Effects of Coronavirus (COVID-19) On Entertainment & Tourism Industry

[quinnmac000]

Hulu international rollout seems to be halted due to COVID.

 

[Nick]

America has shown the past week that they're too inconsiderate to actually allow masking to be a requirement, so I don't foresee it happening, especially at the Florida parks

If the masks are provided and you must wear them to enter the park though, then it's a different story.

A theme park is different than a public beach, etc. On a beach, they can only give out recommendations for wearing a mask or something like that. At the parks, you play by their rules or potentially don't get to go in.

 

[Andysol]

I need to phone and change it but seeing as its 3 separate bookings, I just can’t be arsed.

Welcome to my life. Every day seems to be a new one :'(

 

[JungleSkip]

If the masks are provided and you must wear them to enter the park though, then it's a different story.

Ohio, Oklahoma City, and a bunch of other places have already walked back mandatory masking for essential businesses because people complained. Someone shot a security guard in the head in Michigan because they weren't allowed in a store without a mask. I just don't see Disney or Universal, desperate for money, enforcing mandatory masking when their clientele complains enough

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I just don't see how HHN can possibly happen this year. HHN is like a close-contact sport. Applying the 6 foot social distancing really leaves it so you can only have a nuch of people on stages in the streets and bare bones houses I guess? If you were to run HHN as usual, there's normally 25-30 people in a house per cast, sometimes upwards of 40 if you have a megahouse. That's all in tight spaces and you have Events ops people around every corner and there's very little way to limit contact between a performer and a guest. They can also try and pulse the houses, but people still end up on top of each other. It's inevitable.

They could run a very bare bones event this year, but the problem becomes, will people still show up like they used to? No. Some will stay home that otherwise would go. And they'd be putting on an inferior product, so do they charge less? Do you really waste some ideas you had planned for a grand 30th year on a year that will turn into a dud? It'll be interesting.

Oh, I'm assuming as such. I think saying "it's on until it isn't" is quite pedantic. Which again, is why I asked that question.

 

[Scott W.]

If the masks are provided and you must wear them to enter the park though, then it's a different story.

A theme park is different than a public beach, etc. On a beach, they can only give out recommendations for wearing a mask or something like that. At the parks, you play by their rules or potentially don't get to go in.

The public just aren't going to follow it. Security can tell them off but they'll just keep doing it.

Also for any photo moments, the masks will be off. For those people on their once in a life time trip, they don't want masks in their photos.

 

[quinnmac000]

Ohio, Oklahoma City, and a bunch of other places have already walked back mandatory masking for essential businesses because people complained. Someone shot a security guard in the head in Michigan because they weren't allowed in a store without a mask. I just don't see Disney or Universal, desperate for money, enforcing mandatory masking when their clientele complains enough

Boo who. If I'm Disney, My business my choice on who I serve. If someone wants to complain about having to wearing a mask, they don't have to visit. The same people complaining about masks would be the first to sue to if they got COVID at the parks.

 

[carnival]

I wonder if they're going to have guests acknowledge the risk of catching coronavirus through some kind of waiver and not hold the park liable. I'm sure their insurance policy has removed this virus as an unforeseen catastrophe. Even then, it's going to be next to impossible to prove that you contracted the virus at the park.

 

[JungleSkip]

Boo who. If I'm Disney, My business my choice on who I serve. If someone wants to complain about having to wearing a mask, they don't have to visit. The same people complaining about masks would be the first to sue to if they got COVID at the parks.

As someone who has worked for these parks, I have seen so many examples of "if you complain enough, you'll get what you want".

I absolutely agree with you, but I doubt these companies have the guts to go that hardline

 

[quinnmac000]

Dated ticketing seems to be the go ahead for the parks. Also face characters will be the only staff members not wearing masks however they will not be doing close meetings with guests.
Shanghai attendance capacity is 24K a day for now. (80K is the normal amount).

 

[Andysol]

Shanghai attendance capacity is 24K a day for now.

The most intriguing part will be if they can hit that reduced capacity number. If they can't get 24k <1/3 normal capacity, that doesn't bode well for domestic.

How are they handling APs?

 

[JungleSkip]

Dated ticketing seems to be the go ahead for the parks. Also face characters will be the only staff members not wearing masks however they will not be doing close meetings with guests.
Shanghai attendance capacity is 24K a day for now. (80K is the normal amount).

