The Old HHN 30 Speculation Thread (2020)

[Brian G.]

I will say even if Stranger Things was at the bottom of the GSAT scores what sold the most tickets, merchandise, and hotel rooms.. Stranger Things 100%.

Yea, and Transformers 2 made over a billion dollars and is one of the worst films ever made. (Not that ST is that, but my point stands)

I don't think we'll be seeing any decrease in IPs any time soon, even if so many are off the table due to ownership challenges. Look at the park itself, off memory (ie, probably wrong) Rip Rocket is the only ride I can think of that isn't based off a TV or Movie IP, but it could be argued it's a music IP-based ride.

I think people that go to the park specifically expect movie based rides and attractions. I, like most super fans who go every year, really enjoy the originals but let's be honest, we're going no matter what. In order to keep attracting new guests, they need to give them something they want to see. "Scarecrows in a field" or "Mountain Yeti" sound awesome to us knowing full well what Universal is capable of and what they have done in the past, but to Joe Consumer that sounds boring and generic. Sounds like something their local hay ride down the road at home has. "The corn maze down the road has scary scare crows and only costs $35."

But something that has the hottest horror property of the time (Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Stranger Things, etc) or all time classics (The Shining, Exorcist, American Werewolf in London, etc) is worth packing your bags and making a visit to Orlando to attend.

No one is saying 0 IP's though...

 

[jrn14]

Yea, and Transformers 2 made over a billion dollars and is one of the worst films ever made. (Not that ST is that, but my point stands)

Yeah and they made 5 sequels... Thanks for validating my point.

 

[Mad Dog]

Except 2016, 2017, and (to a lesser extent) 2018 all featured a threat from a hurricane and it didn’t impact overall numbers.

But this year the threat of hurricane did, and all the parks were slow, which may well finally be the effect of the cumulative years of 2016, 2017, and 2018 cycle dissuading tourists from traveling to Orlando in September. The calm years are now in the past and this is now a worst than normal weather cycle, which extends through the southeast USA travel states, that says the risk of disruption is real in September. And I'm guessing it will extend through Sept. 2020 or until the bad weather cycle slows down. I, for one, have changed my travel times to Orlando in response to all these recent years of it being a pain in the butt to travel there in September.

 

[Brian G.]

Yeah and they made 5 sequels... Thanks for validating my point.

LOL... OK bad example.

There is just no content to make, dude. Season 4 ain't happening since it won't be done. Season 2-3 was just featured, and if they wanna do a "Best of", do you think they're going to roll out most of the same house that wasn't looked upon favorably? We're not even taking into account how Netflix feels about it, considering how Hollywood was received far worse.

 

[jrn14]

LOL... OK bad example.

There is just no content to make, dude. Season 4 ain't happening since it won't be done. Season 2-3 was just featured, and if they wanna do a "Best of", do you think they're going to roll out most of the same house that wasn't looked upon favorably? We're not even taking into account how Netflix feels about it, considering how Hollywood was received far worse.

Yeah, I actually agree with you .. :grin: It doesn't make sense for ST to come back in 2020.

I just wonder how much they care about GSAT scores vs. attendance/$$$.. In general...

 

[Brian G.]

But this year the threat of hurricane did, and all the parks were slow, which may well finally be the effect of the cumulative years of 2016, 2017, and 2018 cycle dissuading tourists from traveling to Orlando in September. The calm years are now in the past and this is now a worst than normal weather cycle, which extends through the southeast USA travel states, that says the risk of disruption is real in September. And I'm guessing it will extend through Sept. 2020 or until the bad weather cycle slows down. I, for one, have changed my travel times to Orlando in response to all these recent years of it being a pain in the butt to travel there in September.

So the threat of a hurricane did more this year than the threat and actual impact of one in 2017? Sorry, this just doesn't connect. I'd lean more towards a probable indicator of recession/cautious consumer spending than that.

Yeah, I actually agree with you .. :grin: It doesn't make sense for ST to come back in 2020.

I just wonder how much they care about GSAT scores vs. attendance/$$$.. In general...

They'll just move along as they always do and use the next big one. Remember 25 did gangbusters featuring more original merch. As long as they have one marketable IP, and a good selection of merch, they'll be fine.

 

[Darko]

So the threat of a hurricane did more this year than the threat and actual impact of one in 2017? Sorry, this just doesn't connect. I'd lean more towards a probable indicator of recession/cautious consumer spending than that.



They'll just move along as they always do and use the next big one. Remember 25 did gangbusters featuring more original merch. As long as they have one marketable IP, and a good selection of merch, they'll be fine.

This. Just all this.

 

[WasabiRyo]

IPs aren't going away. They're just not. This property or that property can always be untangled once their license is holders see the dollar signs that HHN can potentially bring in. Even for an anniversary year which, contrary to what is apparently popular belief, like to minimize IPs and return to what brung 'em to the dance (except as pointed out several times - 25). Maybe there'll be a balance this year, maybe not. I personally feel they'll back off slightly but not much. But I can't see them repeating properties from 28 or 29. They're running a risk of TWD burnout.

The description of the overseers - Roddy being the dreamer, Aiello being the guy who writes out a how it works, and Kim being the builder - is dead-on with what I used to hear back when I had more connections. We've got a potentially big changeover with Aiello's absence this year. I just kinda want to ride the wave and see where it goes until more concrete info is released. but I'll still have fun specing

 

[BoSoxFan1022]

So based on what some of you guys have said, Scream is a real possibility this year?

