Corporate Disney is aware of the benefits of a Star Wars themed land in DHS. Unless there is a financial earthquake, it will happen.
Eventually.
The primary issue is funding. Senior executive management is reluctant to invest too much in Parks & Resorts (P&R) at any one time.
After being at near-record low levels during Iger's first 4 years, P&R investing activities as a percent of revenue maxed out under Iger at about
23% in 2011 & 2012. (Before 9/11, Eisner
averaged more than this number.) At the time, Iger and Rasulo were fielding a lot of questions from Wall Street along the lines of "When are you going to reduce P&R investments?"
In 2013, P&R investment as a percent of revenue was at
15%, placating Wall Street.
For the first six months of the current fiscal year, this was at
15.6%.
Disney publically has committed to 43% ownership in Shanghai Disneyland or about $2.4B. Along with Pandora, a desire for additional cruise ships, and the unexpected MyMagic+ cost overruns, there's been a strong reluctance to initiate additional P&R spending until current expenditures ramp down.
There is a rumor that the Star Wars Land announcement was delayed because of a desire to tie-in the latest trilogy content to the new land. There is truth to this but to the suites in the corner offices, this also is a convenient smokescreen to delay capital outlays until investments are at acceptable levels.
Some within Disney want to spend now to get the project completed sooner. They view it as a golden opportunity to strike while the new films are being released, fix WDW’s worst park, take advantage of an improving economy, and have it act as a much-desired "Potter Swatter" to knock the wind out of Universal's sails (and sales
). However, this is by no means a consensus.
Executive A will say one thing because that's what they want to see happen while Executive B will say the polar opposite because that's what they want to see happen.
One way or the other, the sentiment is to make Star Wars Land happen unless there is an economic crisis.
