I think we’re already getting a taste with a focus on more original content, understanding that worthwhile IPs are becoming hard to come by.
The return of Bill and Ted and/or a viable new entertainment offering.
The Old HHN 30 Speculation Thread (2020)
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The return of Bill and Ted and/or a viable new entertainment offering.
Are there any “huge” IPs out there for them to get?
An angle we haven't really been looking at is the fact that maybe they don't need giant IPs to draw in huge crowds this year.
It's Year 30, the past few years have been huge successes to the point where people are saying there are too many people at the event. We keep talking about the lack of huge IPs going forward. Maybe in the next couple years they're going to let off the gas a little bit and let more franchises be created/open themselves up, rights wise. Universal is in a much different place than it was back in '08, and HHN is no longer the all-important backbone of the resort like it used to be. Maybe they let EU/Whatever new events they come up with in the future take the forefront for a couple years and give HHN a little time to breath and just let the originals, smaller or repeat IPs, and the inherent HHN brand do the heavy lifting.
Or maybe I'm just going delirious from Cabin Fever and this is all total nonsense. :yawn:
It's Year 30, the past few years have been huge successes to the point where people are saying there are too many people at the event. We keep talking about the lack of huge IPs going forward. Maybe in the next couple years they're going to let off the gas a little bit and let more franchises be created/open themselves up, rights wise. Universal is in a much different place than it was back in '08, and HHN is no longer the all-important backbone of the resort like it used to be. Maybe they let EU/Whatever new events they come up with in the future take the forefront for a couple years and give HHN a little time to breath and just let the originals, smaller or repeat IPs, and the inherent HHN brand do the heavy lifting.
Or maybe I'm just going delirious from Cabin Fever and this is all total nonsense. :yawn:
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You're correct it's no longer the backbone, but they're still going to need to work to get people back after this.
(I am NOT saying I think this crisis is a good thing because I think it will get us more original houses! I'm just trying to take comfort in assuming the worst for this year.)
Of course, Stranger Things 4 could be ready next year, even if at a later time than expected.
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This event started planning, and most houses locked in, before COVID-19 was a thing.
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People are still constructing houses and working from home
I feel like HHN was held at Islands to draw people to Islands after a disappointing opening
IIRC, the reason sweet 16 moved back to studios was both have the “horror comes home” thing and to boost attendance for studios
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You said, “back,” initially. HHN moved to Islands to get people into Islands for the first time, because its opening wasn’t what Universal wanted (the “Universal Escape” debacle didn’t help). So, you’re both right in that regard.
That said, all of this is a completely different situation. Universal had been heavily reliant on original concepts prior to “the Icon years.” Frightanic, Dungeon of Terror, Hell High, Hotel Hell, etc established a well-known precedent. The only real change for HHN from the 90s into the aughts was how it was marketed. They went from generic, original imagery to icons. That was able to change because A&D was given free reign of an event that, single-handedly, kept the resort in the black.
Now, though HHN remains hugely important to their profits, it’s not the only thing carrying the resort. New owners have made its execution more conventional than it was, and A&D’s responsibilities have expanded to support a resort with far more stuff going on. HHN now has 8 years of IP-focused precedence in its marketing, which sets a different expectation.
Most of all, Universal as a resort isn’t what it was and Coronavirus isn’t post-9/11 America. The struggling Universal of 2003 didn’t have Harry Potter, Simpsons, Despicable Me, Nintendo, or eight hotels. Tourist were skittish about modes of transportation being used as weapons of war, rather than pandemic that, once a vaccine is created, basically ends.
Will Universal have to convince people to return? Yes, but not to the extent they needed to from 2002-2007. And the onus won’t be on HHN to do it.
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Fair. I’m hoping that the rumored spec map is a preview of the next few years of the event.
However, it could be several years before a vaccine is ready.
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The event, nor the spec map, never reveals the full picture of the event’s vision. I was never told Sabrina *was* happening; I was told Universal was in negotiations for it. That’s fairly important to know, because if Universal gets it, then it changes the IP/Original ratio.
Universal could have adjusted the 5/5 ratio whenever they’ve wanted. Their burn through of IPs wasn’t a secret. But they didn’t, because they felt 5/5 was the right ratio. By all (rumored) accounts, they tried to get that again.
Don’t pin your HHN hopes on one year. Wait until you can see some sort of trend.
and just to add:
This year's content has been, by and large, untouched by the pandemic. There will be some operational adjustments, because obviously, but everything was pretty much set before it hit the fan. Next year, however, there is a good possibility of some changes; most likely due to budgets and travel trends.
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...and the next two years may have to rely on some older IPs, since there may not be any "new hot ones". So many productions are in limbo right now, and the movie/TV slates for the next year+ won't look anything like it was supposed to three months ago.
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Precisely these are weird times, a lot of productions aren’t slated to start up again until September
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They’re gonna bring in Penny Dreadful.BRING ON HELLRAISER!!!
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BRING ON SCREAM!! (Yes I know the rights are a nightmare).BRING ON HELLRAISER!!!
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Actually....there's another sequel in the early stages. Licensing might still be a little tricky, but not nearly as bad as it has been.
Just picking this up from yesterday:
Nope. Not really. Ignoring securing rights, Scream and Conjuring are pretty much it. The IT ship has passed to really capitalize on it, but still strong enough. Everything else is fine but not Walking Dead/ST/Big 3 Slashers "huge".
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