The Future of MIB

[belloq87]

I would refrain from saying that till VillainCon opens. We don't know what it looks like or what exactly is, so its not fair to presume that it will be an "adequate substitute" just because its going to be a shooter ride.

To be clear, we agree. I do not think it will be anything close to MIB's level, for a whole variety of reasons.

 

[shiekra38]

I fear this attraction has a 3 minute pre show and a 1:50-2 minute ride experience.

I still think this attraction is going to give off this energy

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I still think this attraction is going to give off this energy

I’ll never disagree with your take here :agree:

 

[Freak]

My $.02 here.

I personally don't know of any other shooting ride that's as good as MIB. The only thing that comes even remotely close to me would be Justice League at SFMM....that is, when everything on that ride works. For me what makes the ride so great is how the cars spin for some added thrill while you're shooting at the targets. Though the ride is kinda light on awesome special effects and the practical effects are kinda simple, the shooting aspect and thrill from the spin is what really makes it fun.

Although if we're being brutally honest with ourselves, as fun as the ride is....it's definitely seen better days. Compared to the other rides at the resort, it's kinda dated. It would absolutely benefit from an update, but being that the ride is kinda randomly placed where it is and it takes up a ton of space, I can't really fault them for wanting to get rid of it.

Truth be told, if a better version of MIB were to come to Studios that did all of the things MIB is capable of but does it better, I wouldn't mind if they closed MIB for expansion, but for that reason only. I don't want some crummy Buzz Lightyear-level omniomover ride, I want a full-fledged E-ticket shooting ride that will make me fairly dizzy. What other IP could come close to what MIB could provide?

Ghostbusters. Instead of giving it a cheap overlay of MIB, tear down MIB for a future expansion and put a Ghostbusters ride in the NY area where it belongs. They can do it with better effects, better vehicle motion, better shooting dynamics, all at a fraction of the space and in a place where it actually belongs. Just have the queue and gift shops on the first floor and the full ride on the second floor. A Ghostbusters ride, I think at least, would make a great fit for USF and would love to see it.

But if a Ghostbusters ride can't happen, then MIB needs to stay. That stupid Minions escalator with guns ain't gonna cut it.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

My $.02 here.

I personally don't know of any other shooting ride that's as good as MIB. The only thing that comes even remotely close to me would be Justice League at SFMM....that is, when everything on that ride works. For me what makes the ride so great is how the cars spin for some added thrill while you're shooting at the targets. Though the ride is kinda light on awesome special effects and the practical effects are kinda simple, the shooting aspect and thrill from the spin is what really makes it fun.

Although if we're being brutally honest with ourselves, as fun as the ride is....it's definitely seen better days. Compared to the other rides at the resort, it's kinda dated. It would absolutely benefit from an update, but being that the ride is kinda randomly placed where it is and it takes up a ton of space, I can't really fault them for wanting to get rid of it.

Truth be told, if a better version of MIB were to come to Studios that did all of the things MIB is capable of but does it better, I wouldn't mind if they closed MIB for expansion, but for that reason only. I don't want some crummy Buzz Lightyear-level omniomover ride, I want a full-fledged E-ticket shooting ride that will make me fairly dizzy. What other IP could come close to what MIB could provide?

Ghostbusters. Instead of giving it a cheap overlay of MIB, tear down MIB for a future expansion and put a Ghostbusters ride in the NY area where it belongs. They can do it with better effects, better vehicle motion, better shooting dynamics, all at a fraction of the space and in a place where it actually belongs. Just have the queue and gift shops on the first floor and the full ride on the second floor. A Ghostbusters ride, I think at least, would make a great fit for USF and would love to see it.

But if a Ghostbusters ride can't happen, then MIB needs to stay. That stupid Minions escalator with guns ain't gonna cut it.

The problem is Mario Kart will be a thing.

 

[Freak]

The problem is Mario Kart will be a thing.

Does it spin as fast as MIB? Is it going in USF? Will the shooting dynamics be similar?

*Bare in mind I have yet to watch the MK POV*

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Does it spin as fast as MIB? Is it going in USF? Will the shooting dynamics be similar?

*Bare in mind I have yet to watch the MK POV*

No, but eventually, I can see the execs thinking “they’re a bit similar and one is older and a less popular IP, lets built ____ there”.

Not saying I’d agree, just thinking the thought process.

 

[Nico]

I dunno if I
1. Qualify MK as a shooter.
2. Think one shooter in a 3 park resort is enough.

 

[Alicia]

I dunno if I
1. Qualify MK as a shooter.
2. Think one shooter in a 3 park resort is enough.

Like, all you can do is shoot on that ride. It’s not like get to steer or choose where to go. Constantly firing shells feels like a shooter to me.

But yea, you can never have too many shooter rides. They have such good reridability.

 

[Nico]

Like, all you can do is shoot on that ride. It’s not like get to stead or choose where to go. Constantly firing shells feels like a shooter to me.

But yea, you can never have too many shooter rides. They have such good reridability.

Thats a good point. I guess in my mind currently the qualifier of dark ride goes before shooter. That is most likely to change once I ride.

 

[Alicia]

Thats a good point. I guess in my mind currently the qualifier of dark ride goes before shooter. That is most likely to change once I ride.

