Universal's New Park/Site B Blue Sky Thread

[quinnmac000]

A Studio Ghibli land of some sort could definately work in USJ, but probably not in the US.

The hype for most of Dreamworks stuff is so meh for me as their track record is just poor compared to Pixar. I guess if it makes enough money it might be worth a ride, but a lot of the Dreamworks/Illumination stuff just feels forced when it comes to rides because you have the IP and gotta use it compared to the quality.

First statement is false....hints why they can charge 60 dollar passes for movies that are over ten years old.
STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2017 Series Pass Now Available at Regal – Regal Entertainment Group

with HTTYD going to IOA. That only leaves the Middle Kingdom with Po or Shrek for fourth park for unique landscapes. I don't think Croods and Caveman translate to theme parks very well unless it is the Flintstones like which the show and the movie don't portray at all

 

[Nick]

...with HTTYD going to IOA. That only leaves the Middle Kingdom with Po or Shrek for fourth park for unique landscapes. I don't think Croods and Caveman translate to theme parks very well unless it is the Flintstones like which the show and the movie don't portray at all

Don't get ahead of yourself, nothing has been decided when it comes to HTTYD yet. Remember when we almost got Mt. Crumpit or the JP Coaster? Credible rumors pop up all the time and the higher ups change their minds all the time.

 

[Mad Dog]

Don't get ahead of yourself, nothing has been decided when it comes to HTTYD yet. Remember when we almost got Mt. Crumpit or the JP Coaster? Credible rumors pop up all the time and the higher ups change their minds all the time.

Yep. We have to wait for the light to turn green. :thumbsup:...But it's a promising first step.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

The Summer Blockbuster Season has become an expensive and exhausting endeavor for movie goers. Studios are finding that if they actually want their film to get attention, DON'T release it during the Summer Blockbuster Season, lest they get lost in the masses.

The 5X bonus for the chase freedom card this summer was movies, too bad most suck.

 

[Cheezbat]

Don't get ahead of yourself, nothing has been decided when it comes to HTTYD yet. Remember when we almost got Mt. Crumpit or the JP Coaster? Credible rumors pop up all the time and the higher ups change their minds all the time.

I still want both of those rides. Neither of those Lands has gotten any real love in ages.

 

[captainmoch]

I still want both of those rides. Neither of those Lands has gotten any real love in ages.

You know, none of the lands in IOA besides Harry Potter and technically Marvel have gotten any love since the park opened, not counting stuff like Storm Force Acceleration that technically came a year after park open. And I say "technically" for Marvel because all it has gotten is two upgrades that keep the rides essentially the same. Marvel and JP are some of the hottest properties right now yet have gotten nothing. Toon Lagoon was dated upon conception yet is still here, exactly the same, almost 20 years later. Lost Continent was butchered when cut in half and is only just now getting considered for a full replacement. IMO, IOA really needs love like USF has gotten, especially before Park 3 opens.

 

[Cheezbat]

You know, none of the lands in IOA besides Harry Potter and technically Marvel have gotten any love since the park opened, not counting stuff like Storm Force Acceleration that technically came a year after park open. And I say "technically" for Marvel because all it has gotten is two upgrades that keep the rides essentially the same. Marvel and JP are some of the hottest properties right now yet have gotten nothing. Toon Lagoon was dated upon conception yet is still here, exactly the same, almost 20 years later. Lost Continent was butchered when cut in half and is only just now getting considered for a full replacement. IMO, IOA really needs love like USF has gotten, especially before Park 3 opens.

Oh I know. I'm selfish. I want new stuff I'm all the lands!

 

[graspthesun]

2 quick things:

I think Lego Ninjago Movie is going to kill in the box office and Croods 2 won't stack up. I think any sequel is going to have a hard time matching the juggernaut that Lego is right now.

Isn't Studio Ghibli tied to Disney? I know their film distribution is with them.

 

[quinnmac000]

2 quick things:

I think Lego Ninjago Movie is going to kill in the box office and Croods 2 won't stack up. I think any sequel is going to have a hard time matching the juggernaut that Lego is right now.

Isn't Studio Ghibli tied to Disney? I know their film distribution is with them.

Not anymore. Studio Ghibli last 3 films are distributed by GKids and Universal in the US.

 

[fryoj]

2 quick things:

I think Lego Ninjago Movie is going to kill in the box office and Croods 2 won't stack up. I think any sequel is going to have a hard time matching the juggernaut that Lego is right now.

Isn't Studio Ghibli tied to Disney? I know their film distribution is with them.

Eh, I wouldn't call Lego a juggernaut. Batman did 30%+ worse than the first lego Movie and the toys flat out didn't sell leading to a pretty big layoff. Ninjago is more niche than Batman, so I'd expect it to do even worse in theaters. The only thing it has going for it is a complete lack of competition for kids movies right now in theaters. It'll do solid numbers out of lack of choices, but a juggernaut it is not.

 

[zg44]

One other major factor in September's favor in the future: China. China blocks off a part of the July/August window from foreign competition in favor of local movies. So if you want to do a worldwide same-day release, September makes more sense than August going forward.

In fact, given that Shrek reboot and Kung Fu Panda 4 aren't on the calendar yet, I'd guess that they'll be positioned in 2022 or 2023, so that KFP4 can do a worldwide premiere in Universal Beijing.

Regardless, I think DreamWorks is taking a smart risk here in trying to lockdown September as its 2nd annual slot; we'll see what happens though. Everest and Spooky Jack could be hit-or-miss, but I think Croods 2 will be a $500m worldwide movie.

 

[Mad Dog]

One other major factor in September's favor in the future: China. China blocks off a part of the July/August window from foreign competition in favor of local movies. So if you want to do a worldwide same-day release, September makes more sense than August going forward.

In fact, given that Shrek reboot and Kung Fu Panda 4 aren't on the calendar yet, I'd guess that they'll be positioned in 2022 or 2023, so that KFP4 can do a worldwide premiere in Universal Beijing.

Regardless, I think DreamWorks is taking a smart risk here in trying to lockdown September as its 2nd annual slot; we'll see what happens though. Everest and Spooky Jack could be hit-or-miss, but I think Croods 2 will be a $500m worldwide movie.

You could be on to something there. Universal's movies this year, percentage wise, performed better than the competition in international markets. Universal's foreign take was coming in at the high 60's and even 70's % of their total box office. Whereas the other studios were more in the 50/50 range. So they may be counting on their strong international distribution network to separate them from other studios.

 

[zg44]

You could be on to something there. Universal's movies this year, percentage wise, performed better than the competition in international markets. Universal's foreign take was coming in at the high 60's and even 70's % of their total box office. Whereas the other studios were more in the 50/50 range. So they may be counting on their strong international distribution network to separate them from other studios.

Yeah, that's one thing that's sort of unique for Universal compared to the other top studios, they aren't relying on comic book movies which typically aim for 40-50% US out of overall gross. The live action franchises Jurassic and Fast and the Furious both are heavily dependent on foreign grosses.

And for animation, Illumination and Dreamworks have both had a tendency to draw only 25-35% from US in the past 5 years for their hits. We saw with Shrek, Madagscar, Kung Fu Panda, etc. how foreign grosses went from 50-55% of their first movies to 65-70% of their latest sequels. Despicable Me/Minions have been like that as well.

So it all adds up to the current result where it makes sense to focus on finding the best dates on the calendar for global releases and spacing it out so that Illumination and Dreamworks can combine to launch a movie every season.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

You could be on to something there. Universal's movies this year, percentage wise, performed better than the competition in international markets. Universal's foreign take was coming in at the high 60's and even 70's % of their total box office. Whereas the other studios were more in the 50/50 range. So they may be counting on their strong international distribution network to separate them from other studios.

Actually, you're pretty much right on this. Their splits this year have been really good in favor of overseas (Domestic/Overseas; also not counting The Great Wall because Uni only distributed it here):

F8: 18/82
The Mummy: 20/80
DM3: 26/74
Fifty Shades: 30/70
A Dog's Purpose: 33/67
Split: 50/50 (pretty much evenly split )
Atomic Blonde: 54/46
Get Out: 70/30
Girls Trip: 86/14

Even the smaller Focus films have had 50%+ overseas shares.

 

[quinnmac000]

Actually, you're pretty much right on this. Their splits this year have been really good in favor of overseas (Domestic/Overseas; also not counting The Great Wall because Uni only distributed it here):

F8: 18/82
The Mummy: 20/80
DM3: 26/74
Fifty Shades: 30/70
A Dog's Purpose: 33/67
Split: 50/50 (pretty much evenly split )
Atomic Blonde: 54/46
Get Out: 70/30
Girls Trip: 86/14

Even the smaller Focus films have had 50%+ overseas shares.

You can say they are making Universal films.....

 

[Donald Razorduck]

Just going to throw this out there on Pokemon. Seems World of Adventure has IP rights usage as well

Attractions Management - Exclusive: Worlds of Adventure CEO reveals five year plan, including overseas expansion...

 

[Mike S]

Just going to throw this out there on Pokemon. Seems World of Adventure has IP rights usage as well

Attractions Management - Exclusive: Worlds of Adventure CEO reveals five year plan, including overseas expansion...

Might be restricted to just Dubai though.

 

[JungleSkip]

Might be restricted to just Dubai though.

There's no way they have exclusive worldwide rights.

 

[Andysol]

Have you seen HTTYD? It's just as good as any Pixar movie.

There are so many more tangibles outside of "good" in terms of quality of film. It might even be the least likely qualifier. It's certainly a better film than despicable me- but which is more marketable? Likewise, Cars is arguably the weakest of the Pixar films yet it's a beast in terms of merchandise. Superior films like Up, Wall-E, Rat, etc can't even compare.

A good theme park land is also separate. Cars, again, is a great land.

So in summary: marketability, popularity and a thematically sound land will outweigh what was a good movie any day of the week. It doesn't need to be a good movie to be a successful land, although it doesn't hurt.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

There are so many more tangibles outside of "good" in terms of quality of film. It might even be the least likely qualifier. It's certainly a better film than despicable me- but which is more marketable? Likewise, Cars is arguably the weakest of the Pixar films yet it's a beast in terms of merchandise. Superior films like Up, Wall-E, Rat, etc can't even compare.

A good theme park land is also separate. Cars, again, is a great land.

So in summary: marketability, popularity and a thematically sound land will outweigh what was a good movie any day of the week. It doesn't need to be a good movie to be a successful land, although it doesn't hurt.

Disney could have built a whole park around just Pixar IPs