Nick Varney’s probably a bit biased. I wouldn’t expect him to say, ‘the Paramount Park will be a huge success, steal all our visitors and spell end of the Merlin Entertainments Corporation’.
Having said that he’s probably right. At least partly. It’s very hard to make money scratch building a park. Disneyland Paris has lost money most years since it opened, despite Disney waiving royalties, offering loans with below market interest and the French government giving them a very preferential rate of tax. Disney Hong Kong has also required extra support from the Hong Kong government to keep things going. Epcot cost double the original projections and California Adventure struggled to attract the visitors they expected and required a billion dollar package to put it back where they wanted.
If Disney has hit their share of problems then I’d assume the Paramount Park will fall on hard times. I certainly can’t see them filling that many hotel rooms. I’m not sure about the IPs being a problem though. Possibly, but my favourite Disney ride is Splash Mountain even though I’ve never seen the film. I also love The Mummy at Universals even though I haven’t seen that film either. If a ride can stand on its own merits, then I think it will be successful.
When Paramount had their parks in America they had the rights to James Bond and had some simulators called A Licence to Thrill. If they could use James Bond again, then that would be a massive scoop. But the Paramount, BBC, and Aardman brands should have enough to keep them going.
Having said that he’s probably right. At least partly. It’s very hard to make money scratch building a park. Disneyland Paris has lost money most years since it opened, despite Disney waiving royalties, offering loans with below market interest and the French government giving them a very preferential rate of tax. Disney Hong Kong has also required extra support from the Hong Kong government to keep things going. Epcot cost double the original projections and California Adventure struggled to attract the visitors they expected and required a billion dollar package to put it back where they wanted.
If Disney has hit their share of problems then I’d assume the Paramount Park will fall on hard times. I certainly can’t see them filling that many hotel rooms. I’m not sure about the IPs being a problem though. Possibly, but my favourite Disney ride is Splash Mountain even though I’ve never seen the film. I also love The Mummy at Universals even though I haven’t seen that film either. If a ride can stand on its own merits, then I think it will be successful.
When Paramount had their parks in America they had the rights to James Bond and had some simulators called A Licence to Thrill. If they could use James Bond again, then that would be a massive scoop. But the Paramount, BBC, and Aardman brands should have enough to keep them going.