News Round Up

[rteetz]

The spirit of aloha dinner show has been canceled for tonight and tomorrow

http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/spir...-shows-cancelled-for-tonight-and-tomorrow.htm

The next MVMCP has sold out as well

 

[rteetz]

Animal kingdom will be running an offline FP+ test on Thursday December 11th. The test will run from 4-5pm. Guests will not be able to make FP selections during this time period.

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2014/12/offline-fastpass-mode-testing-at-animal.html

 

[rteetz]

Disney has released the backstory on Trattoria Al forno the new boardwalk restaurant the opens next week.

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2014/12/disne...for-trattoria-al-forno-opening-december-18th/

 

[Spacedog1975]

The spirit of aloha dinner show has been canceled for tonight and tomorrow http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/spirit-of-aloha/news/10dec2014-spirit-of-aloha-late-dinner-shows-cancelled-for-tonight-and-tomorrow.htm The next MVMCP has sold out as well

Understandable, but ouch. I'd hate to be scrambling to replace this reservation.

 

[rteetz]

Photos of decor at Animal Kingdom lodge

http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/dis...orations-at-disney's-animal-kingdom-lodge.htm

 

[rteetz]

Understandable, but ouch. I'd hate to be scrambling to replace this reservation.

Glad I'm not in that boat

 

[ell13]

Glad I'm not in that boat

I'm going for the Disney races, like you. We had planned to do that show, and my family was insistent, but I talked them down for this reason. We replaced it with Ohana.

 

[rteetz]

I'm going for the Disney races, like you. We had planned to do that show, and my family was insistent, but I talked them down for this reason. We replaced it with Ohana.

I've never done it would live to do it once but that would be a definite downside. And I wouldn't be very happy if it happened.

 

[rteetz]

In an interview today Bob Iger said that they almost didn't release the star wars teaser but felt they had to for the large fan base.

Iger also said he has ridden a prototype for an avatar attraction coming to Animal Kingdom.

Iger said Star Wars the force awakens should be a 4 billion dollar movie

And star wars in the parks is a must because "why not? We bought the thing. We can do it"

 

[skier_pete]

In an interview today Bob Iger said that they almost didn't release the star wars teaser but felt they had to for the large fan base.

Huh? Does that mean they made a teaser and then said "Ya know, maybe we shouldn't realease this??" I don't think so.

Iger also said he has ridden a prototype for an avatar attraction coming to Animal Kingdom.

I'm sure it's set up in the DISH by now.

Iger said Star Wars the force awakens should be a 4 billion dollar movie.

Nothing like overselling the movie. There's never been a $2 billion movie. Saying that only sets expectations too high. Seems like a dumb thing to say.

And star wars in the parks is a must because "why not? We bought the thing. We can do it"

Exactly. It's not a "if" but a "when" and "what".

 

[rteetz]

Huh? Does that mean they made a teaser and then said "Ya know, maybe we shouldn't realease this??" I don't think so. I'm sure it's set up in the DISH by now. Nothing like overselling the movie. There's never been a $2 billion movie. Saying that only sets expectations too high. Seems like a dumb thing to say. Exactly. It's not a "if" but a "when" and "what".

That's bob Iger for ya.

 

[ell13]

There's never been a $2 billion movie.

There have been two.

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

 

[skier_pete]

There have been two.

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

MY mistake. Still amazing to me how hard Avatar gets bagged on as "not being franchise material" and "not popular" when it is both US and WORLD #1 box office.

Also kind of amazed Frozen is #5 World all-time. Though it is also impressive how skewed that list is towards the modern block-buster as the world box office is so much more a significant factor the last 15 years.

If you sort the list by Worldwide, the next movie on it after Titanic that was released before the year 2000 is Jurrasic Park at #25.

Only 5 pre-2001 movies in the top 50, and only 7 in the top 100. (An interestingly NONE for the year 2000.)

And after Avatar and Titanic, the rest of the top 10 are all < 4 years old.

 

[jcnewton]

Nothing like overselling the movie. There's never been a $2 billion movie. Saying that only sets expectations too high. Seems like a dumb thing to say.

There's more to that quote. He'd have to be an idiot to think the movie will make $4 Billion. He's referring to the $4 Billion purchase of Lucasfilm and basically, the future is riding on this first movie. I think he should've thrown in an "essentially" somewhere.