 

[WasabiRyo]

So based on what some of you guys have said, Scream is a real possibility this year?

Universal burned some bridges with that Franchise over the years, plus the license holders are all over the place still, I believe. It's a tangled web, but repairable if everyone decides they want to make lots of money and a solid attraction.

 

[Legacy]

So based on what some of you guys have said, Scream is a real possibility this year?

Depends. It’s cleaner than it was because Dimension is (theoretically) out of the picture, but we don’t know if the Craven estate still has a say or what their say could be.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I don't think it'll get back to "A&D-driven" story lines. Marketing may start flirting with it again, especially since the social media team is starting to come into their own with HHN engagements.

The A&D team within Universal is actually smaller and "thinner" now than it was during the icons years. Kim, Roddy, and Mike developed basically every aspect of the icons and their canons. From my understanding, Roddy was the dreamer, Mike the writer, and Kim the builder. None of those three are there anymore. And while Patrick, Charles, and Blake are fully capable, they're also engaged in other stuff outside of Universal. Blake has his comics and Brewtiful Game, Patrick writes for other elements of Universal. Charles is, I think, the only one who does nothing but HHN (which is why his hand is in more houses). It's 3-4 people designing 10 houses, rather than 6-8 people designing 7 houses. They don't have time.

Marketing may (hopefully) start digging into the back-catalog.

That's...disturbing that the A&D team is SMALLER now. Trying to cut budgets? Didn't you say someone else was coming aboard?

THIS is why I don't want an increase in house count.

Apart from this, lots of things posted on this thread today that make me feel excited about next year.

Bumping this again because of the trailer’s release, and I’m standing by my point even more so. Making this into a house would be kinda tasteless.

I doubt it happens for reasons completely unrelated to this, but we're two years removed from The Shining.

 

[Legacy]

That's...disturbing that the A&D team is SMALLER now. Trying to cut budgets? Didn't you say someone else was coming aboard?

THIS is why I don't want an increase in house count.

Just restructured. Not everything is related to budget. The concept art and elevation drawings use to be developed predominantly in house, necessitating a bigger internal team. They’re mostly contracted out to freelancers now. There’s still an internal team that does the CAD work and such, but the show directors are less hands on because they’re doing a lot more park-wide stuff.

The designers are fewer, the workers are more.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Just restructured. Not everything is related to budget. The concept art and elevation drawings use to be developed predominantly in house, necessitating a bigger internal team. They’re mostly contracted out to freelancers now. There’s still an internal team that does the CAD work and such, but the show directors are less hands on because they’re doing a lot more park-wide stuff.

The designers are fewer, the workers are more.

Gotcha. Like I said a lot of stuff posted in this thread today has me thinking "this is too good to be true." I thought for sure management would clamp down hard on originality with a new regime. #InsertHawkeyeGif

 

[Legacy]

Gotcha. Like I said a lot of stuff posted in this thread today has me thinking "this is too good to be true." I thought for sure management would clamp down hard on originality with a new regime. #InsertHawkeyeGif

Patrick has been there a decade. Charles is the least tenured of the HHN team, and he’s been a show director for, like 5/6 years.

EDIT
I also want to clarify I’m referring to the core HHN design team when I refer to it being “thinner.” A&D proper is about the same size.

 

[WasabiRyo]

Blake is reasonably new too, relatively speaking. And Horne has taken more responsibility lately too. So there's a new-ish hand driving that aspect. It's definitely more of a realigning/restructuring than a reduction in staffing or anything due to budget or scapegoating. AFAIK, we don't know who is replacing Aiello as the person the buck stops with... That is, if anyone replaces him at all. We could end up with HHN-by-committee, which could be a good thing since they've worked together for several years now anyway. Our it could be a "too many cooks" situation where there needs to be someone to make the final call when needed.

I'm really curious how it all settles.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Blake is reasonably new too, relatively speaking. And Horne has taken more responsibility lately too. So there's a new-ish hand driving that aspect. It's definitely more of a realigning/restructuring than a reduction in staffing or anything due to budget or scapegoating. AFAIK, we don't know who is replacing Aiello as the person the buck stops with... That is, if anyone replaces him at all. We could end up with HHN-by-committee, which could be a good thing since they've worked together for several years now anyway. Our it could be a "too many cooks" situation where there needs to be someone to make the final call when needed.

I'm really curious how it all settles.

Hhn by comitee wouldnt be so bad.
Could be better that what goes on in hhn hollywood lol.

 

[Brian G.]

Hoping this year, they do something better with the archway; being an "anniversary" year and all.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I always loved the 2007 entrance with the big carnival truck outside.
They even had animal actors out by the arch on some nights. Actors on stilts, i loved that.
2007 had the nicest entrance to the event.
My favorite entrance of all time

 

[Brian G.]

I always loved the 2007 entrance with the big carnival truck outside.
They even had animal actors out by the arch on some nights. Actors on stilts, i loved that.
2007 had the nicest entrance to the event.

I don't think we'll ever get something elaborate, as awesome as it was, since budget - but I would like something other than the same ol' song and dance "medallion and posters".