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[kunonabi]

Disney Parks Veteran Steps Down Amid Sluggish Star Wars Land Attendance

Catherine Powell, who oversees the U.S. and Paris theme parks for The Walt Disney Company, is leaving the studio, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Key Disney Parks Executive Exits Amid Lackluster Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Attendance

Catherine Powell, president of Disney Parks Western Region, is leaving the company after more than a decade. Powell oversaw Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris, but her position is being eliminated, Bloomberg reported Monday. The heads of each resort will now report to Bob...

deadline.com

Catherine Powell isn't really stepping down as the headlines say as the actual articles indicate that her post was removed but that wouldn't sound good considering Iger's promise to have more female executives.

It's a shame because the problems with the Parks aren't really her fault.

And yes the fantatical Disney SW defenders and SJWs are still claiming nothing is wrong with modern SW and that the parks are actually successful despite all evidence to the contrary.

 

[Tesseract]

seriousness, this is a bummer for ardent fans who just wanna see star wars brought to life

i hope they do the right thing and inject more money into the budget, (rather) than cut back until it becomes a heap

 

[Grinchy]

No matter what happens with these Star Wars properties, at least we finally got some better minority representation in film. There had never been an Asian-American HOC (heroine of color) in film before Rose Tico. And the world is better because of it.

The cost of a failing public attraction is nothing compared to what we've gained as a people.

 

[kunonabi]

seriousness, this is a bummer for ardent fans who just wanna see star wars brought to life

i hope they do the right thing and inject more money into the budget, (rather) than cut back until it becomes a heap

Yeah, after hearing what was originally planned by the imagineers it really stings that they cut so many corners. Some of it appears to be making its into the hotel but that thing is so expensive I wonder if it's really going to make that much of a difference.

 

[Punished Miku]

This warms my black heart.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

it is sad to see them paraded around to sell this expensive shitty theme park. note how at the opening around 14 mins into that video above they started the music too early and it drowned out Harrison's tribute to Peter Mayhew, "this is for you" being cutoff and the Falcon door failing to lower. lol. you can see Hamill go over to him and say something like dang the luck of this

 

[Birdo]

 

[bitbydeath]

No matter what happens with these Star Wars properties, at least we finally got some better minority representation in film. There had never been an Asian-American HOC (heroine of color) in film before Rose Tico. And the world is better because of it.

The cost of a failing public attraction is nothing compared to what we've gained as a people.

 

[appaws]

Star Wars just isn't a thing in the same way. It defined entertainment for my generation (I'm 45) and even if you like the most recent entries you have to admit that it does not have the power that it did in the past.

I don't really think this is just an SJW thing or anything like that. These attractions underwhelm for the same reason there are empty seats at Alabama football games, low ratings for the Emmys, etc. Entertainment is just fractured. There are not as many universal cultural touchstones as there were in the past.

Star Wars was a religion to me from 8-13 years old. Now it is just product that comes and goes. Consume product, get excited for next product.

 

[iconmaster]

So it begins. How many will ultimately fall victim to the gravity of this franchise's collapse?

 

[ThatStupidLion]

whats wrong with the parks?

serious question.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Last time I went to America was about 20 years ago at least, and one of the rides was a huge at-at in a forest with the usual star tours ride...

And that shit blew my mind.

Looking at the park stuff there is now, with galaxies edge, I just can’t even begin to say how much I want to go...

So how the fuck is this a let down? What’s wrong?

 

[Teletraan1]

They should have just blamed misogynists for the attendance backlash. The new movies were perfection outside of what would bother your average misogynist apparently.

 

[iconmaster]

So how the fuck is this a let down? What’s wrong?

"Management blamed the drop in visitors on waiting out the rush for the massively-hyped Galaxy’s Edge."

The reason nobody wanted to go was because everybody wanted to go.

 

[kunonabi]

whats wrong with the parks?

serious question.

Do you want a long answer or a short one?

 

[Christopher]

It’s a big fucking mall it has ONE RIDE

build your own lightsaber $200
Make your own droid $100
bLue milk $8
Green milk $8
Popcorn $7
Hot dog “ronto wrap” 13

the overpriced bar with all their drinks ...it’s a fucking money grab and people can see right through this

 

[NickFire]

The lack of star wars interest has nothing to do with the attractions at the park. This boils down, 100%, to disregarding the passionate fan base because they thought non-fans would pay them more in the long run. I still have faint hopes that they get the story back on track, but the lack of an acknowledgment about where they went wrong gives me little hope.

