Feature: Disney's post-Potter theme park renaissance
Posted
From the feature:
The theme park industry views Pandora as Disney’s response to the Wizarding World and the company’s attempt to reassert itself as the industry’s leader. Nobody doubts Disney’s prowess. The bigger question is whether it has chosen the proper vehicle in Pandora. Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, with box office receipts of $2.8 billion, however it hasn’t grown into a Potter-order super franchise with millions of ardent fans. Chapek declines to mention Universal by name, let alone concede that he might be feeling any competitive heat. He does say it’s nice that his company’s closest rival has discovered the virtues of theme park world construction, but that Disney created this business and will continue to define it with its forthcoming attractions.
Read more from Bloomberg.
Related parks
This is a great feature, worth reading. Lots of great Star Wars info in there.
That said, I think the press' portrayal of the Orlando competition is generally overstated, and I say that as a fan of all of the parks. Universal had nowhere to go but up after a decade of relative developmental stagnation. Disney took, at worst, a minor dip during a recession in the Potter launch era. In the feature, they mention that Disney people interviewed weren't particularly alarmed by Universal, and I completely believe that. Getting more butts in Orlando is good for everyone, as long as you're building something new (other than swirling hockey pucks that take you to see the penguins).
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
You must be logged in to post