I mean, MiB is a dark ride too. It’s just an element of it. And both pretty much have you firing at something the whole time

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Like, all you can do is shoot on that ride. It’s not like get to steer or choose where to go. Constantly firing shells feels like a shooter to me.

But yea, you can never have too many shooter rides. They have such good reridability.

Do executives feel this way?

To clarify, I don’t, but do they want people who said type ride to go to designated parks? Maybe I’m over thinking it.

 

[Nico]

Do executives feel this way?

To clarify, I don’t, but do they want people who said type ride to go to designated parks? Maybe I’m over thinking it.

I don’t know about the current batch of execs, but there was a rumor a while back on the forums that Woodbury was purposely doing screen work in Studios because he wanted that to be the park’s vision. I don’t know how much I believe that, but based on recent additions I guess it’s possible. To your point, studios hasn’t had a boat ride since Jaws and we didn’t really see anyone running to rectify that.

I would assume they recognize areas of opportunity, most likely because of guest satisfaction. Im always curious what they view as a “well-balanced park” and how that may shift when the third park is further away from the current resort.

Let me try to dig up that post.

Edit: This was from @Mad Dog back in September.

According to a couple insiders, Woodbury actually had a vision, or somewhat a plan, for USF, namely all screen attractions....but then there was the backlash to too many screens, and now
USF is out of balance.

All that being said, we know they consider what type of ride should belong/be added there. But we have never seen evidence that they are again interested in shooters until this current moment. I.E. Minions and MK.

 

[shiekra38]

Do executives feel this way?

To clarify, I don’t, but do they want people who said type ride to go to designated parks? Maybe I’m over thinking it.

Evidence from HP and SNW suggests that they are keen on pushing interactivity in the parks

Granted, those two IPs lend themselves well to that kind of thing

Still though, it seems like they are interested in attractions that guests can interact with in a creative way

Whether or not MIB as it is now fits into that vision is another discussion

However, I feel like GSATs tell MIB's full story to the "executives"

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I don’t know about the current batch of execs, but there was a rumor a while back on the forums that Woodbury was purposely doing screen work in Studios because he wanted that to be the park’s vision. I don’t know how much I believe that, but based on recent additions I guess it’s possible. To your point, studios hasn’t had a boat ride since Jaws and we didn’t really see anyone running to rectify that.

I would assume they recognize areas of opportunity, most likely because of guest satisfaction. Im always curious what they view as a “well-balanced park” and how that may shift when the third park is further away from the current resort.

Let me try to dig up that post.

Edit: This was from @Mad Dog back in September.



All that being said, we know they consider what type of ride should belong/be added there. But we have never seen evidence that they are again interested in shooters until this current moment. I.E. Minions and MK.

So here’s how I understand the process…

They look at satisfaction scores, yes, but it’s important in any marketing function not to judge scores like that in a vacuum. You have to consider other operational factors like weather, downtimes, and of course, wait times (which actually would indicate a ride is doing well despite having a negative impact on ratings). So MIB’s scores themselves may indicate one thing, but the park will consider whether or not this is because people like that it’s an interactive shooter or that it doesn’t go down that often and has manageable lines compared to other rides in the park. The way they view this really will determine how likely they are to move forward with building rides like that in the future.

For rides that aren’t complete home runs in the satisfaction score department, they’ll do an audit for downtime, maintenance costs, and customer sentiment (via social media and the customer service department). A ride averaging a score in the <50th percentile could be considered for removal if it has prohibitively high maintenance costs weighed against the impact on the customer experience if it was removed (and again, figuring if these low scores are a result of outside factors beyond the quality of the ride itself).

I have no inside knowledge on this, but I would guess Sinbad is the perfect example—a so-so show that wasn’t scoring low enough to remove right away but not good enough to make a splash on social media if it left (and too expensive to maintain relative to its perception among the general public). I’d also guess that the reason we have SO many screen rides is because Spider-Man, Transformers, and FJ do bonkers on all fronts (satisfaction, efficiency, and qualitative data) and UO just got carried away trying to replicate them (and then had a come-to-Jesus moment when the new simulators starting with Kong opened to lukewarm reception).

 

[belloq87]

and then had a come-to-Jesus moment when the new simulators starting with Kong opened to lukewarm reception.

Remains to be seen if this moment actually happened (or sunk in if it did).

 

[DodgsonHere]

Remains to be seen if this moment actually happened (or sunk in if it did).

Hagrid's, Velocicoaster, and SLoP all seem to point in a good direction, still have yet to see Villain-Con and EU though.

 

[belloq87]

Hagrid's, Velocicoaster, and SLoP all seem to point in a good direction, still have yet to see Villain-Con and EU though.

Those are fair datapoints.

When they build a new dark ride like SLOP (or even grander) in USF, I will fully believe it.

 

[Nico]

Those are fair datapoints.

When they build a new dark ride like SLOP (or even grander) in USF, I will fully believe it.

@belloq87 You changing your mind on all this - I’ll need to see it to believe

 

[belloq87]

@belloq87 You changing your mind on all this - I’ll need to see it to believe

I really don't think I'm asking for very much!