 

[DKehoe]

It’s a big fucking mall it has ONE RIDE

build your own lightsaber $200
Make your own droid $100
bLue milk $8
Green milk $8
Popcorn $7
Hot dog “ronto wrap” 13

the overpriced bar with all their drinks ...it’s a fucking money grab and people can see right through this

I wish I could sit in on the meetings where they decide pricing for these kinds of things. I know the logic is just "charge whatever you can get away with" but I'd love to hear the conversation that results in "$200 sounds fair for build your own lightsaber"

And yeh, the one ride thing surprised me. What I've read about the hotel sounds cool so maybe once that and the second ride is open I'll plan a trip. Getting to walk around a Star Wars location in person still sounds cool to me.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

love seeing the diehards still defending this stuff. when the CEO of the company is giving public excuses and they are firing people, you can't deny it, they fucked up their brand.

they really needed to have a plan. but more than anything, they needed to give their films time. the writing on 7 was rushed because they wanted to hit release date and it fucked them more than they knew. the movies just suck, or if they are passable, they are incredibly stupid, far dumber than anything the PT did. even the ones I liked, like Rogue One, it's just too stupid, the plot makes no sense, nothing new is added, only take away. the park for some reason has no OT stuff, just ST, but nothing we have seen yet. the movie tie in releases in 3 months, so people are visiting a world they haven't been introduced to yet. it would be like McDonald's asking why a Happy Meal tie in isn't selling when the tv show isn't out yet.

OT, PT, and EU is the only real Star Wars there will ever be.

 

[The Snake]

It’s a big fucking mall it has ONE RIDE

build your own lightsaber $200
Make your own droid $100
bLue milk $8
Green milk $8
Popcorn $7
Hot dog “ronto wrap” 13

the overpriced bar with all their drinks ...it’s a fucking money grab and people can see right through this

That's the problem. When they were teasing it and showing bits of it, I was really excited and thought it would be cool as hell to visit.

But then I watched walk-throughs on Youtube and it's literally just like a little department store with a Star Wars theme. It's neat, sure, but it's not what people wanted or expected. And unfortunately, it sounds like they're reserving that for that super expensive resort package thing they're coming out with.

 

[SirKicksalot]

He deserves it for making the blue milk some frozen plant-based bullshit.

 

[Tesseract]

whats wrong with the parks?

serious question.

 

[Dural]

Last time I went to America was about 20 years ago at least, and one of the rides was a huge at-at in a forest with the usual star tours ride...

And that shit blew my mind.

Looking at the park stuff there is now, with galaxies edge, I just can’t even begin to say how much I want to go...

So how the fuck is this a let down? What’s wrong?

There's nothing wrong with Galaxy's Edge, I was there in June when you had to have reservations or stay at the hotel and the theming is unbelievable. Star Wars fans will love it, the issue is the cost of admission. I believe they have gotten to the point that their pricing has affected attendance.

Only having one of the attractions open is also a problem.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Yeah that’s the one thing that stops us going. My daughter is 3, and I said we will go when she’s a bit older, 4/5 or so. But the cost of a ticket for each of us just to get into the parks is utterly bonkers.

 

[Tesseract]

ya costs seem ridiculous, the stories i've heard from friends and family could give you nightmares

 

[cryptoadam]

Killing the franchise doesn't help. The fact that the manbabies are nearing their 50's now doesn't help.

But shit is just expensive. Its not even a theme park, its like the MTX of theme parks LOL. Just a BS way to get money off suckers.

I don't think many people have a few hundred to throw down on Star Wars these days.

 

[Dural]

It was part of our vacation, we live in N. IL and drove out there, but Disneyland alone was $4k-5k and that was only two nights at Disneyland Hotel and two day hopper passes for two adults and two kids (admission to the park alone was over $1000). My kids absolutely loved it, I'd do it over again, but I still can't get over how expensive it's gotten. I used to go all the time as a kid and my parents weren't wealthy at all. It seems like they're trying to cater to the wealthy more and more.

 

[Trojita]

There's a hypothesis that Disney bragging about how packed the area was going to be actually put people off from visiting. That plus how expensive it is.

 

[SidViscous]

To be fair, it's one of the best themed shopping malls I've seen.

 

[It's Jeff]

I, like most reasonable people, blame Rian Johnson for this.

That will end when Disney gives me the opportunity to corner kick his smug ballsack.
Once completed, I will buy tickets, food, drinks, and swag for an underprivileged family of five.

 

[nbcjr]

It was part of our vacation, we live in N. IL and drove out there, but Disneyland alone was $4k-5k and that was only two nights at Disneyland Hotel and two day hopper passes for two adults and two kids (admission to the park alone was over $1000). My kids absolutely loved it, I'd do it over again, but I still can't get over how expensive it's gotten. I used to go all the time as a kid and my parents weren't wealthy at all. It seems like they're trying to cater to the wealthy more and more.

You are absolutely on point.

 

[J-Roderton]

Hell, I don't even know what to think about Star Wars these days.

 

[KingGhidorah]

KK said no need to cater to male fans.

 

[Uhtred]

Its just too expensive Disneyland overshot their increases, and finally priced themselves out.

 

[Caffeine]

yep it costs too much.

 

[kunonabi]

KK said no need to cater to male fans.

