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Disney to Buy Marvel

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Maybe the FLE doesn't appeal to a lot you guys, but to Disney's prime market(families with young children, especially girls), it's going to be a smash hit. As much hate as Disney gets at times on these boards, there's no denying the power they posses. They will market the hell of the new FL, and every wannabe princess will force mommy and daddy to shell out the bucks.

Which brings me to my other point, if Disney wants Marvel in their Florida parks, it WILL happen. Universal's contract can be bought out if the price is right. I don't think it will happen soon, but I think it's inevitable. I also suspect Uni has plans in order to re-theme MSI when that time comes. My guess is 2014/2015, just after Phase II of Potter opens. DC Universe is coming...
 
Which brings me to my other point, if Disney wants Marvel in their Florida parks, it WILL happen. Universal's contract can be bought out if the price is right. I don't think it will happen soon, but I think it's inevitable. I also suspect Uni has plans in order to re-theme MSI when that time comes. My guess is 2014/2015, just after Phase II of Potter opens. DC Universe is coming...
Yeah, but would Disney be willing to pay the high price Uni will want for the rights? Marvel is a hot property right now and Uni will not want to give up the rights. If they do eventually give up the rights to Marvel it will not be anytime soon, and definitely not by 2014/2015.
 
Yeah, but would Disney be willing to pay the high price Uni will want for the rights? Marvel is a hot property right now and Uni will not want to give up the rights. If they do eventually give up the rights to Marvel it will not be anytime soon, and definitely not by 2014/2015.

Exactly. Universal loves having those sell-able iconic characters as one of the faces of their resort and Disney is not going to pay up just so they can use them in their FL parks where they already have tons of their own created sell-able characters.

Disney won't even drop down millions on new or refurbed rides of their own. They are not going to spend multi millions just to buy Universal out of their theme park success with those properties. And likewise, Disney is not going to pay up a ton of money just to use those characters in a FL park when they are happy with a cut from every T-shirt or Marvel licensed item in the resort.
 
Yeah, but would Disney be willing to pay the high price Uni will want for the rights? Marvel is a hot property right now and Uni will not want to give up the rights. If they do eventually give up the rights to Marvel it will not be anytime soon, and definitely not by 2014/2015.

I don't expect Disney will buy off Universal until Marvel is secured in at least Disneyland with a ride or two, or even a land. Avengers and Spider-Man also did well overseas recently so I'd expect Marvel properties in Disneyland Paris. Disney would basically smoke out Marvel from Universal. This is just my opinion of how Disney could make Marvel money, get the fans on their side, and take the Marvel back by already having supremacy in two parts of the world, leading people to believe that Disney is the place for Marvel worldwide. And of course none of this would happen until around 2014/2015 like you said.
 
I don't expect Disney will buy off Universal until Marvel is secured in at least Disneyland with a ride or two, or even a land. Avengers and Spider-Man also did well overseas recently so I'd expect Marvel properties in Disneyland Paris. Disney would basically smoke out Marvel from Universal. This is just my opinion of how Disney could make Marvel money, get the fans on their side, and take the Marvel back by already having supremacy in two parts of the world, leading people to believe that Disney is the place for Marvel worldwide. And of course none of this would happen until around 2014/2015 like you said.

That means they're going to have to make a ride better than Spider-Man...which I don't see.

The only way Disney gets Marvel back is a big ol' check.
 
Even though it's complete bologna, Theme Park Insider has written what they believe might be the nail in the coffin between Disney and Uni's dispute.


Here's a huge thank you to several Theme Park Insider readers, who shall not be named but who have helped me play "connect the dots" between several recent developments affecting the theme park industry.

In case you missed it, Hollywood gossip says that new NBCUniversal owner Comcast is ready to make some changes at the top of Universal Studios. In the proposed shakeup, Universal Parks & Recreation CEO Tom Williams will move up the organizational chart, becoming a direct report to NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke. That's great news for theme park fans, as it would represent a strong statement by NBCUniversal about the value it's placing on theme parks within its business.

But the move that should get your attention is the one that would see current Universal Studios chief Ron Meyer move on to other duties in the company, clearing the way for DreamWorks CEO Stacy Snider to come back to run Universal. She'd be bringing her partner (and longtime Universal theme parks consultant) Steven Spielberg with her, of course.

But there's a snag.

You see, a few years ago, Snider and Spielberg signed a distribution deal with… the Walt Disney Studios. So Snider and Spielberg allegedly can't decamp for Universal without being released from that Disney contract first.

Now, if you're running Disney, what might Universal have that you'd really, really want, in exchange for letting Snider and Spielberg walk?

(Yeah, this would be a much bigger deal than Al Michaels for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - the last time Disney and Universal swapped assets.)

If Disney were to get this property it covets, it would of course want to make sure it had assigned a top Imagineer to Orlando to oversee its introduction into the parks and resorts there, right?

And if Universal were to give up this asset to Disney, it would want to rush construction of a new thrill ride similar to a highly-popular one themed to this soon-to-be-lost asset, right?

And if you were Universal, you would want to hold back officially announcing this new ride, as well as the other major new development under construction in the same park, until you needed those announcements to "soften the blow" of giving up this prized asset, right?

Fascinating hypothetical, isn't it?
 
The only way Disney ever gets their hands on Marvel in WDW is they pay Universal to replace it. No way Disney gets it without money exchanging hands, and lots of it.
 
Even though Theme Park Insider wants to include most if not all theme parks in the world, him and a lot of the members are pro Disney. That's all I think about when I think about Theme Park Insider. If Disney gets Marvel from Universal, which I think is too late now that Spiderman is so darn good, they will need to pay for the damages that will take place once those characters are gone. And maybe Universal can get the DC Comic theme park rights for Florida, but it won't be easy since Six Flags lives off those characters.

Bottom line, this is just ha ha ha hilarious.
 
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Someone thinks that Universal is just going to stop wanting to make money on the success of the new Spider-Man trilogy, Hulk's return to fame, and other recent Marvel hits. I don't think so.
 
Do you really think Disney would do that? Have you seen the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland? That is nothing like Peter Pan's Flight.

Yeah, but that wasn't funded by TDO, nor was it intended for WDW. That's the difference. And in all honesty, I'm pretty sure he wasn't entirely serious, though not entirely wrong, either. :thumbs: