Skull Island: Reign of Kong - General Discussion

[awhen]

So for the CGI complainers, please understand that you're not seeing the video as it should be presented.

The actual video is 60 FPS rendered at 8k resolution (then split to multiple 4K projectors for stereoscopic 3D). For the 3D, one stereo layer provides more clarity, and the other defines more depth and motion blur, and when they converge you get crisp details with a natural depth and motion.

What you're seeing on YouTube is 1/8th the actual resolution, changed to 29.97 FPS (resulting in drop frames for the movement), and is only the crisp stereo layer.

Every single ride that utilizes stereo 3D looks bad when not presented as designed.

I've seen projectors stacked for brightness, but I didn't know about stacking projectors in layers like that. Interesting.

 

[Owlie the Owl]

Two things
1. Hasn't Comcast changed their entire strategy on the parks since that 2014 conference call? I'm not sure if the stockholders have been told but there is no slowing down after Q2 with park spending. It's now the largest cash flow in the entire company. Comcast is all in on the parks and spending will dramatically rise in the future if the economy keeps chugging along in Orlando.

2. Park spending at Uni is way different than Disney. Rumored cost of Kong is around 140-150 million bucks. That's all thanks to lower overhead, less middlemen, and subcontractors. Had Disney built the exact same Reign of Kong it would of easily cost imagineering 400 million somehow.

That first point is demonstrably untrue. Take a look at their recent 10-K / annual report. Their theme parks aren't anything to sneeze at, but they're so ridiculously big that their theme park revenues (and income) represent a very small slice of their overall business.


What is notable is the growth year-over-year. Theme parks' revenue increased 27% in 2015, attributable primarily to Diagon Alley and (surprisingly) the Fast and the Furious studio tour in Hollywood.

And while I wouldn't disagree that Comcast is "all in" on their theme parks, theme park spending isn't going to durastically change anytime soon. All they say in their annual report is that they "expect to continue to invest in existing and new attractions at our Universal theme parks. [They] are developing a Universal theme park in Beijing, China. [They]expect the development of this park to continue in 2016."

Definitely. As an example they were so happy with the revenue results from Diagon that materialized in the Jan. 2015 quarterly report, they sent UO a huge extra amount for spending in 2015 over & above their original 2015 budget.

That's really not how business works. A certain amount of incremental maintenance cost is expected with opening a new attraction or renovation, but you don't just "throw cash" at a department because it's doing well. I'm sure there's an internal process for requesting budgeted funds that requires clear documentation and approval by the higher-ups (who's top priority is shareholder return).

Diagon Alley brought a great deal of extra revenue to UO and that gave a lot more confidence to investors who are less wary of additional development, still future park spending hasn't been brought up since, so no certain confirmation.

See the quote above. They're definitely talking about it, but they're focusing their attention on Beijing in 2016. That's not to say they won't keep developing their stateside properties, but those costs will obviously pale in comparison to Beijing.

Lot's of things have changed at Comcast the last two years. Theme park revenue increases are through the roof, higher than anticipated. and some of the events happening in the cable business, both market place and legal, would encourage them to divert resources to the parks which have been a money printing business thus far with a bright future.

I partially agree. Theme park revenues are up, and their income growth outpaces capital expenditure growth pretty dramatically. In addition, their margins are insane (think Apple levels - 35% in 2015 versus 31% in 2014). But, the theme park business doesn't scale the same way cable, broadcast television, or film entertainment does. If Jurassic World is a hit, they can make $200 million + in opening weekend without any capital spend aside from production costs. On the other hand, if they wanted to double capacity in their theme parks... well, you can see that the business just doesn't scale the same way, expecially in California. No wonder ticket prices are going through the roof, tiered ticketing was implemented, and they're trying to price people out of annual passes. They have a limited capacity and are trying to maximize their margins!

 

[Mike S]

Wait, excuse me?

Also, where's this RSR cost $200 million? Everything I've heard suggests at MUCH higher price tag. Also how can we forget Avatar being significantly more than budgeted.

And finally Nintendo is coming to USJ and UOR the same year. The project is sharing development costs.

So that means 2020? Damn

 

[Teebin]

I want to draw attention to those spider crab things because nobody is talking about them. Talk about friggin nightmare fuel, woof

I was personally saddened that there weren't giant grasshoppers. I was really looking forward to those as they creep me out with their barbed legs and chewing biting mouths.

 

[Mad Dog]

I was personally saddened that there weren't giant grasshoppers. I was really looking forward to those as they creep me out with their barbed legs and chewing biting mouths.

Yeah, I always took you to being a giant grasshopper type fan.

 

[Tylereapple]

This is awesome.

 

[Mad Dog]

This is awesome.

So cool. An almost authentic lost tropical jungle island.

 

[Teebin]

Yeah, I think the fog was only turned-on in the queue area only. His other pics show no fog anywhere but there. I was expecting it on the ride track and not the queue.

 

[UniversalCityFL]

Yeah, I think the fog was only turned-on in the queue area only. His other pics show no fog anywhere but there. I was expecting it on the ride track and not the queue.

Fog on the ride track. Hmm. This raises a question for me. Since the vehicles' locations are triangulated wirelessly, does that mean that the physical ride track is devoid of any optical sensors (that track the vehicles' location, buffer zones, etc), therefore allowing use of fog/mist effects on the ride path? Fog has, of course, norotiously interfered with ride sensors, which is why it was cut from Hulk, ToT, etc.

My mind is running wild with the future possibilties of this system, like driving through 10 inches of water, or into fog so thick you can't see your hand in front of your face.

 

[TheLastAshen]

my mind is running wild with the future possibilties of this system, like driving through 10 inches of water, or into fog so thick you can't see your hand in front of your face.

For the longest time I thought maybe water would come down from the tall mouth steps on either side of the gates spilling onto the ride path, I thought since it was trackless this could be plausible. Also the fact that they hadn't painted or textured the ride path this was still a possibility until they added small plants, my idea was shot. But how awesome would it be for the big trucks to be driving through a couple inches of water. It is an island after all.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Yeah, I think the fog was only turned-on in the queue area only. His other pics show no fog anywhere but there. I was expecting it on the ride track and not the queue.

It looks like it's on the track area not queue. And yes, we've said it's all wifi based positioning for the ride.

 

[TheLastAshen]

This photo taken by @bioreconstruct on Twitter shows the fog isolated to the extended queue

 

[Parkscope Joe]

This photo taken by @bioreconstruct on Twitter shows the fog isolated to the extended queue View attachment 1733

Thanks, but it looks like they were testing around the track too because that's soaking wet.

 

[Tylereapple]

Thanks, but it looks like they were testing around the track too because that's soaking wet.

I think that's because it rained at Universal today.

 

[TheLastAshen]

Yeah, we had plenty of rain in Orlando today.

 

[Teebin]

I believe they had some yesterday as well. I guess they don't want the RVs out in the rain? Was there lightning too?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I think that's because it rained at Universal today.

Oh got me hahahaha

 

[IzzyB]

I believe they had some yesterday as well. I guess they don't want the RVs out in the rain? Was there lightning too?

Yesterday there was thunder and lightning, but not today that I know of.

 

[Teebin]

Yesterday there was thunder and lightning, but not today that I know of.

You poor souls, it is time for sweat hole season in Florida. Every early morning it will smell like a freshly chopped salad in a greenhouse outside.

I used to love that smell in a greenhouse up north. In Florida, I sneered.

 

[deathcab4cutie]

ive been thinking so there is suppose to be 5 different drivers and if the video is apart of the ride does that mean that the video will be different depending on what driver you get or will at points of time the truck door open and then the driver would jump into the screen