‘Reign of Fire’

[Another Voice]

Since we’re been discussing Disney’s blockbuster strategy in another thread, I should point out that Disney launched the website for its big summer flick, ‘Reign of Fire’ at http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/reignoffire/index.html .

The big prize on the site is the trailer for the movie, the one that Disney’s been trying to get theaters to show starting today in front of ‘The Scorpion King’. The trailer tells you just about everything in the movie.

There have been long standing rumors that WDW has been pushing to tie Animal Kingdom’s ‘Beastly Kingdom’ expansion with this film. It’s a way of justifying the cost. Chances are pretty good that if the film is a hit, then the attraction will be approved.

 

[Bob O]

If AV is right, then i hope the movie is a smash!!!!!!!

 

[raidermatt]

Any idea what the budget is on this one?

 

[space42]

What I dont get is if they were looking for an attraction tie in, don't you think they should have already begun construction on the area? An addition the size and scope of BK will take at least two years to complete. By then, most people will have forgotten about a summer "popcorn flick" no?


Thats why I hope that BK has NO movie tie in. It doesn't need it.

 

[Planogirl]

We saw the Scorpion King today and yep, they showed the Reign of Fire trailer. And it looks like it may be a great movie! Here's hoping.

 

[Another Voice]

The financing of this one is somewhat muddled because of the deals between Disney and Spyglass, but the rumor I’ve heard is that the final budget is $85-$90 million. There hasn’t been any marketing to date so I don’t know how much other money Disney is going to put into this one. I think they’re hoping a major blockbusters will tank (‘Scooby Doo’, ‘Minority Report’) and give ‘Reign of Fire’ an opening.

As for the attractions – it used to be a rule at Disney that attractions could be designed before the movie, but nothing should be started until the film proved itself. The rule worked time after time on attractions like ‘Island at the Top of the World’, ‘The Black Hole’ and ‘Tron’.

The rule was changed for the opening of Animal Kingdom because the Corporate mindset shifted. Instead of the parks being a way to exploit a successful film, suddenly the parks were supposed to be a way to promote a film. So DAK got ‘It’s Tough To Be A Bug’ for ‘A Bug’s Life’ and ‘Countdown to Extinction’ to promote ‘Dinosaur’. Well, the plan worked great in one case and went terribly wrong in another. It’s still considered wise to tie a new attraction into a film – like the old plans to tie ‘Mission: Space’ at Epcot to ‘Mission to Mars’ the movie – but you have to leave yourself an escape route.

Theme park attractions are too large of an investment, and take too much time to build, to risk on the fortunes of a movie. It’s also felt that the failure of the movie could tainted the attraction tied to it (the so-called stench effect). It’s bad enough to have a $100 million movie tank, but to spend another $100 million on a ride just rubs salt in the wound. On the other side, if you wait until the movie is a hit at the box office, it’s old news by the time the ride opens. That’s the reason new film gets parades – they’re cheap and can by created and changed quickly if the movie flops (which is why the ‘Fantasia 2000’ parade suddenly became Disneyland’s 45th Anniversary parade).

P.S. – this is an old problem. Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds were tied into a film that vanished quickly at the box office. Fortunately the ride survives.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Voice, I think you have one thing confused. You mention how It's Tough to Be a Bug was marketing for A Bug's Life and Countdown to Extinction was marketing for Dionsaur. Well I don't think either did very much marketing to say that either boosted attendance at their respective films is pretty far fetched. I think that Bugs Life did better at the box office because it is a higher caliber film.

 

[Another Voice]

There’s a big difference between management expectations and actual results. As just about everyone commented at the time, you can’t use a theme park attraction to promote a movie. And gee, it didn't work. But if it gets the attraction funded, no one was going to tell Burbank they’re idiots.

Well, almost nobody…