Over the last decade Disney, and most other theme parks, have built attractions solely based on an existing franchise. As Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, animated sequels and live action remakes soared at the box office, their stock in Disney (and Universal) theme parks also went up. That wasn’t exactly novel, as theme parks have always built attractions based on their big screen content. But there was, and is, a lack of original theme park stories in this time frame. Now, the box office, along with reviews, show signs of those same franchises slowing down. In this post, we’ll discuss how movie franchises successes and failures will affect theme parks down the road.

I’ve written plenty of times in the past about Bob Iger’s theme park strategy of company synergy. As a little background, under Iger’s reign the theme parks have largely stuck to new attractions being based on entities already inside of the company. He’s gone as far as, perhaps inadvertently, insulting Animal Kingdom’s Expedition: Everest saying that going to a remote village isn’t why people go to theme parks.

While I personally don’t agree with those comments and the company’s broad strategy, it’s hard to refute. People go to Disney theme parks to see Disney things. To me, that’s going to an idealized remote village under Everest, a Jules Verne themed port or seeing how a lagoon in the future transitions perfectly into a rising mountain in the alps. But I’m in the minority there; the Disney branding is something very different to others. As happy as I am to ride a Frozen attraction, it is not top of mind. Iger’s point is that attractions like that are at the forefront for other people and that’s completely fair.

With billions and billions of dollars planned for theme park investment, Iger and others, have maintained that most of the new projects will be attached to existing franchises and not original theme park stories. That comes as no surprise but it’s also worth monitoring the changing interest in Disney franchises. Outside of Inside Out 2 this summer, Disney has had a tough couple of years at the box office. Franchise stories seem to work less than they have in the previous 2 decades. Especially those with Marvel and Star Wars attached. With the movie business starting to change will that lead to a change in theme park thinking?

Earlier this year, we experienced Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind for the first time. There’s no doubting that it’s a triumphant and gleeful attraction! Along with the praise I have for the ride, one other thought has stuck with me. “Will anyone remember the Guardians of the Galaxy in 20, 30 or 50 years?”

I don’t mean that as inflammatory. In the Marvel category, the Guardians boast some of my favorite movies. And I’m hardly a good judge of what will stick in the cultural zeitgeist decades down the road. But I don’t think of them with the same revelry as the original Star Wars trilogy or some of the classic Disney animated movies. When Guardians of the Galaxy 3 did alright, but didn’t excel, at the box office last year I thought it was fair to ask if basing a few plot heavy theme park attractions on the franchise was worth the effort?

The counter is that if the attractions or lands based on these less successful movies are high quality then it won’t matter. We have plenty of historical evidence to back that up. One of the most recent examples is Pandora – World of Avatar in Animal Kingdom. Yes, this film smashed box office records. But it’s not much of a debate that Marvel, and the Guardians, have a more passionate fanbase than Avatar. I mean no disrespect, Avatarians. Avatarers? Avataritians?

Even without a rabid fan community, that land is successful thanks to a beautiful design and a marquee attraction that’s fun to ride whether you like the movies or not. The same can be said about Cars. That franchise isn’t in the discussion much anymore but the land is still one of Disney’s best.

But for every success, there’s a Galaxy’s Edge or Toy Story Land that can miss the mark. Don’t get me wrong, I like Galaxy’s Edge quite a bit actually. I can’t say the same for Toy Story Land but I’m trying to stay on topic here! How long was it after Galaxy’s Edge opened do you think Disney regretted placing the land in a time period between their most divisive movies? A year? A couple of months, even? Them banking on movie success, especially in the live action realm, is no sure thing anymore.

The next few years should provide a clearer picture. Both in terms of what’s coming and what will be announced. Over at Universal’s upcoming Epic Universe, there’s a Harry Potter land themed to the Fantastic Beasts franchise. A bunch of people saw those movies but it didn’t have near the impact that the original Harry Potter books and movies did.

More current examples include Marvel Land, which opened 3 short years ago and could already use a shot in the arm. Or a teardown, if you want me to be mean! Staying in the same park, Pixar Pier is lackluster and is clear evidence that sticking a name brand on something won’t automatically make it more popular or successful.

Let’s do a quick thought exercise, while I continued my wandering ramblings (Wandering Ramblings is my other website that no one knows about because I keep it top secret). Quickly, name the ten most iconic Disney Parks rides. I’m going off the top of my head too without extra thought and here’s what I came up with:

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Haunted Mansion
• Jungle Cruise
• Big Thunder Mountain
• Space Mountain
• Matterhorn
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Splash Mountain(?)
• Spaceship Earth
• Tower of Terror
• it’s a small world

I included 11 because Splash Mountain doesn’t exist stateside anymore. I think that list is a fair representation of iconic Disney rides. You could give or take a few, let me know how your list differed from mine in the comments. Taking those 11, only 3 were based on films when they were built.

Now, I’m going to list rides that come to mind first from this century. Again, I’m not researching but am just going with what comes to mind at the US parks.

• Radiator Springs Racers
• Rise of the Resistance
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Expedition Everest
• Flight of Passage
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind
• Tron Lightcyle Run
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

I’m sure I forgot something big on that list. 9 of those 10 are based on existing IP. And you know what? Most of those rides are fantastic! Many of them came with new lands, that are by and large successful. But they also felt like sure things when they were announced because of the popularity of the franchise. With a fluctuating box office and the entertainment industry changing, will that always be the case?

I don’t know what the answer is. This has been a long and roundabout way for me to say “I have no idea!” But no one really knows how these attractions and lands will be viewed in 50 years. Maybe the Guardians of the Galaxy will have 6 different reboots between now and then, keeping the rides relevant! It works for Spider-Man, why not Drax?

What I do know is that quality generally wins out. While it’s fun, and hopefully interesting, to speculate on how these attractions will age, if it’s a really fun ride then people will go on it. It doesn’t matter what it’s based on in that case.

As I’ve said, I’d love to see more original attractions or at least a return stateside to the wealth of incredible animated films that haven’t been explored. But in the words of another movie that’s kept cultural relevancy many years later, “If you build it, they will come.” If Kevin Costner had a little more time and was a loyal Wandering Ramblings subscriber I think he would have elaborated to “If you build something of great quality, they will come and enjoy it for many years.” I’d make a Horizons: An American Saga joke here but I, like the rest of the world, have not seen it. Safe to say, there won’t be a theme park attraction based on that because of the terrible box office numbers.

Do you think the changing entertainment business will lead to changes in theme parks? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help get you there! Need discount tickets to Disneyland or Walt Disney World? Click on the corresponding link to get you there. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Thank you very much for reading, we appreciate it!