Green Tagged – Theme Parks in 30 for Oct 11
This week on Green Tagged: California theme-park reopening redux; discouraging cruise news; USO to invest in affordable housing; “Frozen” sing-a-long returns while movie theatres close; Disneyland opens a popup; Shanghai Disney Resort celebrates Halloween; Silver Dollar City creatively pivots; brands pivot to in-person Halloween experiences; Zipline into Godzilla’s Mouth.
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Big Moves in the Industry
California Theme Parks Move Closer to Reopening—Maybe
A theme-park reopening plan is coming “as soon as possible,” according to a California state official.
Guidelines for reopening theme parks in California are not yet ready. The California governor was considering draft guidelines, which the industry recently opposed. Both parties are now back at the bargaining table. InPark has a wonderful in-depth discussion of this issue as well as the impact of fires in the state can.
One of the First Cruise Lines to Set Sail Since the Pandemic Began Reports COVID Outbreak
The first of the large cruise lines to resume operations suffered a COVID outbreak this month. At least 12 crew members aboard the TUI Cruises vessel Mein Schiff 6 tested positive. This could impact the “no-sail” order in the US, which is set to expire at the end of October.
This ship was sailing in the Mediterranean when the outbreak was discovered. As we know, cruise ships can act like incubators for disease, and this is unfortunate news for the cruise industry. On the brighter side, hopefully cruise lines can learn from what happened on this ship and make future cruises safer.
Universal Announces Affordable Housing Community
This week, Universal announced it would begin searching for a developer to create affordable housing in Orange County, Florida. Universal stated this effort, which take place on a 20-acre site off International Drive and comprise 1,000 apartments, is its way of giving back to the community. Groundbreaking is planned for 2022.
One might ask, why is a theme park getting involved in creating affordable housing? For one thing, it seems to be acknowledging the need for such housing, which is related to the need for a living wage. Of course, given the layoffs in the theme-park industry and the many people living paycheck to paycheck, some of Universal’s own employees may benefit from this housing, although this hasn’t been mentioned by Universal. Some reports claim the theme-park industry won’t recover until 2025, so workers in the sector may be struggling for a while. In any case, it seems to be an altruistic move on Universal’s part to make use of this land in this way. And, it could have a two-fold benefit—providing affordable housing and helping some of its staff or former staff who may need such housing.
IAAPA Releases Reopening Guidance for Haunted Attractions
On October 5, the IAAPA published its Reopening Guidance: Considerations for the Global Attractions Industry, which, on p. 53, included guidance for haunted attractions.
These guidelines are coming too late to help any haunted attractions this year, are far too lenient, and don’t mention certain specific safety issues such as air brushing and incorporating PPE masks into character masks. Most haunted attractions are requiring masks, and many are asking for masks even when the local county is not. The guidance from Fear Factory on reopening and Shawn Morse on makeup room safety are more comprehensive.
Indoor Attractions Struggle
Walt Disney World Resumes Stage Entertainment with “Frozen” Sing-Along
For the first time since closures resulting from the pandemic, Walt Disney Studios as WDW has begun performances of For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.
For this reopened event, people from the same household are seated together in the theater, and there are three seats and one row between groups. This is an example of reopening in the right way and also in retraining guests to realize they can still have a great time while adjusting to the new restrictions. Guest response has been enthusiastic.
One Movie Theater Company Closes and Another Remains Open
All U.S. locations of Regal Cinemas properties will likely be closed, according to the company, while AMC theaters will remain open.
Indoor entertainment venues like movie theaters have been struggling, and one of the reasons is lack of demand. Clearly, people want to participate in a Frozen Sing-Along but aren’t as keen about seeing a movie in a theater.
Of course, there are always concerns about enclosed spaces these days, so making sure any theater is safe is job one. We discussed previously how the Hyogo performing arts center in Japan added extra ventilation and how Godspell added plexiglass partitions.
Disney made no changes that we could tell. In the Frozen Sing-a-Long, cast members are on stage and more than six feet from audience members, all of whom must wear a mask. Scott spoke to a doctor who said that people performing on stage who are at least 10 feet from the closest audience member don’t need to wear masks to maintain health standards. However, he also pointed out that having performers wear masks—if possible—is a great teaching opportunity for the audience.
Regarding movie theaters, the fact of the matter is that movies are being distributed differently now, and sitting in a theater is only one way to consume them. It could be the indoor-theater model will be broken for a few years, while, at the same time, drive-in movies are selling out. It remains to be seen if Regal or AMC is making the better move.
Pivots
Disneyland Launches Backlot Premiere Shop for Halloween at Stage 17
Disneyland announced the opening of its Backlot Premiere Shop at Stage 17 in its Downtown Disney District and will be selling Halloween-themed merchandise from World of Disney and other select Disney shops. This seems like an intelligent pivot, because they have this space available, yet it makes one wonder why the park hasn’t pivoted into something like the Knott’s Falloween (which has terrific reviews).
Halloween Returns to Shanghai Disney Resort
Shanghai Disney Resort is featuring trick-or-treating, Halloween décor, and dance parties from October 5 through November 1. The two-day dance party will take place on October 30 and 31 and will include character encounters, live music, and fireworks.
This event at Shanghai Disney Resort is a good sign that these seasonal events will be returning to Disney properties. If the recent sellout season trend we’re seeing at haunted attractions is any indication, we assume demand will continue to rise.
Silver Dollar City Brings Thousands of Pumpkins and a Halloween Atmosphere to its Harvest Festival
For 2020, Silver Dollar City’s Harvest Festival, which is the longest running and most-attended craft festival found anywhere in the United States, will feature thousands of glowing pumpkins. This event has an artisans’ market, chuckwagon cooking and demonstrations, cowboy art and artists, live music, and specialty foods.
What’s unique about this pivot is that the event itself isn’t essentially changing but has adjusted to the pandemic situation and brought in a Halloween feel with the addition of the pumpkins everywhere around the park. Silver Dollar City is offering what guests have loved in the past and continuing those in a safe way. The nature of the park’s layout makes spatial distancing easier.
Trends
Hulu and Joe Bob Each Announce Drive-in Haunted Experiences
Hulu has announced what are essentially an online, virtual, haunted house and an outdoor drive-in, immersive theater experience. Job Bob Briggs, who hosts some of the Netflix specials, will be hosting “Joe Bob’s Haunted Drive-In” at various drive-ins around southern California this October, which involves watching a horror film in a venue in which flesh-hungry ghouls roam.
Hulu and Joe Bob join a line of brands pivoting into physical experiences for Halloween. It’s smart to use their built in audience and assets to fill a vacuum in the entertainment scene. Yet, how will this change the competitive landscape for attractions, other entertainment platforms, and haunted attractions? When many haunts didn’t open this year, hulu pivoted to fill that vacancy.
Opening of the week
Zip Line into a Full-Scale Godzilla’s Mouth
On October 10, Nijigen no Mori (Awaji Island Anime) theme park unveiled its life-sized statue of Godzilla that allows guests to enter its open mouth via zip line. This attraction—called “Godzilla Interception Operation”—is the first-ever, to-scale, permanent installation of the monster made famous by Ishirō Honda’s 1954 film. The theme park’s Godzilla is 65 feet high, 82 feet-wide, and 180 feet long and has huge teeth filling its gaping jaws. Once inside, guests are tasked with taming the monster and zipping out through its mouth while firing missiles.
