marvel’s strong performance. But all signs we have say that 2018 was a very bad year for Star Wars merchandise and Disney sees this as decreased revenue from licensing, books and games.

And to add insult to injury Disney doesn’t mention Solo – A Star Wars Story by name even once in its report. When they talk about significant studio releases The Last Jedi is listed among “other significant titles”, but Marvel is mentioned first and foremost when Disney talks about increased revenue for their Studio Entertainment segment."

http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/2019-01-14-disneys-2018-annual-report-sees-star-wars-in-decline/

Additionally, note that Star Wars merchandise revenue does not equate profits. Hasbro has been very vocal in noting that Star Wars declines in sales have hurt them badly, and they get a significant portion of the revenues -- not just Disney. That's not considering the retail chains, the supply chains, the cost or production, etc.



Since that is your point, I think you're accurate.



Those "real, scientific" surveys don't exist. The only thing they did with Last Jedi even close to that is the CinemaScore, which is often manipulated within the industry. TLJ was bludgeoned on every single site where fans could leave reviews, and the MetaCritic audience score is a miserable 4.4.

https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-viii---the-last-jedi

George was a genius when it came to merchandise. Disney made a huge mistake by not introducing new space ships and creatures. The new movies wouldn’t have X-wing fighters or Tie fighters. People don’t want to buy items that they already own.

 

[LuvWDW2]

If I’m a DL AP holder who is currently blacked out, I’m not paying $99 to see it now. I’m waiting a couple weeks until they lift the blackout and seeing it then.

As an aside, I have a GF who is there today. She was in the area visiting family and they are doing a spontaneous trip to DL because crowds are low. They had no intention of going until yesterday.

 

[Villains0501]

George was a genius when it came to merchandise. Disney made a huge mistake by not introducing new space ships and creatures. The new movies wouldn’t have X-wing fighters or Tie fighters. People don’t want to buy items that they already own.

Totally agree. Of all the blunders Disney has made in their mishandling of the Star Wars franchise, one of the more surprising has been their myopic approach to merchandising. Just think of the in-park and in-store merchandising tie-ins had Disney included Luke's New Jedi Order in the ST (something a lot of fans wanted to see). Not that merchandising needs should influence movie storytelling, but this is Star Wars after all (*ahem* Jar Jar, Ewoks, etc.).

They could have housed the lightsaber building experience in a fully realized Jedi Academy, which would have provided ample space for saber making. They could have sold robes, holcrons - all in one place! It could have been Disney Hogwarts. The checks write themselves!!

 

[rsm]

They seem to be selling out quite successfully.

 

[WDW Pro]

I understand your logic on why SR has such short waits, but I am confused about how your theory explains why the rest of DL is so empty right now.

Great question. Here's the answer:

Every time Disney or Universal has opened a major new area with a major new ride, lines have been insane for weeks if not months. Take a look at Pandora to see what Disney was expecting. But on top of that, Star Wars was the number one IP in the world for decades until Marvel overtook them (during the Disney ownership). So management is looking at opening the first new land at Disneyland in 25 years, the first new E-ticket in the same amount of time, and they're looking at the fact it's Star Wars, which they believed had a fanbase that might be the largest in the world. Now you put all those together, and you're thinking that you need to increase the capacity in all forms at your park, you need to try to manage the massive crowds you're going to be pulling, and you know that trying to keep your typical Disneyland buyer out for a bit is going to be important because your billion dollar expansion was not only about increasing capacity, but also about pulling in new clientele.

And here's the thing that lets you know the upper brass realizes just what a problem they have in their second most important franchise. When they pushed out the AP holders, and when they increased prices to a premium for those crazy people who wait at midnight for Star Wars movie launches... those people who pushed Force Awakens over 2 billion with almost zero help from China... they didn't come. And they didn't build a billion dollar expansion to keep the exact same clientele, keep the exact same pricing structure, etc. But that's what they're looking at now. They just built a more expensive version of Potterland, a bigger version of Pandora, and it basically didn't pull in anybody new. They're three days into it and they've discounted tickets by more than 50%.