News Round Up 2016

[umichigan10]

Has the MK ever opened from any other location than in front of the train station? This would be a shame if they move this. It takes one less level of anticipation away, and a lot of people love entering the MK the same way every time. I would really hate to have to go inside and see the castle and main street and be shopping...(This reason they will do this, along with allowing for more people to get in quicker) before the park even opens. Please do not do this Disney. Not at Magic Kingdom.

While I do agree with most of your sentiments, I can also see it working from a crowd flow perspective. Instead of bottling them up at the train station, let them spread out across the street and give them the ability to get to their destination easier with limiting congestion (your theories about the shops being open also is part of the equation undoubtedly)

 

[Budshark]

Movie News:

Alice in Wonderland is tracking as a major disappointment coming in at $28 million 3 day and $35 million 4 day weekend totals. This compares unfavorably with Tomorrowland which opened with $42 million on Memorial weekend. This suggests Alice will fall in with around $100 million domestic with a budget over $170 million. A rare 2016 miss for Disney.

On positive news Jungle Book is now #3 worldwide for the year after an impressive hold over the weekend with over $877 million worldwide take.

 

[wareagle57]

While I do agree with most of your sentiments, I can also see it working from a crowd flow perspective. Instead of bottling them up at the train station, let them spread out across the street and give them the ability to get to their destination easier with limiting congestion (your theories about the shops being open also is part of the equation undoubtedly)

What it does is releases everyone at once and causes the lines at all the usual rope drop places to start filling up faster.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Movie News:

Alice in Wonderland is tracking as a major disappointment coming in at $28 million 3 day and $35 million 4 day weekend totals. This compares unfavorably with Tomorrowland which opened with $42 million on Memorial weekend. This suggests Alice will fall in with around $100 million domestic with a budget over $170 million. A rare 2016 miss for Disney.

On positive news Jungle Book is now #3 worldwide for the year after an impressive hold over the weekend with over $877 million worldwide take.

It is one of the biggest sequel failures of all time. $100M is probably not gonna be likely for the domestic total (probably closer to $85-90M before it leaves theatres with the numbers from this weekend)...it will be a large monetary loss for a division that can afford one after the great start to the year. It likely puts some other "not needed" sequels on the back burner (like Maleficent 2, etc)...since now a Huntsman sequel (not Disney) and an Alice sequel (Disney) both have opened disastrously this year...

 

[skier_pete]

Has the MK ever opened from any other location than in front of the train station? This would be a shame if they move this. It takes one less level of anticipation away, and a lot of people love entering the MK the same way every time. I would really hate to have to go inside and see the castle and main street and be shopping...(This reason they will do this, along with allowing for more people to get in quicker) before the park even opens. Please do not do this Disney. Not at Magic Kingdom.

I agree I hate the idea - typically at the hub, people have already branched off to be waiting in the various lands. How do you have a show at the hub? The never care that the opening show hasn't changed in 10+ years. I think it's awesome. (And I miss the rope drop shows in the other parks too - especially the DAK one.)

 

[LianaP]

Following

 

[rteetz]

Has the MK ever opened from any other location than in front of the train station? This would be a shame if they move this. It takes one less level of anticipation away, and a lot of people love entering the MK the same way every time. I would really hate to have to go inside and see the castle and main street and be shopping...(This reason they will do this, along with allowing for more people to get in quicker) before the park even opens. Please do not do this Disney. Not at Magic Kingdom.

I don't believe they have.

 

[rteetz]

Movie News:

Alice in Wonderland is tracking as a major disappointment coming in at $28 million 3 day and $35 million 4 day weekend totals. This compares unfavorably with Tomorrowland which opened with $42 million on Memorial weekend. This suggests Alice will fall in with around $100 million domestic with a budget over $170 million. A rare 2016 miss for Disney.

On positive news Jungle Book is now #3 worldwide for the year after an impressive hold over the weekend with over $877 million worldwide take.

Any news on overseas? Alice did better overseas than it did domestically I believe.

 

[Eoghann]

Any news on overseas? Alice did better overseas than it did domestically I believe.

Worldwide they're estimated at $93 million. It's definitely playing better overseas and they might limp to profitability just. But it's a flop.

I don't know if Johnny Depp's recent bad publicity played a part or it's just that people really weren't crying out for a sequel without Tim Burton attached.

 

[rteetz]

Worldwide their estimated at $93 million. It's definitely playing better overseas and they might limp to profitability just. But it's a flop.

I don't know if Johnny Depp's recent bad publicity played a part or it's just that people really weren't crying out for a sequel without Tim Burton attached.

Might be a bit of both. I just know that the original was more popular overseas. The original was also after the avatar 3D boom whereas this one doesn't have that.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Any news on overseas? Alice did better overseas than it did domestically I believe.

Projection of $65M so far...not good (similar domestic/foreign %s as last time)...

 

[jknc]

I don't believe they have.

Could guest safety be a reason for moving opening show to hub?
Presently you can have large crowds not yet through security which may present an issue for overall guest safety in the event of a potential terror attack.

 

[luisov]

Worldwide they're estimated at $93 million. It's definitely playing better overseas and they might limp to profitability just. But it's a flop.

I don't know if Johnny Depp's recent bad publicity played a part or it's just that people really weren't crying out for a sequel without Tim Burton attached.

Talk about bad timing. When you rely on families going to the theater to see your movie and there's so much negative buzz surrounding your A-list actor (who was a big part of your marketing campaign), you better be prepared for the backlash. The movie wasn't going to get anywhere near the success of the first one, regardless.

As a previous poster said, I think this will put on hold the sequels they were planning to do (Maleficent 2).

 

[umichigan10]

Could guest safety be a reason for moving opening show to hub?
Presently you can have large crowds not yet through security which may present an issue for overall guest safety in the event of a potential terror attack.

I'd say even beyond that concern, moving it to the hub is simply better crowd control in a lot of ways. More people spread out, and less jamming of people into that limited space. Of course as other posters have pointed out there's still some decent drawbacks to the idea

 

[rteetz]

Could guest safety be a reason for moving opening show to hub?
Presently you can have large crowds not yet through security which may present an issue for overall guest safety in the event of a potential terror attack.

Well that hasn't stopped them from doing it for 44 years. Safety is probably one of the many reasons that they would move it.

 

[rteetz]

News

The Scrims in front of the Frozen attraction came down. Revealing an all new look and the waterfall is gone.

https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct/status/736954232520183808

 

[leholcomb]

News

The Scrims in front of the Frozen attraction came down. Revealing an all new look and the waterfall is gone.

https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct/status/736954232520183808

Yeah, all new look. From the picture, this looks ridiculous. And they took the waterfall. Le sigh....

 

[TheLittleKatie]

News

The Scrims in front of the Frozen attraction came down. Revealing an all new look and the waterfall is gone.

https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct/status/736954232520183808

That orange...

 

[crazy4wdw]

Orlando Theme Park News is reporting that preferred parking is coming to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/05/preferred-parking-coming-soon-to.html

 

[Irish_Mike]

News

The Scrims in front of the Frozen attraction came down. Revealing an all new look and the waterfall is gone.

https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct/status/736954232520183808

Aaaaand my comment about Disney being on a roll in terms of aesthetic theming just went down the hole.

That orange is gonna stick out from Canada.