Pirates Premiere at Disneyland

[wdwendyd]

My teenage daughter, who is anxiously awaiting the release of
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" just told me that the premiere will be shown on Tom Sawyer's Island. I wasn't sure if this was true but I found this write-up on seeing-stars.com:

I am hearing unofficial reports that this premiere will take
place at Disneyland! Yes, the original park in Anaheim,
where the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was first built.

According to these reports (from MiceAge.com), the premiere
will take place on the weekend of June 27-29, 2003. They plan to create
"the world's longest red carpet", stretching from Disneyland's entrance,
up Main Street USA, to the Rivers of America in Frontierland, where
there will be a premiere party, and where bleachers will be set up
for the stars to watch the premiere on a huge screen set up across
the River on Tom Sawyer's Island.

The bad news is that the public will reportedly be kept away from
the premiere, and won't be allowed to participate or watch.
(Since the park will be open at the time, I'm not sure just how they
plan to keep the paid visitors from watching, but they'll probably
think of something.)

I am wondering what people know about this.
Thank you!

 

[Another Voice]

This will be a very large media event – so don't anyone get any ideas about attending. As I hear the rumors the New Orleans Square and Frontierland sections of the park will be all but closed for the last two weeks in June as they prep for the event. Not only will a large screen be built on the island, but there will be a significant redress of the area as well (lots of props and stuff, but you won't see those either). Entertainment is rumored to be preparing special live entertainment as well that will feature a large cast and the Columbia Sailing Ship decorated as a pirate vessel (but you won't see that either). For the invited low level Hollywood celebrities that will show up this looks like a swell event. Regular Disneyland guests will be able to rush back to their hotel rooms and catch a glimpse of it on E!.

Events like this are just a way of generating publicly for the movie. No one there actually cares about the movie or the parties. Most of these events now pay for big stars to show up (to guarantee the cameras show up as well); minor stars show up just for the chance to seen on those cameras. Everyone else are usually friends of low level industry people who just happened to be around when someone else was trying to dump the tickets.

Having Disneyland host this event is also part of the game. Disney has difficulty attracting big time stars so it has to try other tricks. Two years ago it gave away trips to Hawaii to get people to see 'Pearl Harbor'. With this one it looks like they are hoping that Disneyland serves as the draw for the cameras – and no doubt the Paradise Pier Hotel is going to cleared out for local news anchors from stations across the country.

There are other rumors, however, that some sort of merchandising event will be held at Disneyland. That will be open to all us non-paid guests…just as long as we have credit cards.

 

[HB2K]

Pretty sad that they can do all of that for a select few.....it'd be nice if they could invest that money in something that would LAST and be a perk for ALL park guests.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Saw a commercial last nite that was a Ford/CoP combo. With GM being the "official" car of Disney, seemed odd to see Ford doing the movie promo.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Voice,

I just find it highly unlikely that DL will close two lands for two weeks during one of the busiest times of the year. Also "Disney has trouble attracting big stars" Last time I checked Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush werent exactly bit players.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Pretty sad that they can do all of that for a select few.....it'd be nice if they could invest that money in something that would LAST and be a perk for ALL park guests.

Are you suggesting that movie studios shouldn't hold premiere events? As AV said, these events are about one thing and one thing only - generating press and buzz about a film. That press and that buzz plays a large part in what the public perceives about a film. That has bearing on how it does at the box office. We want Disney films to be blockbusters, but now we don't want Disney to 'waste the money' it takes to generate some of the buzz that helps to create those blockbusters? I know what AV will say, 'quality creates it's own buzz, blah, blah, blah - just look at My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. Yeah, that may be true to a certain extent, but given the way Hollywood works (not that it makes any sense) that isn't enough for most films, is it? Imagine how we would howl if Disney didn't hold a premiere for this movie and the box office take suffered. I guess Disney is damned if they do, damned if they don't on this one . If you are not suggesting that Disney shouldn't hold a premiere event for this film, I'd have to say............................

Really now, movie premiere events/parties are never open to the general public, be it a Disney premiere or any other studio. Why should this be any different? Was it sad when you were able to attend the premiere of Titanic, or Chicago, or (name your favorite movie). Just because this is a Disney premiere, which they happen to be holding at a Disney park, they are screwing the Disney consumer by not having an event that has never been available to the public as a perk for park guests .

 

[Another Voice]

"Imagine how we would howl if Disney didn't hold a premiere for this movie…"

They didn't shut down Tomorrowland and carve up the greenery to make a massive premiere party for 'Signs' but I didn't hear anyone complaining. And the $7.5 million they spent on the 'Pearl Harbor' premiere party didn't really produce 'Titanic' sized box office.

In general the entire concept of the big old time uber-hyped Hollywood premiere is passé these days. You get much more out of your money by buying TV time. These kinds of parties are really ego affairs meant to impress the filmmakers with how much the studio "cares" about their project (meaning please stick around if we want a sequel), give the Glittering Ones a place to go (you too can have Brad Pitt show up at your party for ten grand an hour), and just because there are huge marketing departments that find parties easier to put together than real ad campaigns.

There's nothing wrong with Disney staging these things, but they've already spent millions of dollars on a Hollywood Blvd theater specifically for this kind of industry affair. Gee, they even built the Hyperion Theater at California Adventure to handle these as well. But to inconvenience and exclude regular guests – who have paid good money to enjoy the park – is unnecessary and rude.

As I've heard the plans, large bleachers will be built along the shores of the River over a period of about two weeks. Showings of Fantasmic! will be stopped and a whole section of the area will be roped off. Closer to the event other large portions of the lands will be taken over to set up the catering, press areas and other party stuff. There are even rumors that the 'Pirate' attraction itself will be shut down so Marketing can add additional elements for the premiere party's "special ride through" (and again, not available for regular guests).

This whole thing is coming off like the spawn of the rich running around the toy store while all the poor children stand in the snow with their noses pressed up against the window. The Disney/Hollywood attitude is simple elitism – Disneyland is better used by the "right class of people" rather those "Wal Mart shoppers" that make the place so tacky in the first place.

Would not it have been better to hold the entire junket in Hollywood as normal and then spend all this p.r. money spiffing up 'Pirates' for the regular guests. None of those Rent-A-Stars is ever going to buy a ticket to the movie, but Sally Tourist (who's already dropped fifty big ones) just might.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Would not it have been better to hold the entire junket in Hollywood as normal and then spend all this p.r. money spiffing up 'Pirates' for the regular guests. None of those Rent-A-Stars is ever going to buy a ticket to the movie, but Sally Tourist (who's already dropped fifty big ones) just might.

I agree it would be better to hold the shindig elsewhere than detract from the DL experience of paying guests who go during this time. If they do have it at DL the right thing to do would be to compensate guests for their inconvenience and allow the guests to see the movie and props and stuff the next day without the stars and paparazzi.

As for 'spending all this p.r. money spiffing up 'Pirates' for the regular guests' after they hold the premiere at one of the usual sites' - is it likely there would be any money left to spend? Is Disney spending much more on their 'in-house' premiere than they'd spend elsewhere?

 

[lodgelady]

Didn't Pocahontas have a big outside screen premiere in Central Park in NYC? My memory of the aftermath was that the numbers were very disappointing for that film.

The point being, All the press coverage in the world can't replace positive word- of- mouth, and that power rests entirely with us John-Q public peons!

I agree with AV that Disney could do much better to remember on which side their bread is buttered!!!

I believe it was Martin Mull who said that Hollywood is just high school with money. They are all just out to impress each other.