Could Disney Re-Theme Galaxy’s Edge?
Walt Disney World and Disneyland aren’t getting the crowds they envisioned for Galaxy’s Edge. Could this mean the parks scrap the Star Wars theme for something completely different? That’s unlikely to happen, but it’s an interesting thought to ponder. Could Disney really pull the plug at some point?
Crowds were expected to be huge for Galaxy’s Edge. While there have been a plethora of guests visiting, the land hasn’t lived up to what Disney executives thought. There is a multitude of factors which might have caused this.
First, the land opened without its signature attraction, Rise of the Resistance. The trackless dark ride has been said to be one of the most innovative rides of Disney’s existence. While Smuggler’s Run has had it’s fair share of positive feedback, the real draw is ROTR. Many are probably holding out until that opens up in December at WDW and January in Disneyland.
It doesn’t help when Disneyland opened up their new land during passholder blackout periods. When a good majority of your customer base are passholders, the park might feel a bit empty. It’s possible those who were visiting the park from out of town thought crowds would be massive upon first opening, so they stayed away from Disneyland.
The same can probably be said for the Walt Disney World version of Galaxy’s Edge. WDW also had the added issue of a Hurricane threatening opening week. There’s no doubt that threw a monkey wrench into things.
Lastly, Disney has opted to not use characters from the original Star Wars films. For the generation that grew up on these, to not have them featured in the land can be a bit of a letdown. Galaxy’s Edge is catered to the Star Wars fans, most of whom are adults. It appears by featuring only the Disney Star Wars films, they are catering to the kids.
Without question, ROTR will increase crowd levels. Although, with all the money Disney has invested in Galaxy’s Edge, it’s going to need to be a drastic increase. Rest assured, there’s no way Disney revamps the two lands from Star Wars.
They’ve got expansion room in Disneyland, an immersive hotel coming to WDW, and a third Star Wars land coming to Disneyland Paris. Too much is invested in this to scrap it so abruptly. If 5 years passes and the land still hasn’t turned the profit Disney expected, then you can think about a re-theme.
Disney went all out for Galaxy’s Edge. However, they won’t scrap the land anytime soon. Expect when Rise opens that crowds pick up. But, if they don’t, there will be a lot of nervous executives at Disney.
Image Source: Jamie Biesiada
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
