Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disney's Hollywood Studios)

[Mad Dog]

Disney is now launching an all out media & marketing blitz for GESWL...That speaks volumes.....plus they just fired the President of the Western Resorts (Disney Anaheim, Disney Paris, WDW). The first sacrificial lamb.

 

[UNIrd]

I thought the past year has been an all out media & marketing blitz. They'd have to go door to door to have more reach.

 

[rhino4evr]

they should Save their budget for when Rise opens.

 

[quinnmac000]

Since the industry trades are calling this land a flop now, its a flop with no excuses.

 

[Mike S]

Why not go now? If you waited to travel to Orlando when every attraction in development is open, you would never go because there's always something coming down the line.

Plus, people go when they can and Disney opens themselves up to this kind of criticism if they're opening up the lands early without the headliner.

We’re talking about just a few months to wait for the actual headliner of a land. If I was coming from that far I would wait those few months.

Since the industry trades are calling this land a flop now, its a flop with no excuses.

Can we start putting blame on LucasFilm as well or will the ardent defenders still grasp at straws? A lot of Star Wars stuff seems to be crumbling post “you know what movie” and now the theme park land too which many thought would be a sure win due to how popular the parks are anyway.

I still think we need to see what it’s like once Rise opens though. Having the headliner could change everything. Avatar had its headliner at opening and was very successful. Still is.

 

[rhino4evr]

Can we start putting blame on LucasFilm as well or will the ardent defenders still grasp at straws? A lot of Star Wars stuff seems to be crumbling post “you know what movie” and now the theme park land too which many thought would be a sure win due to how popular the parks are anyway.

I still think we need to see what it’s like once Rise opens though. Having the headliner could change everything. Avatar had its headliner at opening and was very successful. Still is.

I think there are a number of factors that are contributing to lower than normal attendance. However, it seems obvious now that the franchise name alone didn't bring in the crowds as they originally thought it would. The lack of interactivity and the Falcon ride getting mixed reviews doesn't help.
However, if I was going to put a finger on one main reason...is that the general public is smarter than a lot of people think. I really do think many families are waiting until Rise opens before visiting. Part of that is due to the sheer cost of a Disney Vacation (which is another big factor).
Personally, I'm thinking of waiting until the Mickey Mouse ride opens.

Pandora continues to be popular, because it's an excellent ride (despite some opinions on here), and it's also in a park that lacks many "excellent" rides. It also has terrible capacity, so those long lines are slightly inflated by the ride ops, similar to Hagrids.

Its HIGHLY possible, that the new show Mandalorian and the new movie may jump start this land as well. Depending on how well they are received.

If I was Disney, I would start putting that Mandalorian casting call, to get a walk around character ASAP.

 

[Spaulding]

So why go now?

Because we wanted to? We didn't go for Galaxys Edge. we actually booked for now because we thought it would NOT be open until later in the year.

 

[Mike S]

I think there are a number of factors that are contributing to lower than normal attendance. However, it seems obvious now that the franchise name alone didn't bring in the crowds as they originally thought it would. The lack of interactivity and the Falcon ride getting mixed reviews doesn't help.
However, if I was going to put a finger on one main reason...is that the general public is smarter than a lot of people think. I really do think many families are waiting until Rise opens before visiting. Part of that is due to the sheer cost of a Disney Vacation (which is another big factor).
Personally, I'm thinking of waiting until the Mickey Mouse ride opens.

Pandora continues to be popular, because it's an excellent ride (despite some opinions on here), and it's also in a park that lacks many "excellent" rides. It also has terrible capacity, so those long lines are slightly inflated by the ride ops, similar to Hagrids.

Its HIGHLY possible, that the new show Mandalorian and the new movie may jump start this land as well. Depending on how well they are received.

If I was Disney, I would start putting that Mandalorian casting call, to get a walk around character ASAP.

I wasn’t only talking about line length when referencing Pandora. As I remember it it exceeded all expectations with merch sales and food/beverage as well. Anyone know how the Star Wars stuff is selling?

DHS has the same problem with lack of rides as AK so what’s the deal?

 

[rhino4evr]

I wasn’t only talking about line length when referencing Pandora. As I remember it it exceeded all expectations with merch sales and food/beverage as well. Anyone know how the Star Wars stuff is selling?

DHS has the same problem with lack of rides as AK so what’s the deal?

I think the merch should be doing just fine given the attendance. They just don't have the attendance they were expecting, so sales may be down based on those original estimates.

I'd also argue that DHS has some of the best rides in the whole resort. There may not be many rides, but the ones that are there are pretty good.

Finally, the capacity of the Falcon ride has to be taken into account. It's a people eater.


If Rise , the new movie/Tv Show, don't bring the crowds...then yes...biggest blunder in Disney history as far as I'm concerned.

 

[jrn14]

Yeah I'm just a single guy and not a HUGE Star Wars fan, but if I had the wife and two kids and was a fan I can't imagine saying "Let's spend $4,000 to go see the unfinished Star Wars land now!!!! and see the rest (better ride) in 2 years when we can afford another trip"

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I think we'll be at better judgement of this entire lands performance come December. The final Star Wars movie (as most people know it) will be released, their brand new, state of the art ride is opening, and one of the highest budgeted tv shows debuting on Disney+. If they can't get crowd this winter/spring, I genuinely don't know when they'll come. As a major Star Wars fan, and to clarify not a Disney hater, I am getting worried how quickly Disney is killing the Star Wars brand since The Force Awakens. Solo and The Last Jedi really did some long lasting damage to the brand. As a fan its upsetting for sure.

Really hoping Rise just crushes it! Preview this Thursday on GMA

 

[quinnmac000]

Its probably unlikely a majority of people are waiting until Rise opens because we are making the assumption people do research before traveling when we already have anecdotal evidence from Castmembers asking them where is Harry Potter when they go to Hollywood Studios. I believe there is a small minority of people who were waiting for Rise to open but its not as substantial as people believe.

I'm in the firm camp that we as people essentially place ourselves in echo chambers which amplifies certain views and opinions which do not necessary reflect the holistic picture of society as a whole. While Star Wars did massively well in the box office, you are missing the biggest aspect which benefits Pandora, which benefited the first opening of Potter and so much more. Pandora was a worldwide hit which succeeded everywhere. Potter also was a worldwide phenomenon. For Potter, it first opened at Potter at USF was the first Potter ever to open which created huge demand, followed by USJ, which was huge, then we saw softness at USH after it already was open for multiple years at two key hubs that allowed multiple demographics from around the world to experience at multiple locations potentially closer to their homes and earlier effecting the opening at USH. Pandora is only available at DAK and no where else so if you wanted to go the only place you could go is Animal Kingdom which essentially helps boost crowds for that land. SWGE you essentially split the two audiences between two locations by opening three months apart from each other. Distribution of crowds is going to effect the amount of people in each park which is going to effect the outlook on the lands.

Star Wars main audience is Europeans and North Americans who grew up with the series and their children. The new films already showed the extreme disinterest in Asia and Africa with softness in South America despite being box office mega hits in the US and Europe. But while we know the film is mega-hits in these areas, we are basing that off box office receipts of money made and not based on tickets sold/location of tickets sold.

Why does that matter? Because we are assuming many of those persons who are going to the films are the same demographics who go to theme parks and/or have the disposable income to go to the theme park and spend a lot of merch. Its the same issue the industry trades and theater distributors made this week with the belief that senior citizens don't go to movies being proven wrong with Downton Abbey overperforming expectations with angry senior citizens showing up angry that theaters weren't showing it and/or it was sold out. Disney made the wrong analysis not fully looking at Star Wars audiences that coincide with theme parkgoers. I also believe Disney thought the Star Wars Weekend crowds would also love Star Wars Land not realizing that they damaged their standing within that fanbase community.

