The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade (Orlando): Part 2

[Vyrus]

^That sounds like my plan exactly on the weekend of the 28th. I'm gonna make a mad dash to Potter land, and straight to FJ.

Here's something, what is the over/under on the amount of times you'll hear people calling the WWOHP, Harry Potter Land? Anyone, anyone?

 

[rhino4evr]

I will be there on Monday the 21st...Im hoping that because its a Monday it will be less crowded..but I have a feeling that it will still be packed due to Potter opening that weekend..and most hardcore people will be taking a few days off work to enjoy it.

 

[Vyrus]

You're definately taking a chance going because there are no guarantees anyone is getting in.

 

[juvenis]

I will be there on Monday the 21st...Im hoping that because its a Monday it will be less crowded..but I have a feeling that it will still be packed due to Potter opening that weekend..and most hardcore people will be taking a few days off work to enjoy it.

I guess it will be over-crowed for the whole first week. :/ We bought 3-day Park-to-Park tickets and will be there on the Grand Opening day and on Saturday 19th and then on Sunday 20th or Monday 21st, don't know which one yet. On Tuesday we are heading south to Miami before flying back to Finland.

 

[rhino4evr]

I guess it will be over-crowed for the whole first week. :/ We bought 3-day Park-to-Park tickets and will be there on the Grand Opening day and on Saturday 19th and then on Sunday 20th or Monday 21st, don't know which one yet. On Tuesday we are heading south to Miami before flying back to Finland.

Wow, you are coming from FInland? That's hardcore! Here I am regretting the 3.5 hour drive from my home. LOL.

Yeah, I wanted to go on Tuesday..but I have to work at a trade show that day. Still it should be "slightly" less crowded by locals on Monday, as it is a school day. Considering it's also Father's Day weekend here in the States, I predict quote a few "extended" weekends.

 

[Vyrus]

Well I'm going memorial day weekend, and I've always heard the crowds aren't ususally too bad anyways because people mainly go to the beach and not the theme parks, so besides HP, there shouldn't (hopefully) be too many crowds that weekend.

 

[Claire-Bear]

We'll be there too on that Monday rhino
At the moment I've scheduled us to go on the Monday and Wednesday after the Grand Opening, then on the following Monday (with hopefully a brief evening trip thrown in too)

 

[juvenis]

Wow, you are coming from FInland? That's hardcore! Here I am regretting the 3.5 hour drive from my home. LOL.

Yeah, I wanted to go on Tuesday..but I have to work at a trade show that day. Still it should be "slightly" less crowded by locals on Monday, as it is a school day. Considering it's also Father's Day weekend here in the States, I predict quote a few "extended" weekends.

Yeah, for us it's "only" a 17-hour flight (with connections in Amsterdam and Atlanta). But I'm sure it'll be worth it!

I think we might be pretty exhausted after spending two whole days in the park, so we might take it easy on Sunday and visit the park again on Monday.

 

[Atticus]

My big question. I wonder if JK gets a cut of all merchandise and HP related food item sold. I can't see how she would pass on these royalties. Thinking it might be like 20%? This could be an(other) absolute gold mine for her.

Some great analysis in this post. The marketing initiative for this park is undoubtedly huge, and there is no doubt (or logical reason against) that Rowling is getting a fine cut of this. It's her baby, after all, and she's a fool to give her characters, world, and story away from free. Otherwise, Universal makes all the chips.

The suggested robe prices aren't surprising to me, nor are the wands. The wands are a bundled good -- much like a dining experience at Rainforest Cafe. A cheeseburger should never cost $13.49 -- unless there are monkeys swinging and yelping above you during a fake thunderstorm. It's a jungle-burger, baby! And so for the $24.99 or whatever you pay for a wand, 3.99 pays for the wand-shop character, 6.99 goes to the effects, 1.99 goes to the peon who sold it to you, 1.99 goes to the decor of the Owlry, 0.99 to the manager in charge of the restaurant, and the rest goes to to Universal and Rowling, chopped however the contract says it should be. Theme parks are basically giant bundled goods, selling you the experience of buying something ordinary under the guise of something special, somePLACE special. If this wasn't true, then we'd all go to I-Drive, just across the interstate, and get all our HP stuff at KNICK-KNACK SUPER STORE! or whatever other "rubber-tomahawk" shop (as my father calls them) you come to first. I bet the guys who got the marketing job had a field day. Every Harry Potter fan in the world would kill for that job!

 

[Vyrus]

If I remember correctly, UO paid JKR a royalty fee to use the characters in the park and create the area. UO I'm sure is paying her a flat rate royalty fee for the area, but I doubt she is getting a percentage of anything in the park. They certainly won't be selling the books in the park since it will take away from the experience, but she's getting paid a good chunk for this.

 

[rhino4evr]

Cool, maybe I will see you. I will be the guy with the orlando united T-shirt complaining to the team members about No Coke Products. LOL...just kidding.

 

[ohhelloarthur]

You're definately taking a chance going because there are no guarantees anyone is getting in.

i'm sure he's speaking of the 21st of june haha

 

[rhino4evr]

If I remember correctly, UO paid JKR a royalty fee to use the characters in the park and create the area. UO I'm sure is paying her a flat rate royalty fee for the area, but I doubt she is getting a percentage of anything in the park. They certainly won't be selling the books in the park since it will take away from the experience, but she's getting paid a good chunk for this.

Wait...you honestly believe JK isn't making money off the merch? Keep dreaming..she will be making money on anything and everything with the Harry Potter logo on it. Guaranteed.