Actually it sounds like it might open at even *less* than 24k a day

 

[Mad Dog]

Addition to my previous two posts on Disney quarterly report (quarter ending March 31st): More results from the Disney conference call on earnings that just ended.
* Operating income dropped 37% to $2.4 Billion
*Earnings per share dropped 93%
*Parks profit dropped 58% to $639 million
*Film Studio operating Income dropped 8% to $466 Billion
and to reiterate, Disney suspended dividends for the first 6 months of 2020, to shore up finances. That sent a shock wave warning, analysts said. And the summary of business analysts, appearing on CNBC, concerns is that Disney may face a liquidity crisis.

 

[Brian G.]

Oh, I'm assuming as such. I think saying "it's on until it isn't" is quite pedantic. Which again, is why I asked that question.

What other answer do you want besides the one we keep telling you? If it doesn’t happen this year, it happens next year. There’s not much else to it.

 

[DannyPowers]

Ohio, Oklahoma City, and a bunch of other places have already walked back mandatory masking for essential businesses because people complained. Someone shot a security guard in the head in Michigan because they weren't allowed in a store without a mask. I just don't see Disney or Universal, desperate for money, enforcing mandatory masking when their clientele complains enough

Speaking from Ohio I can say that, when given the option, most choose to ignore the suggestion.

The odd thing is, it seems to be a bit along income lines to a certain extent. I was in both Target and a higher end grocery chain over the weekend. Nearly no one in Target had a mask (maybe 25% if I’m being generous); while the mask wearers in the higher end grocery store had to be close to 85%.

 

[quinnmac000]

Disney Says More Movie Releases Could Skip Theaters, Sees “Some Changes” To Release Strategy During And After COVID-19

Disney CEO Bob Chapek praised movie theaters during the company's earnings call Tuesday, but said more films could skip theatrical releases.

deadline.com

 

[Bobharlem]

Disney did admit (well McCarthy) that all the paused construction is a pure cash/capex savings maneuver. Seems like in the long term, Universal continuing on is smart, but this not so much.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

What other answer do you want besides the one we keep telling you? If it doesn’t happen this year, it happens next year. There’s not much else to it.

This is going to get meta so maybe this isn't the correct location for it, maybe it is. If I should copy it to the "Debates/Problems" thread then I will.

There is a lot of scary stuff, uncertainty, and worry in the world right now. I, others, or you do not know the short term future for a lot of things we rely on for our emotional health. In April I was to fly down to Orlando for a wedding and long weekend at the parks. I wish I could see Bourne right now, ride Mickey and Minnie, and see a ride-through of Pets. Later this month @JungleSkip and I were to do a long weekend trip hitting Kennywood, Kings Island, and Cedar Point. All of that is not happening. I want to watch Indians and Pirates baseball. I want to see Liverpool raise the league trophy for the first time after Hillsborough. I miss seeing my friends in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and around me. I want a haircut, to go out to eat, and see my elderly parents.

The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 does not care. It does not care about my plans, my hopes, my wishes, my wealth, my ethnicity, or my lifestyle. It affects people, to our current knowledge, disproportionally at near-random. A coworker was diagnosed with symptoms and never tested due to capacity. During this period one night, I woke up coughing, nearly not able to breathe and I still can't find out if I was affected or not. It also doesn't care about Halloween Horror Nights, Epcot, or Avengers Campus.

What the novel coronavirus does care about is spreading. Effective masking helps the spread to eliminate widespread community transmission. New therapeutic treatments and, hopefully, a vaccine will put this in the rearview mirror, like many other viruses.

I want to be able to provide a look at what will happen in the future after all that's what we come to IU for, right? But the novel coronavirus is not Hagrid, Velosicoaster, Bourne, HHN leaks, or other projects. I know it's frustrating to not know and we are all expressing it in different ways. Some want to know how the parks will reopen, how HHN would happen, "not live my life with worry", sarcasm, or live in just total denial this is something we all have to deal with. Being disingenuous, short-tempered, or accusational will affect nothing, the virus will still spread.

So my suggestion is we need to be honest, patient, and empathetic with each other. There will be arguments and frustrations because any conversation will have those. But please do not let the worst inclinations of our cultures and societies come to the forefront.

 

[Mad Dog]

After listening to the analysts discussing Disney after their earnings call and the suspension of dividends for 6 months, or longer, they basically were saying Disney needs to get their parks open.. It's really sounding like Disney doesn't have much of a choice and they're going to have to work with the hand dealt them to generate some revenue. Network and ESPN was their only bright spot, but that was before the collapse of ad revenue. So those numbers will probably also nosedive in this present April/May/ June quarter.

 

[lowbudget]

If we are assuming that parks will go to a reservation system, how do we think that will work with on site hotel guest?

We've got a trip booked in December, hotel reservations at least, but no tickets yet. I assume they will give priority to on site guest?