Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore — IAAPA, Disney Q4, Boardwalk Store Black Friday
This month's newsletter we look at IAAPA, Disney Q4, and our very own Boardwalk Store Black Friday.
Welcome back to Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore!
In this issue, we will be covering:
IAAPA 🎡🎢
Disney’s Q4 📈📉
Boardwalk Store Black Friday 🛒
Podcast Plugs 🎙
Links of the Month 📰
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IAAPA Expo
Once again this year I had the privilege of attending the IAAPA Expo.
IAAPA Expo is a massive event for the attractions industry. From education sessions to a gigantic show floor that showcases every aspect of the attractions industry. This year I visited some interesting booths and attended a couple of informative sessions as well.
I visited Verge Aero, a company that wants to lower the barrier to entry into drone entertainment. The company has done drone shows for everyone from the Biden Administration to Mr. Beast. The company provides an all-in-one drone solution making it easy for anyone or any organization to put on their own drone shows.
I also got to experience two virtual reality experiences from Megaverse. The two experiences were Vertical Limit and Zombie Road. There are a lot of VR companies right now but I give Megaverse a lot of credit as they try to focus on “family and friend” experiences while operating in a smaller footprint. Definitely a company to keep your eye on in the VR space.
IAAPA Expo also brought some new reveals as well…
Triotech unveiled its Superfly product, which is part immersive simulator, part immersive theatre.
Immersive Gamebox unveiled Ghostbusters: The Cursed Collection. To me, the best way to describe the experience is like an augmented reality escape room. There is a lot of potential in the concept.
Sally Dark Rides delivered more news about SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride and they unveiled the Mr. Krabs audio-animatronic. The SpongeBob dark ride will open at Circus Circus in Las Vegas in 2024. Sally Dark Rides is a standout at IAAPA every single year, and not many companies can lay claim to the fact that they’ve worked with Sesame Street and SpongeBob.
During the Walt Disney Imagineering panel, we learned more about The DISH and the tools behind the creative process. I wrote all about it on the site where I learned some cool facts about WDI and even did some of my own speculation on some things.
The Legends 2023 panel was all about the building of Universal Beijing during the pandemic. I wrote about Bob Rogers’ fantastic session where Mike Hightower, Sylvia Hase, and Tom Mehrmann shared stories and strategies during those trying times of building a theme park at the height of the pandemic. Including how Universal got their employees back to China during lockdowns.
To wrap up my IAAPA journey, I attended a press conference from IAAPA/LaneTerralever about “How Attractions & Entertainment Destinations Must Adapt to the Visitors of Today & Tomorrow.” After the press conference, I was given access to the incredible report from IAAPA/LaneTerralever. I dove into it and found some intriguing insights.
My biggest prediction for IAAPA Expo 2024 is that the show will have an influence from Universal. The next Universal theme park, Epic Universe, opens in 2025. That park is being built right across the street from the Orange County Convention Center (where IAAPA takes place). I think it would be smart for both IAAPA and Universal Creative to work together on some fun integrations for the 2024 and 2025 Expos.
Overall, the IAAPA Expo remains an impressive showcase for the attractions industry.
Have a topic you want me to cover? Drop me a line at boardwalktimes@yahoo.com!
Disney Q4 Recap + Fallout
Despite all the turmoil around Disney, they didn’t have a horrific Q4. They finished the quarter with 150 million Disney+ subscribers, and they only lost $387 million on streaming. Which is a major improvement from the $1.4 billion loss on streaming in Q4 2022.
During Q4, Iger also addressed some of Disney’s building opportunities:
Achieving profitability in streaming.
Building ESPN into the preeminent digital sports platform.
Improving the output and economics of Disney’s film studios.
Turbo-charging growth in Disney’s experiences business.
These are four critical areas for Iger. They have to find a way to make streaming work. They have to find a way to make ESPN work financially. They have to get film budgets under control. They also have to invest in their most consistent division before they see a drop off due to competition and other economic factors.
Iger also hyped up Disney’s 2024 slate while on the call, Deadpool 3, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Inside Out 2, and Mufasa: The Lion King. Obviously, this slate may change drastically. For example, do we really want that Lion King prequel in the prime December slot?
Shortly after Disney’s Q4 earnings call, the SAG-AFTRA strike came to an end. This was great for Disney as it allowed them to get their production crews back working on projects such as Deadpool 3 and allowed the stars of Loki and The Marvels to do much-needed press. For The Marvels, the last-minute press didn’t shift anything.
The Marvels ($47 million) and Wish ($31 million over Thanksgiving weekend) had opening weekends that didn’t live up to standards at all. The Marvels flailed right out of the gate, even the pandemic-era MCU titles managed better openings. Wish was a shocker from the standpoint that at one point it was tracking to do $60 million or more over its domestic opening weekend. My personal prediction of $55 million was even too generous. Wish made $19 million over the three-day weekend, and $31 million over Thanksgiving weekend. Just a brutal beat for Disney as both of these films deserved better openings.
So what went wrong?
There are so many factors at play including Disney’s marketing and families opting to wait for Disney+ instead of spending money at the theaters.
Yet a key aspect of The Marvels/Wish debacle is that the moviegoing experience must evolve. The business model needs to undergo a radical reinvention. In next month’s newsletter, my main topic will be Why Walt Disney Imagineering Should Design Theaters but I’ll also be diving into how the moviegoing experience must evolve and how these theater companies can possibly revive their industry.
Boardwalk Store Black Friday
Boardwalk Store Black Friday is still going on! Don’t miss your opportunity to get 20% off your entire order.
Our two latest collections are the Guardians Collection and the Spaceship Collection. If you’re a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy and EPCOT then these are for you! We also dropped a new variant of our Frogs, Pigs, Bears… Tee for Muppet fans and a new version of our The Variants Tee for Loki fans.
I also can’t recommend these other tees/products enough:
Dole Whip and Mickey Bar SZN Tees
Plus you can’t forget some of our opening day originals like In Feige We Trust, In Filoni We Trust, It’s All Connected, and our Launch Tee.
2024 is bound to be a big year for Boardwalk Store but end 2023 on a high note by buying some of the greatest gifts in the galaxy at Boardwalk Store.
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Podcast Plugs 🎙
Richard Nebens and I broke down the finale of Loki. (Spotify) (Apple)
The Marvels discussion also with Richard Nebens where we discuss all the big moments, the massive ending, the mid-credit scene shocker, and where the MCU goes from here. (Spotify) (Apple)
LINKS OF THE MONTH
— Cedar Fair/Six Flags merged this month. (Axios)
— Kevin Mayer gives his thoughts on the future of Disney. He throws out the gaming idea! (Deadline)
— Report: Disney Asked Microsoft To Prevent AI Users From Infringing Its Trademarks. (Cartoon Brew)
— Dave Filoni is Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer now. This a smart move that should provide more creative stability and strategy. (Vanity Fair)
— Disney Parks Josh D’Amaro is doubling down on this Encanto/Indiana Jones plan coming to Animal Kingdom. I honestly wish he would stay away from Dinosaur. (Entertainment Weekly)
— A historical manifesto guide to that awesome Defunctland Journey to EPCOT Center doc.
— The Great Big Highly Specific Guide to Disneyland (Los Angeles Times)
— Pixar’s first-ever Disney+ original series Win or Lose has been delayed to 2024. (TheWrap)
— Disney Studio Chief Alan Bergman knows that he has to turn things around. (CNBC)
— At Town Hall, Bob Iger Tells Disney Employees “I’ve Never Second Guessed” Coming Back. (The Hollywood Reporter)
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