Lastly, I don't think the Mandalorian and the upcoming film necessarily is going to save GE, and I think its not wise to rely on that. Analytics show that only 21% of Netflix subscribers in the US are interested in getting Disney+ (11% are interested in HBO MAX and 10% in Peacock for reference) and the assumption that they are subscribing for that show in particular may lead to even more false assumptions. An additional Disney+ analytic survey showed that the products people are most excited for to watch on Disney+ in the US and Canada were The Simpsons, Star Wars Rebels, Mickey Mouse Club, Ducktales, and Andi Mack....in that exact order. Lastly, the trades haven't even tried to put tracking estimates for the upcoming film however we can generally gauge interest most likely on Oct 14 when I expect Disney to allow ticket pre-ordering. (For reference, the other two preorder dates were in October on Mondays tied into Monday Night Football)

 

[Parkscope Joe]

My leading theory right now is Disney got arrogant thinking the names “Star Wars” and “Disney” alone would drive people to the parks. They thought they were owed this after Universal’s success with Potter. Expensive offerings, ticket price increases, “we don’t have to advertise”, etc. It’s a larger problem with Disney thinking they are above the markets they are competing in. They desperately want the parks to be anything but theme parks.

I don’t think we can wait till December to judge because late December is always busy. It’s be of bigger note if late December was not busy.

 

[jrn14]

Its probably unlikely a majority of people are waiting until Rise opens because we are making the assumption people do research before traveling when we already have anecdotal evidence from Castmembers asking them where is Harry Potter when they go to Hollywood Studios. I believe there is a small minority of people who were waiting for Rise to open but its not as substantial as people believe.

By this logic people wouldn't even know a new Star Wars land is opening so.....

 

[quinnmac000]

By this logic people wouldn't even know a new Star Wars land is opening so.....

I believe on the magical site, a few people had anecdotal stories that people they knew were unaware Galaxy Edge even existed or that it was open....remember cable/broadcast television watching which is a brunt of advertising is at a low and thanks to streaming videos and ad blocks not everyone is exposed to ads which would let them know hey Disney is opening Star Wars based land.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

My leading theory right now is Disney got arrogant thinking the names “Star Wars” and “Disney” alone would drive people to the parks. They thought they were owed this after Universal’s success with Potter. Expensive offerings, ticket price increases, “we don’t have to advertise”, etc. It’s a larger problem with Disney thinking they are above the markets they are competing in. They desperately want the parks to be anything but theme parks.

I don’t think we can wait till December to judge because late December is always busy. It’s be of bigger note if late December was not busy.

I believe this the most. Heck, Iger joked he could just tweet "Its open" the crowds could come. Too much arrogance thats turned me off from Disney a little bit. Makes me not really feel bad for some of these execs. I do think Rise will bring more attention to the land if the ride is A+. Falcoln seems fun but not a ride that will bring in crowds. This January-April I think is going to be a good test.

 

[jrn14]

I don't know...Maybe I'm in a bubble but everyone I know who goes to the Orlando Parks semi-regularly or for that one lifetime trip seems to do a lot of research. There is sooooo much out there about trip planning. I feel like the ... "Is this Hollywood Studios or Universal Studios?" crowd is more the fringe exception. I worked at Hollywood Studios in 2007 and I encountered such questions, but they were pretty few and far between.

Even if some members of the party (Uncle Joey) have no idea what's going on .. usually there is someone in his party grabbing him by the hand with a militaristic itinerary dragging him to their next fast pass appointment.

I mean I think most people in general aren't interested in a theme park vacation, or think it's well beyond what they can afford on a vacation.

 

[Mad Dog]

Its probably unlikely a majority of people are waiting until Rise opens because we are making the assumption people do research before traveling when we already have anecdotal evidence from Castmembers asking them where is Harry Potter when they go to Hollywood Studios. I believe there is a small minority of people who were waiting for Rise to open but its not as substantial as people believe.

