News Universal & Warner Talk DC Theme Park Rights

[Zachary]

Reporting this evening is suggesting Netflix is leading the bid to buy Warner, but apparently, simultaneously, there are now discussions between Universal and Warner over the DC superheroes theme park rights...?!

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Per the article, this deal would be in addition to the licensing partnership with Six Flags. Could we see both chains utilizing the IP in the future...?

Maybe Universal and Warner are just talking about non-US rights? That complicates plenty with other chains too though so

 

[SweetBabyJames]

Reporting this evening is suggesting Netflix is leading the bid to buy Warner, but apparently, simultaneously, there are now discussions between Universal and Warner over the DC superheroes theme park rights...?!

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Per the article, this deal would be in addition to the licensing partnership with Six Flags. Could we see both chains utilizing the IP in the future...?

Maybe Universal and Warner are just talking about non-US rights? That complicates plenty with other chains too though so

If the WB bid with Universal goes through, I think Six Flags should sell their license contract with WB to Universal to pay off their freaking debt. An added bonus of this move would be allowing Universal to give proper "Justice" to DC theming at its theme parks. (Pun Intended)

 

[MaxxForceFan]

The rights to the state of Florida were dropped during the last renewal and Six Flags never had the rights for Las Vegas.

Six Flags Entertainment - Warner Brothers Looking to Sell Looney Tunes Brand

 

[paintervision]

The rights to the state of Florida were dropped during the last renewal and Six Flags never had the rights for Las Vegas.

Six Flags Entertainment - Warner Brothers Looking to Sell Looney Tunes Brand

For Orlando parks, that is good... except they would probably want SFOG to remove the DC theming. A lot of Orlando parks consider Atlanta to be a local market (even if it's 6+ hours away by car). Atlanta gets heavy theme park promotion and FL-GA resident ticket deals. Maybe that's a one-off deal, though?

I'm not opposed to a straight swap of Marvel for DC at IOA. I love MSHI but it's stuck in some ways; especially food service/themed menu items are not up to par with other lands these days, and they don't seem to be able to add new characters (at least not to the way that the Avengers Campus does to cross-promote new projects at DCA).

In a perfect world, it would go down like this: DC IP would show up in the new UK park OR in an Asian park first. If popular, they'd close MSHI with ample warning, and change everything over to DC at IOA. Maybe give them the opportunity to expand the island with a new attraction? Disney could then go forward with using the Marvel name in US advertising, and start building a Marvel land at WDW to open around the same time - making a true theme park arms race for new superhero attractions in Orlando. I could live with this over closing the land for some different IP or not having much of a plan at all.

 

[AmyUD06]

If this somehow leads to the Un-DC-ifying of legacy SF attractions, I am all for it. It won't (at least not anytime soon), but a girl can hope.

 

[kmccarthy27]

I'm not opposed to a straight swap of Marvel for DC at IOA. I love MSHI but it's stuck in some ways; especially food service/themed menu items are not up to par with other lands these days, and they don't seem to be able to add new characters (at least not to the way that the Avengers Campus does to cross-promote new projects at DCA).

I think Alicia Stella also shared a X that someone believes that Toon Lagoon is not long for this world.

I have also heard the theory that Universal wants to make a Gotham and Metropolis area, and if you know Toon Lagoon is going away too, that they could totally make the Marvel area Metropolis (re-themeing Hulk as Superman) and then re-theme SpiderMan to Batman and then take from that space through Toon Lagoon and make it Gotham. You could even leverage the water rides as something Penguin or Joker related, with some good theming.