The Walt Disney Company is in trouble. The largest and most successful entertainment conglomerate in the world is taking a political and financial hit for its decision to cater to a more “woke” audience.
Disney’s decision to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican from Florida, over the “special” status of Disney’s government or to side with radical leftists on gender issues. Disney is in serious trouble and got there through the old-fashioned method: hubris, incompetence, and arrogance.
Touring Plans, which collects data on waiting times from Disney’s mobile apps and compares it to average wait times from the past, found that the average wait at the Magic Kingdom for the Fourth of July was 27 minutes. This is down from 31 minutes and 47 minutes respectively in 2022 and 2019.
Len Testa is a computer scientist who runs Touring Plans. He told the Wall Street Journal that “it’s something nobody could have predicted – just unfathomable.”
It’s hard to imagine the damage that has been done over the last few years to the Disney brand. The live-action version of “The Little Mermaid,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania,” and “Elemental,” have all lost tens or even hundreds of millions. The fifth installment in the “Indiana Jones franchise” is expected to earn only $248 million. This won’t cover the $300 million budget or even the $150 million marketing costs.
A.J. says that the slower season at theme parks may extend past summer. Wolfe is the owner of Disney Food Blog – a website that focuses on Disney’s theme parks. Disney has no major new attractions in the U.S. opening any time soon. The only exception is a reimagining of Splash Mountain at its Florida and California theme parks. Disney’s Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai resorts are building “Frozen-themed” attractions. A “Zootopia attraction” will also open in the near future at Disney’s Shanghai Park.
Testa believes that some families are delaying their visit to Central Florida because they have visited Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort in the past. A third theme park is expected to open at Universal Orlando Resort in 2025.
It’s not just politics. Many American families now see the Walt Disney Company in a negative light. They’re also letting Disney know by refusing to visit their properties or attend the “family films”, which have been a mainstay of their image for the past 100 years.
Disneyland increased the price of tickets for multi-day trips by at least 9% in October. A two-day adult ticket went from $255 to $285.
Disney is offering a variety of promotions to attract more people to Main Street U.S.A. These include discounts on return visits, and up to 40% off rooms in some Disney World Hotels for pass holders during certain days near Christmas. This period of time is usually the most popular and expensive. Disney has in the past offered discounts to annual pass holders for that period.
This does not repair Disney’s damaged image. It also doesn’t help to repair some of the worst decisions, such as the casting choices in “The Little Mermaid” live-action.
