Visitor numbers to ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ have undoubtedly been underwhelming, but this has been the case across the entirety of the Disney Parks – falling below industry expectations.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has defended the disappointing attendance numbers, and believes they are a reaction to people waiting for the entire ‘Galaxy’s Edge’ experience to open, rather than a reaction to price increases or other factors.
“We believe there was some delayed visitation to Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Disney World, people waiting for the second E-ticket attraction to open,” Iger said on the call Thursday. “We sense that there are people just waiting for the whole thing to be open.”
“We still feel very good about the demand for our domestic park product,” McCarthy said on the call, adding Walt Disney World saw an increase in visitor spending this quarter despite a detrimental impact from Hurricane Dorian. Florida opened its Galaxy’s Edge Aug. 29, following the May 31 debut of its identical Anaheim counterpart.
“The guest experience, guest satisfaction, are very, very high and ride availability or attraction availability in the high 90s,” Iger said on the call, noting the “very, very complex technological attraction is running really well.”
Disney reported, despite the lower than expected attendance numbers, an increase in revenue as spend per person increased in areas such as merchandise and food-beverage sales, whilst hotel reservations rose 5%.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens within Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge December 5th at the Walt Disney World Resort and January 17th at the Disneyland Resort.