Also..you think they won't have the books? Why? I can see them not only selling the books, but box sets containing all the books..not to mention DVD/Blu Rays of the movies. Why wouldnt they? Pretty sure there is a store in Suess land that sells all the books/movies too.

--- Update ---

Yeah, for us it's "only" a 17-hour flight (with connections in Amsterdam and Atlanta). But I'm sure it'll be worth it!

I think we might be pretty exhausted after spending two whole days in the park, so we might take it easy on Sunday and visit the park again on Monday.

Are you going to see any other parks besides Universal while you are here...Obviously you are huge Potter fans, but to come all this way and not visit Disney one day seems like a missed oppertunity.

IS this your first time in Orlando/Universal/Disney? If it is, have fun!

 

[Atticus]

They certainly won't be selling the books in the park since it will take away from the experience, but she's getting paid a good chunk for this.

Come to think of it...Disney used to sell the Harry Potter books in the gift shop of the Tower of Terror. Doesn't take a genius to bet those aren't there anymore!

 

[Vyrus]

Wait...you honestly believe JK isn't making money off the merch? Keep dreaming..she will be making money on anything and everything with the Harry Potter logo on it. Guaranteed.

Also..you think they won't have the books? Why? I can see them not only selling the books, but box sets containing all the books..not to mention DVD/Blu Rays of the movies. Why wouldnt they? Pretty sure there is a store in Suess land that sells all the books/movies too.

I'm sure she is going to be making some extra money on top of the royalties she is receiving, but the only place they would sell the books and or the movies would be in the main store at the front of the park. Otherwise, its pointless to see the books in Hogsmeade as it would take away from the immersion of actually being there.

 

[Claire-Bear]

In WWOHP they could just class the books as biographies about HP? ound:
Some of the boxed collections wouldn't look horrifically out of place there, like this: http://www.pitt.edu/~bookctr/tradebooks/childrens/potter/9780545044257.jpg

 

[Claymax]

If I remember correctly, UO paid JKR a royalty fee to use the characters in the park and create the area. UO I'm sure is paying her a flat rate royalty fee for the area, but I doubt she is getting a percentage of anything in the park. They certainly won't be selling the books in the park since it will take away from the experience, but she's getting paid a good chunk for this.

Hmm, well I would be astounded if she wasn't getting a cut of the merchandise. To date she has proven to be a master marketer, selling all aspects of Harry Potterdom but rarely cheapening the brand. Knowing how things will sell, I'd bet she gets a share.

Then again, it could be a $xx million for 5 years and we make what we make kind of deal. I'd love to know what the real contract was.

Regardless, I don't begrudge her earning royalties from her creation. Not one bit.

 

[rhino4evr]

I'm sure she is going to be making some extra money on top of the royalties she is receiving, but the only place they would sell the books and or the movies would be in the main store at the front of the park. Otherwise, its pointless to see the books in Hogsmeade as it would take away from the immersion of actually being there.

I think they are taking this "immersion" thing a bit too far if they aren't going to be selling the books that inspired the entire park! It's hard to believe...but there will be thousands of people that ride this that have never read the books (hell, Im one of them)..or seen the movies..that after seeing and riding this "Wizarding" world will want to know more about it ASAP. There will also be people that have seen the movies..but "have always wanted to pick up those books for the kids". There will be kids who will love the ride, and being chosen by the wand, that they will want to read the books as well.

Bottomline, Not selling the books in the gift shop after the FJ will be another huge marketing mistake in my opinion. I would agree though, that Universal will sell the books in the Point of Entry gift shop at the very least. Would be completely asinine not too.

EDIT..regarding wether she gets a cut of the merchandise sold. I would imagine that at the end of the day she gets about 5-10% of the total annual gross. They wouldnt have gone through all the trouble of adding "dust" to the wands, and making sure the items were high in quiality if she wasn't getting some sort of control or cut of it. There is a LOT of exclusive merchandse being offered.

The only way I see her not getting a cut, is if universal made a huge deal to pay her a big portion, just so they could keep all the merchandise (aka..the REAL money) to themselves...still seems highly unlikely and foolishy by her part..as I said the merchandise is where the theme parks make their money, the ticket sales just keep the park running, the $4.00 butter beers and $30 wands is where Universal makes the bank.

 

[Claymax]

The capitalist brain in me can't stop thinking....

Ok, soft drinks are the biggest margin item in fast food and theme parks. Pennies to serve so it's almost all profit.

Now with Butterbeer, they may make it but or source it out to a local bottler but either way it will probably be lots cheaper that Coke syrup.

So when selling a cup for $2.99, they should profit about $2-2.25 per cup after overhead and material costs. Knowing this, I'd have a hard time not wanting a piece of that pie if this were my baby.

 

[rhino4evr]

The capitalist brain in me can't stop thinking....

Ok, soft drinks are the biggest margin item in fast food and theme parks. Pennies to serve so it's almost all profit.

Now with Butterbeer, they may make it but or source it out to a local bottler but either way it will probably be lots cheaper that Coke syrup.

So when selling a cup for $2.99, they should profit about $2-2.25 per cup after overhead and material costs. Knowing this, I'd have a hard time not wanting a piece of that pie if this were my baby.

My guess was $2.80. It probably cost them 20-25 cents to make one cup of butter beer, with materials included.

Right because they make the product, they don't have to pay for distruibutuion costs..and will make a lot more on every butter beer sold, then on every coke...hmm...why did JK insist the park not carry soda again?.......

Universal and JK are going to make a MINT off of this place. Her standing as one of the richest people in the world isn't going anywhere soon.