News The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors Extends Robert A. Iger’s Contract as CEO Through 2026

[TalkingHead]

4 coasters, one of which is about 55 seconds. Dragons lacks an anchor attraction. Monsters and Potter each have only two attractions, with Potter having only one ride. AK and MGM were famously underbuilt at opening (and, frankly, both remain underbuilt today). This will be the same. The theming will be absolutely fantastic, and that’s mainly what I care about, and many of the rides are exciting. That doesn’t mean Uni isn’t demonstrating the same corporate culture as Disney.

Especially looks to be underbuilt when you consider the place has the potential to be jammed up with freelancing-unemployed local APs. Can you imagine the effect on wait times when one of the three main dark rides goes 101 for half the day?

 

[Casper Gutman]

Difference is I have more faith in Universal expanding the park. Unlike Disney right now.

I will add I've never seen a fanbase so obsessed with length of a ride. One of my favorite rides was only 17 seconds long but it packed a punch

I had a lot of faith in pre-Covid Universal. After the last few years, I’m going to have to see concrete action to restore that faith.

 

[Jrb1979]

I had a lot of faith in pre-Covid Universal. After the last few years, I’m going to have to see concrete action to restore that faith.

It depends on what you are expecting. I love what I'm seeing so far from EU. Sure it could use a few more attractions but what they have is still really good. I love they have as many coasters as they do. I love that Universal isn't trying to be like Disney with dark rides and aimed to Families of all ages.

Since COVID they have added one of the best coasters in the US with Velocicoaster. What more do you want?

 

[Casper Gutman]

It depends on what you are expecting. I love what I'm seeing so far from EU. Sure it could use a few more attractions but what they have is still really good. I love they have as many coasters as they do. I love that Universal isn't trying to be like Disney with dark rides and aimed to Families of all ages.

Since COVID they have added one of the best coasters in the US with Velocicoaster. What more do you want?

If you want coasters, Cedar Point or a Six Flags will always be a better bet. Theme parks like Disney and Uni live or die by dark rides. Even their best coasters like Hagrid or Big Thunder are distinguished primarily by dark ride elements.

And why is the lack of a wide age focus appealing? Quite frankly, it results in incoherence. Uni isn’t building rides based on Kramer vs Kramer or Ordinary People, it relies on IPs like Minions and How to Train Your Dragon and Super Mario and Harry Potter… but then it refuses to build family friendly, non-height-limited attractions based on those properties. It’s a bit absurd. Its logic held over from the days when Uni was an also-ran picking up the demographic scraps Disney ignored. Now that they’re taking on Disney head on, it’s a damaging anachronism.

Don’t let this fool you - I prefer Uni to Disney by a pretty wide margin and spend a lot of time there. But a combination of outdated thinking and an increasingly dominant focus on cost-cutting are taking it in a bad direction.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Uni isn’t building rides based on Kramer vs Kramer or Ordinary People, it relies on IPs like Minions and How to Train Your Dragon and Super Mario and Harry Potter… but then it refuses to build family friendly, non-height-limited attractions based on those properties. It’s a bit absurd.

The freaking Yoshi ride has a 36” height requirement.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The 17 second ride I was talking about was Dragster at Cedar Point. It launched 120mph in 4 seconds and up 420 feet.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Difference is I have more faith in Universal expanding the park. Unlike Disney right now.

Despite the pads and empty attractions in USO lying dormant?

 

[Jrb1979]

Despite the pads and empty attractions in USO lying dormant?

Right now they are but that's due to working on another park at the moment. Maybe you heard of it?

What outside of Tiana, Test Track update and Bears does Disney have? A promise of $60 billion.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Right now they are but that's due to working on another park at the moment. Maybe you heard of it?

So... once EU is finished next year, then USO can focus on taking care of all those underused spaces in the other two parks.

And while they're doing that, you and others may be itching for EU to fill out it's future-expansion pads. And Universal's response to that might be: "We're working on completing our uncompleted other parks. Maybe you've heard of them?"

So, EU's expansion pad will lay dormant for about another 5 years. But good thing you have 'faith in them.'

 

[Jrb1979]

So... once EU is finished next year, then USO can focus on taking care of all those underused spaces in the other two parks.

And while they're doing that, you and others may be itching for EU to fill out it's future-expansion pads. And Universal's response to that might be: "We're working on completing our uncompleted other parks. Maybe you've heard of them?"

So, EU's expansion pad will lay dormant for about another 5 years. But good thing you have 'faith in them.'

Your answer they should be doing everything all at once.

I understand they can't do that, I won't be complaining about filling out each park "RIGHT ******* NOW.

I am happy to have new attractions at the parks. Something your hero Sweater Bob doesn't do

 

[JD80]

Don't we complain about Disney debt ($50B) but we forget that Comcast is at like $100B?

Maybe Uni can get some more rides where you stand on a conveyor belt and they hand you a gun.

