Well, I will not get my hopes up for soft opening chances this Saturday...but aw heck I'm going anyway.
Glad to see the Dragon is at least done, and to be fair we're closer to an opening than this time last year at least.
Wizarding World - Diagon Alley Discussion - Part 2
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Well, I will not get my hopes up for soft opening chances this Saturday...but aw heck I'm going anyway.
Glad to see the Dragon is at least done, and to be fair we're closer to an opening than this time last year at least.
Just discovered the J.K. is releasing a new book that is a sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling which comes out on June 19th. Sure that will be mentioned on The Tonight Show and maybe even mentioned during the red carpet event. If the 20-21 opening is true, she is going to be part of two major releases in three days. She just couldn't be happy being one of the richest people in the world could she? Think she wants to be the richest person to ever live, lol.
Watching Trip Flip and they're about to go to Diagon Alley! :happy: These people are so lucky! Not just for DA, but everything they got to do. I'm definitely jealous... 
I'm pretty sure that JK Rowling does not pick these dates, though. This is Universal and the publisher dealing with such things. In case anyone is looking for these books, The Silkworm (and The Cuckoo's Calling) are published under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
I'm pretty sure that JK Rowling does not pick these dates, though. This is Universal and the publisher dealing with such things. In case anyone is looking for these books, The Silkworm (and The Cuckoo's Calling) are published under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
- Aug 13, 2009
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Absolutely nothing new shown on Trip Flip. We have seen it all before. VERY close up shots without ever showing the whole street. No shots of any part of the bank. The only thing we saw was basically the ice cream shop but even then they never went inside and just had the ice cream outside. Also surprised they only aired one Diagon Alley commercial during the show. Disappointing.
- Jul 3, 2013
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It wasn't much of a reveal, they just let the family in to look at it and left lol. They weren't allowed in any of the buildings and showed nothing of Gringotts.
I was gonna say... that was cool, for them, but we just got to see the same we've seen so far
No new looks at all. The shots were very controlled, so it was pretty much what we got on the USA Today article and the video with the Weasleys' visit. They just got to walk the main street, look at the WWW window, wait outside while the host got robes from madam Malkins, get Florean Fortescue's ice cream (again standing outside) and that was it. Not even a shot of Gringotts or anything new. Bummer for us, but still REALLY cool for them and neat for those who haven't seen anything yet.
^ We should expect nothing more at this point. The dirt is here or on twitter.
I must say that no one here or anywhere else could have anticipated the scope of this project. I couldn't, and I am very clever. This is the best with lots of money behind them. Walt Disney would fall to his knees and weep if he could see the imagination here. Carkitt appears to be the big secret.
I must say that no one here or anywhere else could have anticipated the scope of this project. I couldn't, and I am very clever. This is the best with lots of money behind them. Walt Disney would fall to his knees and weep if he could see the imagination here. Carkitt appears to be the big secret.
Honestly, I think this was filmed a while ago. Since they didn't even show a shot of London, I think this could have been at least a month or two ago. All the shots they showed were really close up and focused on specific buildings. All the videos we have gotten the past couple of weeks have shown a LOT more!
It is not a red flag that Gringott's wasn't mentioned because they didn't mention EITHER ride. They showed nothing for the rides including the buildings. They didn't even mention all the shops. Was a big let down
Were you not paying attention during phase 1?
This Potter thing is kind of a big deal.
Yes but people had a bit more time to plan for it during phase 1... With no sure plans for an opening, the general public isn't going to risk going if they don't believe it's open... So while it'll probably be crazy, it probably won't be quite as bad as the first day of phase 1...
Agree 100%! The rumored webcast on the 16th is when I think they might announce the grand opening (if it happens). The webcast would make sense for them to do for a few reasons:
1) Talk about all the stuff they have going on the rest of the week. Between tons of press events, The Tonight Show, and the E! TV special, they have a lot of hype to talk about.
2) If they announce the opening date for June 21st (or 20th), that will not give the locals any time to request off work. Come Monday, most employers have the schedule set in stone for the rest of the week. If a local wants to visit on opening day, they will either need to get somebody to cover their shift or call in sick.
I think Universal's main goal this time around is to avoid another picture like that. SO many people took their once a year (or maybe once every few year) vacation on that date. Some did it by choice not knowing any better and some just happened to book the same day as opening day not knowing or a year in advance. Then, since all the locals knew the opening day well enough in advance, they requested off work to show up. Can you imagine all the complaints they had to deal with that day? Why would Universal want to have to put up with this madness again? There have no reason too.
Universal knows that once they open, it will be packed for well over a year. They are also going to want to have a date public before they start showing off the land daily on The Tonight Show. So, doing a webcast announcing the land opening in 5 days is the best thing they could do.
It will still be crazy busy, but not nearly this bad. For phase 1, the vacation package started opening day and the date was known well in advance. This time, local people won't have such an easy time showing up on opening day and out of towners that booked the current package won't arrive for roughly 10 days. This gives the land time for the locals to check it out before the 2nd wave swarms the land. I think how they are handling this opening is great. A nightmare for people that want to visit right after it opens, but still the best overall way to do it.
Obviously it won't be even close to as bad. My point was you were saying that people won't plan a trip around a grand opening or wait hours to get in.
- Mar 16, 2010
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Sorry everyone this is the best i can right now. I'm exhausted and juggling a teething 10 month old so i don't even know if these are clear or not. I will go through about 300 photos of the waterfront tomorrow after i return from work. Enjoy!
- Jul 9, 2013
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- Jun 28, 2013
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Ditto. I agree with my OU brethren that Trip Flip scenes from Diagon Alley were kinda lame. The scenes were severely edited / close up and didn't really show or describe anything. I LOL'ed because it was primarily 3-4 minutes of watching the kids' wide-eyed, mouth-gaping facial expressions. That was 40% cute and 60% annoying. On a separate note, I also LOL'ed at the MASSIVE feast the family received at Simpsons Fast Food Boulevard. THAT looked awesome.
Stunning pics and video! Thanks so much, HTF and AAO! :thumbs: :rep:
And thanks for the screen caps, zeusnexus! They sum it up pretty accurately
And thanks for the screen caps, zeusnexus! They sum it up pretty accurately
Excellent photos, Hatetofly!
Is it just me or have they changed the curtains in Kreacher's window? They were black during testing, I think? It looks a lot better now; and I love the lighting on his face -- gives him a lot more depth.
Is it just me or have they changed the curtains in Kreacher's window? They were black during testing, I think? It looks a lot better now; and I love the lighting on his face -- gives him a lot more depth.
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