I'm in the firm camp that we as people essentially place ourselves in echo chambers which amplifies certain views and opinions which do not necessary reflect the holistic picture of society as a whole. While Star Wars did massive well in the box office, you are missing the biggest aspect which benefits Pandora, which benefited the first opening of Potter and so much more. Pandora was a worldwide hit which succeeded everywhere. Potter also was a worldwide phenomenon. For Potter, it first opened at Potter at USF was the first Potter ever to open which created huge demand, followed by USJ, which was huge, then we saw softness at USH after it already was open for multiple years at two key hubs that allowed multiple demographics from around the world to experience at multiple locations potentially closer to their homes and earlier effecting the opening at USH. Pandora is only available at DAK and no where else so if you wanted to go the only place you could go is Animal Kingdom which essentially helps boost crowds for that land. SWGE you essentially split the two audiences between two locations by opening three months apart from each other. Distribution of crowds is going to effect the amount of people in each park which is going to effect the outlook on the lands.

Star Wars main audience is Europeans and North Americans who grew up with the series and their children. The new films already showed the extreme disinterest in Asia and Africa with softness in South America despite being box office mega hits in the US and Europe. But while we know the film is mega-hits in these areas, we are basing that off box office receipts of money made and not based on tickets sold/location of tickets sold.

Why does that matter? Because we are assuming many of those persons who are going to the films are the same demographics who go to theme parks and/or have the disposable income to go to the theme park and spend a lot of merch. Its the same issue the industry trades and theater distributors made this week with the belief that senior citizens don't go to movies being proven wrong with Downton Abbey overperforming expectations with angry senior citizens showing up angry that theaters weren't showing it and/or it was sold out. Disney made the wrong analysis not fully looking at Star Wars audiences that coincide with theme parkgoers. I also believe Disney thought the Star Wars Weekend crowds would also love Star Wars Land not realizing that they damaged their standing within that fanbase community.

Lastly, I don't think the Mandalorian and the upcoming film necessarily is going to save GE, and I think its not wise to rely on that. Analytics show that only 21% of Netflix subscribers in the US are interested in getting Disney+ (11% are interested in HBO MAX and 10% in Peacock for reference) and the assumption that they are subscribing for that show in particular may lead to even more false assumptions. An additional Disney+ analytic survey showed that the products people are most excited for to watch on Disney+ in the US and Canada were The Simpsons, Star Wars Rebels, Mickey Mouse Club, Ducktales, and Andi Mack....in that exact order. Lastly, the trades haven't even tried to put tracking estimates for the upcoming film however we can generally gauge interest most likely on Oct 14 when I expect Disney to allow ticket pre-ordering. (For reference, the other two preorder dates were in October on Mondays tied into Monday Night Football)

Some pretty good points....and to add to the StarWars story, I still recall when I was at DHS on the day Star Tours Two opened. Disney anticipated huge crowds with temporary queues crisscrossing the entire Streets of America area. Guess what. Nobody showed up for that either. The line for the ride wasn't any more than the regular queue.....and lets be serious here , Disney has recognized that this land has been a flop by cutting cutting cutting lots of entertainment, staff , executives/management, and their President in charge of WDW & Disneyland. Plus starting a new marketing blitz. Those are all obvious panic decisions.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Id think they don't have great December sales outlook if they're already letting go people high up before Rise even opens, can't be a good sign. Recession, not changing your prices, ya it may be a weird few years at Disney. I certainly don't expect much investment past Epcot honestly. This is their biggest expansion ever and its flopped, they'll be hesitant to do anything else id imagine.

 

[jrn14]

The crazy thing is I feel like the parks all the way through Spring this year were so insanely crowded and have been for the past years... Do we think the pricing has just hit the tipping point, or the recession is imminent?