5th park at WDW?

[MJMcBride]

Credible reports have said that Universal has exclusive theme park rights to use Marvel characters within the United States east of the Mississippi, for the characters that they're currently using, for as long as Universal lives up to their end of the contract.

which means 2 things to me: Iron Man is up for grabs and you could have an Iron Man ride at WDW.

#2, is what is a theme park right? Is Downtown Disney as theme park. Could there be a Marvel Studios Cafe at Hyperion Wharf with meet n greets, merchandise etc etc

 

[fannatic]

There were 2 claims on the other Disney site. The first was from what appeared to be a trusted source on the boards that said the 5th park will be called World of Marvel. The second poster had heard that Disney was paying off Universal to get the remaining characters back. Both of these seem logical. Disney recently payed about $115 mil. to get to distribute The Avengers and Iron Man 3. I don't think that they would hesitate to pay $300 mil. to get the full U.S. theme park rights back. Time will tell if the sources are right.

 

[CapnZach]

Sorry, I stand corrected. I fact-checked myself and the license itself is in perpetuity. However, as reported by multiple sources, the terms of that license are restricted to exactly what is in place right now, nothing more. They cannot update or expand, so it is presumed that they will eventually look for a buyout of their contract at some point when the Island starts to be stale.

See: http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201008/2062/

Based on that, Dis could bring in any character not in use by Universal at this time, but my guess is they will wait until they have the whole pie. Whether it justifies a 5th gate or an expansion into DHS depends on when it happens and what demand is. Personally I am skeptical of ever getting a 5th gate. How much vacation time does Disney think people have? At some point you just cannibalize from your other properties.

 

[MJMcBride]

The one thing about all of this is Disney will likely not do a 5th park. It makes no sense to do a 5th park. It does not add to paying customers, it just redistributes them

 

[fannatic]

I think that Universal and the new thrill park coming to Orlando has finally lit a fire under Disney. They will definitely build a fifth theme park, it is part of Reedy Creek's 10 year plan for the resort. It's the only way that attendance will rise dramatically. Time will show the truth.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I think that Universal and the new thrill park coming to Orlando has finally lit a fire under Disney. They will definitely build a fifth theme park, it is part of Reedy Creek's 10 year plan for the resort. It's the only way that attendance will rise dramatically. Time will show the truth.

See MJMcBride's post just above yours.

 

[tjkraz]

I think that Universal and the new thrill park coming to Orlando has finally lit a fire under Disney. They will definitely build a fifth theme park, it is part of Reedy Creek's 10 year plan for the resort. It's the only way that attendance will rise dramatically. Time will show the truth.

I don't know why you are so hung up on raw attendance numbers. Like MJMcBride said, adding another park doesn't bring more people into the area or prompt them to plan longer trips. All it does is cause them to shuffle their days around. Instead of spending a full day at Animal Kingdom, some folks will go down to a half day and visit the 5th park that evening. Others will slash a day off of their Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios touring.

The bigger issue is the fact that DHS and DAK are half day parks for anyone but those on their first visit. Those two parks have attendance numbers significantly smaller than Epcot or Magic Kingdom. Plenty of growth potential there if Disney wants to spend the money. Any substantial investment would be much better going into existing gates rather than constructing a 5th gate.

The Reedy Creek 10 year plan does leave open the door for another park...but so did the last 10 year plan and nothing came of that.

 

[Big]

I guess the argument for a Marvel based 5th park wouldn't necessarily be about bringing in more guests, but mainly as a streamline for a new line of merchandise for those characters and themes.

What do they care if you spend half a day less in a different park if you are spending more money on new gear in a 5th park than you would be in DHS or AK for instance.

 

[chartle]

I guess the argument for a Marvel based 5th park wouldn't necessarily be about bringing in more guests, but mainly as a streamline for a new line of merchandise for those characters and themes.

What do they care if you spend half a day less in a different park if you are spending more money on new gear in a 5th park than you would be in DHS or AK for instance.

Because a new park is a pretty expensive (maybe a billion to build, yes thats a B and extra workers) is a lot of money just to push more plush.

 

[nytimez]

Because a new park is a pretty expensive (maybe a billion to build, yes thats a B and extra workers) is a lot of money just to push more plush.

I believe DAK cost almost a billion bucks and that was nearly 13 years ago and without a major thrill ride.

 

[jen_eck]

I would LOVE it if they would add a 5th park...a thrill park...maybe a villians island! However, I think the other people that have posted are correct...Disney is focusing its efforts on the Cruise Line and DVC right now. I would not be surprised if the idea was being tossed around, but I think that is as far as it is right now, an idea.