Wizarding World of Harry Potter soft opens

[Cole]

What was the final cost of this project?

[Ilovthevu']

What's the big deal, really?

You know what I contribute to the Harry Potter crowds, it's the almost $900 million in revenues from almost everyone of those Harry Potter movies WORLDwide. There are tons and tons of fans, and the Harry Potter name is at one theme park, and on top of it, the advertising leads people to believe it's a whole theme park of Harry Potter. If Disney opens up a Star Wars area, I would expect great results also, but right now it's just one ride at Disney World / Disneyland - Star Tours, and it's not in it's own Star Wars area. I'm not a Harry Potter fan at all and I don't really care to go to this, but to all those people that keep on seeing those movies, and enjoying them, they are just going to be going crazy over a Harry Potter themed land even though probably a bunch think it's an entire park.

Jurassic Park: The Lost World is tied with some other movies for my favorite movie, and I just love going through those gates of Jurassic Park, and going on that ride over there even though I think the boat should go faster than it does at the beginning of the ride. However, to me as a complaint it's not that big of an area, and their is one major NON-kiddie ride in that area. However, first year it opened if I knew a lot about it - advertising Jurassic Park this and that, I would want to see Jurassic Park badly. When I go to that park, I ride that ride a lot along with Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. Too bad Orlando doesn't have the truck coming down from the wall (like in the first movie) scene though. They have the Crate instead.

It kind of seems to me that movies have more of a cult feeling than tv shows. Friends seemed to be a very big show before, but no one really talks about it now. With the A-Team, that movie isn't doing that great now either. Maybe, it's just that theme parks aren't willing to take the risk on tv shows compared to movies. A movie is some 2 hours whereas a tv show is a 22 episode season ranging from a half hour to hour per episode with commercials.

[onyxhotel08]

What's the big deal, really?

You know what I contribute to the Harry Potter crowds, it's the almost $900 million in revenues from almost everyone of those Harry Potter movies WORLDwide. There are tons and tons of fans, and the Harry Potter name is at one theme park, and on top of it, the advertising leads people to believe it's a whole theme park of Harry Potter. If Disney opens up a Star Wars area, I would expect great results also, but right now it's just one ride at Disney World / Disneyland - Star Tours, and it's not in it's own Star Wars area. I'm not a Harry Potter fan at all and I don't really care to go to this, but to all those people that keep on seeing those movies, and enjoying them, they are just going to be going crazy over a Harry Potter themed land even though probably a bunch think it's an entire park.

Jurassic Park: The Lost World is tied with some other movies for my favorite movie, and I just love going through those gates of Jurassic Park, and going on that ride over there even though I think the boat should go faster than it does at the beginning of the ride. However, to me as a complaint it's not that big of an area, and their is one major NON-kiddie ride in that area. However, first year it opened if I knew a lot about it - advertising Jurassic Park this and that, I would want to see Jurassic Park badly. When I go to that park, I ride that ride a lot along with Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. Too bad Orlando doesn't have the truck coming down from the wall (like in the first movie) scene though. They have the Crate instead.

It kind of seems to me that movies have more of a cult feeling than tv shows. Friends seemed to be a very big show before, but no one really talks about it now. With the A-Team, that movie isn't doing that great now either. Maybe, it's just that theme parks aren't willing to take the risk on tv shows compared to movies. A movie is some 2 hours whereas a tv show is a 22 episode season ranging from a half hour to hour per episode with commercials.

The Harry Potter films end in 2011 so I cannot blame them for milking the franchise while it is still hot. The last movie made almost as much as the original. Very good promo for the November release.

[thedemonclown]

^indeed, being the fan I am now (just read them in 2008) I have to see this

[Ilovthevu']

What was the final cost of this project?

$265 million for the area. Remember though, that the Dueling Dragons was there already, and the other roller coaster were there. They changed Dueling Dragons line a bit though, and added some stuff to the other coaster.

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/2430 ... 10.article