 

[mvk]

There's more to that quote. He'd have to be an idiot to think the movie will make $4 Billion. He's referring to the $4 Billion purchase of Lucasfilm and basically, the future is riding on this first movie. I think he should've thrown in an "essentially" somewhere.

Yeah, it was pretty clear that he didn't mean this movie will make $4B, just that he meant that they paid $4B for this, the movie has to be right for the future of the franchise.

During the conversation with Variety co-editor-in-chief Claudia Eller inside the Palm restaurant in Beverly Hills, Iger noted how he has repeatedly stressed to Abrams that the future of the franchise and the company’s acquisition of Lucasfilm rides on the success of “The Force Awakens,” out in theaters Dec. 18, 2015.

“I keep telling J.J. Abrams this is a $4 billion movie,” Iger said, in reference to the Lucasfilm deal, not the actual budget of the film. “We need to treat this very special. It’s an unbelievable privilege and unbelievable responsibility to take a jewel and treat it in a way that is respectful of its past but brings it into the future.”

http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/st...to-be-based-on-new-films-not-old-1201376154/#

 

[faneuil]

Only 5 pre-2001 movies in the top 50, and only 7 in the top 100. (An interestingly NONE for the year 2000.)

And after Avatar and Titanic, the rest of the top 10 are all < 4 years old.

I'm sure some of that has to do with everything being 3D and IMAX, which increases ticket prices like crazy. And while I only go to a movie once, many of my friends will go see a movie like The Winter Soldier, 6+ times.

There's also been a lot more franchises that suck people in. (Or at least it feels like there's been a lot more).

I'm sure someone already posted the article about Star Wars Land: http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201412/4332/

But I find it interesting. If they've truly pulled the go-ahead to start building in HS, what the heck is going on in that park. (I know, I know, we don't know. )

 

[skier_pete]

Yeah, it was pretty clear that he didn't mean this movie will make $4B, just that he meant that they paid $4B for this, the movie has to be right for the future of the franchise.

That makes a lot more sense. I'm on another message board where people are complaining about Abrams, but this comment is more or less what I keep saying...the first movie is going to be "safe". Lots of nostalgia, set up characters, wash off the prequel stink, not great, not bad...just safe.

I'm sure some of that has to do with everything being 3D and IMAX, which increases ticket prices like crazy. And while I only go to a movie once, many of my friends will go see a movie like The Winter Soldier, 6+ times.

Are you from outside the US?

The "multiple viewings" of blockbusters has been going on since I was kid in the 80s. That's what made Star Wars so big in the first place. Us kids going to see it 20 times.

The difference now is foreign box office. Many movies - even big ones like the Marvel movies - only get 25 -30 % of their box office from the US.

 

[faneuil]

Are you from outside the US?

The "multiple viewings" of blockbusters has been going on since I was kid in the 80s. That's what made Star Wars so big in the first place. Us kids going to see it 20 times.

The difference now is foreign box office. Many movies - even big ones like the Marvel movies - only get 25 -30 % of their box office from the US.

LOL. Nope. And we're about the same age.

I guess it was just my neighborhood, but no one had the money to see a movie more than once, maybe twice. Movies were a special occasion, not a weekly, or even monthly thing.
We either all had to wait for the movie to hit the $1 theater, OR 10 of us piled into a subcompact and went to the drive-in. (Just realized how much I miss both those things)
We would twitch with delight waiting for the VHS's to come out, which we wore into the ground.

Seems like people I know now, spend a lot more time at the movies than anyone I knew as a kid did. I can't binge on a movie like that.

But yeah, now that you mention it, it is more about the global opportunity people have to see movies that wasn't around in the 80s.

 

[rteetz]

The Star Wars additions that come to the parks will have a heavy influence from the new films especially episode 7 and 8. They will still incorporate the old movies but the new ones will be the focus. Don't expect to see any additions before 2020.

 

[rteetz]

This article suggests that the boat ride for avatar was canned. Based on aerial photos and a few leaked blueprints on wdwmagic that match the aerial photos this would not be true the boat ride is still on. It actually uses the banshee ride building for part of the ride.

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2014/12/avata...tails-on-banshee-attraction-boat-ride-canned/