Iger also said they didnt need to even advertise the park. He could just tweet and everyone would just immediately swarm in. I'm sure the huge Galaxy's Edge promotional push about to hit all the Disney networks is just for fun and not at all proof that he's full of shit.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

It’s really amazing how much they dropped the ball. I’d imagine Disney would be able to make new cute aliens, cute robots, spaceships, etc by the dozens. Like maybe they couldn’t top Chewie but they must have teams of people that just design cute characters and come up with a new Chewie? They didn’t even bother giving Rey her own spaceship. It’s baffling just how little effort they put into all this.

 

[Susurrus]

It was part of our vacation, we live in N. IL and drove out there, but Disneyland alone was $4k-5k and that was only two nights at Disneyland Hotel and two day hopper passes for two adults and two kids (admission to the park alone was over $1000). My kids absolutely loved it, I'd do it over again, but I still can't get over how expensive it's gotten. I used to go all the time as a kid and my parents weren't wealthy at all. It seems like they're trying to cater to the wealthy more and more.

Eh, I don't know, it is basic supply and demand. Their attendance continues to increase every year, so their ticket prices go up. The park only holds X amount of people and it can fill up. When it is at max capacity, the only way to increase income is raise prices. It is a business after all.

 

[InterMusketeer]

Galaxy's Edge is based on the new movies, which a lot of people hate with a passion. Kylo Ren and Rey walk around, there's First Order Troopers, but no one cares about these characters. It would've been better if they had more nostalgic stuff in there. I think that would've drawn more people. The fact that there's only one ride doesn't help either. The second ride is gonna open in a while, but that's probably not enough to draw guests, as people are looking towards 2021 when a lot of new rides open, and when Disney World will celebrate its anniversary with all kinds of special events.

 

[Kusanagi2086]

No matter what happens with these Star Wars properties, at least we finally got some better minority representation in film. There had never been an Asian-American HOC (heroine of color) in film before Rose Tico. And the world is better because of it.

The cost of a failing public attraction is nothing compared to what we've gained as a people.

 

[The Scrivener]

I also can't believe they're making a Halo themepark too (not Disney, but whoever they are in this case). Good luck keeping that up and running. Isn't there also a Nintendo-land?

Also, if I were megarich enough to go to Star Wars Land, I wouldn't be thinking about Catherine Powell. Who the fuck cares who the boss is?

 

[Bootyful]

I actually everything I've seen about it looks really cool, I just can't justify the cost of going there from all the way up in Canada.

 

[MilkyJoe]

No matter what happens with these Star Wars properties, at least we finally got some better minority representation in film. There had never been an Asian-American HOC (heroine of color) in film before Rose Tico. And the world is better because of it.

The cost of a failing public attraction is nothing compared to what we've gained as a people.

 

[Boss Mog]

Woke Star Wars sequels with shit stories and shit characters have killed any enthusiasm I had left for the franchise.

 

[MilkyJoe]

Woke Star Wars sequels with shit stories and shit characters have killed any enthusiasm I had left for the franchise.

Good news. Now Bob Iger has stated i his memoirs that George Lucas hates the sequels and what Disney is doing with Star Wars, you can officially discount them as canon. You can add them to the pile with Ewoks and The Holiday Special.

Once more here...

No matter what happens with these Star Wars properties, at least we finally got some better minority representation in film. There had never been an Asian-American HOC (heroine of color) in film before Rose Tico. And the world is better because of it.

The cost of a failing public attraction is nothing compared to what we've gained as a people.

Dude, they are billions out of pocket

 

[Boss Mog]

Good news. Now Bob Iger has stated i his memoirs that George Lucas hates the sequels and what Disney is doing with Star Wars, you can officially discount them as canon. You can add them to the pile with Ewoks and The Holiday Special.

Done.

I had seen a comic book when I was a kid that was about post Return of the Jedi and Luke fell to the dark side and became the new Emperor, it was pretty cool. I don't remember it very well but it would've been a lot more interesting than the garbage we got.

 

[trikster40]

My brother recently went and said The Star Wars land was amazing. Not sure why they’re not doing well. He said there was a ride where the entire wait was an experience so it didn’t even feel like you were in line (you were inside the. falcon and get captured, have to escape a star destroyer or something). His son built one of those $200 lightsabers, he said it’s basically indestructible.

He did say the entire park was almost empty, but it was the weekend after the hurricane as supposed to hit Florida but decided to move north.

 

[Ovek]

I can't believe they got rid of the planned robots roaming around.

All the videos I've seen it looks sterile, empty and fake.

 

[MilkyJoe]

I can't believe they got rid of the planned robots roaming around.

All the videos I've seen it looks sterile, empty and fake.

It certainly is empty

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Good news. Now Bob Iger has stated i his memoirs that George Lucas hates the sequels and what Disney is doing with Star Wars, you can officially discount them as canon. You can add them to the pile with Ewoks and The Holiday Special.

the Ewok movies are actually good compared to the new ones! i wish they were pumping out Ewok movie quality film.s the one with the witch and all that, that's actually new stuff, not just Jedi/Rebels/Empire all over again.

the problem is their standards are so low that even an 80s Ewok made for tv spinoff movie is more original.