 

[LSLS]

So... once EU is finished next year, then USO can focus on taking care of all those underused spaces in the other two parks.

And while they're doing that, you and others may be itching for EU to fill out it's future-expansion pads. And Universal's response to that might be: "We're working on completing our uncompleted other parks. Maybe you've heard of them?"

So, EU's expansion pad will lay dormant for about another 5 years. But good thing you have 'faith in them.'

I mean, you make the case for not having a lot of faith, but not for having less faith in them than Disney. Multiple WDW parks have less attractions now than they did 15 years ago if memory serves me correctly, and have needed capacity since creation decades ago.

 

[Lilofan]

Don't we complain about Disney debt ($50B) but we forget that Comcast is at like $100B?

Maybe Uni can get some more rides where you stand on a conveyor belt and they hand you a gun.

Adding more to the $100B current debt when Comcast opens up Epic Universe. It is good question for Brian Roberts. Most probably don't have a clue who he is but many know who Iger is.

 

[flynnibus]

So... once EU is finished next year, then USO can focus on taking care of all those underused spaces in the other two parks.

So, EU's expansion pad will lay dormant for about another 5 years. But good thing you have 'faith in them.'

Dude this is the worst kind of cherry picking... literally the company is finishing out the largest theme park opening in the country in decades... and has a second regional theme park already announced... after opening major additions in both the west coast and international parks with new theme park brands.

And you're harping on stuff like the idled Fear Factor theatre?? come on...

 

[Dranth]

Your answer they should be doing everything all at once.

I understand they can't do that, I won't be complaining about filling out each park "RIGHT ******* NOW.

I am happy to have new attractions at the parks. Something your hero Sweater Bob doesn't do

I get that people are excited for the new park but as of today, what new attractions?

USF has 14 attractions currently listed and only 4 of those opened post Diagon Alley which is now turning 10. So, in a decade Comcast replaced Disaster with Fast and Furious, Twister with Jimmy Fallon, Terminator with Bourne, and Sherk with the new Minion shooter.

Over in IoA they have 19 attractions currently listed and managed two new capacity rides in VelociCoaster and Kong in that same time period. They also have one replacement with Hagrid's taking over for Dragon Challenge.

Yes, they are building a new park which is great and I am excited for it but anyone who thinks Uni isn't going to sit on their backside after this round of expansion, just like they did last time, is wrong exactly because they can't do everything at once and they face the same problems as Disney in a lot of ways. They own a streaming service that lost just under a billion last quarter, a dying cable business, an aging broadcast company that also has to suck it up and pay for sporting rights to have any relevance and on top of all that, twice the debt load.

After EU I expect we will see some USF updates as it desperately needs something as terrible as it is right now and then Comcast cuts the capital investment hose off for a while.

 

[Indy_UK]

They have more parks outside of Orlando though. They are building 2 mini parks in the country and are probably going ahead with the UK Universal Studios.

They are set on big worldwide expansion

 

[Casper Gutman]

Dude this is the worst kind of cherry picking... literally the company is finishing out the largest theme park opening in the country in decades... and has a second regional theme park already announced... after opening major additions in both the west coast and international parks with new theme park brands.

And you're harping on stuff like the idled Fear Factor theatre?? come on...

Historically, it’s precisely when you’re building a new park that you want to build in your existing parks to ensure crowds are spread out. This has been true of Disney and Universal.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I get that people are excited for the new park but as of today, what new attractions?

USF has 14 attractions currently listed and only 4 of those opened post Diagon Alley which is now turning 10. So, in a decade Comcast replaced Disaster with Fast and Furious, Twister with Jimmy Fallon, Terminator with Bourne, and Sherk with the new Minion shooter.

Over in IoA they have 19 attractions currently listed and managed two new capacity rides in VelociCoaster and Kong in that same time period. They also have one replacement with Hagrid's taking over for Dragon Challenge.

Yes, they are building a new park which is great and I am excited for it but anyone who thinks Uni isn't going to sit on their backside after this round of expansion, just like they did last time, is wrong exactly because they can't do everything at once and they face the same problems as Disney in a lot of ways. They own a streaming service that lost just under a billion last quarter, a dying cable business, an aging broadcast company that also has to suck it up and pay for sporting rights to have any relevance and on top of all that, twice the debt load.

After EU I expect we will see some USF updates as it desperately needs something as terrible as it is right now and then Comcast cuts the capital investment hose off for a while.

As of now, Universal remains committed to something new every year. It will just now be split between three parks in Orlando instead of two.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What is with this insane level of desperation??

 

[SamusAranX]

What is with this insane level of desperation??

“Disney is actually being smart by not expanding. they can then focus on their reskins! Universal building EU is bad because they won’t be focusing on USO right now! And 12 attractions? Psssh. That’s totally not enough for a theme park. Well, it’s enough for HS and AK and Epcot but that’s besides the point! Also one of those attractions is too short! Disney would never! Except Tron, but Tron is great!”