Disney's Hollywood Studios: Attendance Problem

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Attendance Problem

Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park in The Walt Disney World Resort located in Orlando, Florida. Disney's Hollywood Studios opened up back in May 1st, 1989. Disney's MGM studios has popular attractions like Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, Rockin' Roller Coaster Aerosmith, and Fantasmic! Disney's MGM Studios, soon changed the name in 2008 to Disney's Hollywood Studios. The park has been facing an ongoing issue that Disney is trying to desperately solve.

Source: Disney 

The Issue

Disney's Hollywood Studios faces an issue that is every theme parks nightmare: Low Park Attendance. Compared to the other three parks located in this resort. MGM or DHS is one of parks that it is not as popular in comparison to Magic Kingdom. With Universal Studios Orlando down the street, it does not help at all. Disney's Hollywood Studios also faced criticism in regards to amounts of rides the parks has. Lately the criticism has grown as Disney began removing more and more attractions. In early 2000, Disney added the Sorcerer Mickey Hat in front of iconic Chinese Theater, which hosts The Great Movie Ride. The hat was soon removed in 2015. 

Source: Disney

The Cause

Disney World attendance has been decreasing due to closures, the addition of FP+, and the new Wizzarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. Several other factors came in place as well. Limited rides for the whole family to enjoy, same rides with little to no change, and many temporary overlays.

Source: Disney Imagineering

The Attempts to Solve the Issue

Robert Iger announced in 2015 that the park will get another name change in the near future. Disney rethemed the ride The Great Movie Ride and added new effects. They changed Star Tours into Star Tours 2: The Adventures Continue, similar to Disneyland; and also added an overlay of Season of the Force in Animation Courtyard and Echo Lake. Other attractions themed to Star Wars of Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple, a show exactly the same that is shown in Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace. Disney also had Frozen Summer Fun, which had Frozen Fireworks in Hollywood Boulveard by the Mickey Hat icon. They had a small Frozen Parade and the Frozen Sing Along, which is still showing at The Hyperion Theater in Echo Lake. 

Source: Disney

Disney tried to gain crowds by hosting events like Star Wars Weekends, Frozen Summer Fun, Pixar Block Party Bash, High School Musical 3 Senior Year, ESPN Weekends, ABC Super Soap Weekend, and The Osborne Spectacle of Lights.

Disney's Hollywood Studios tried to add more new stuff but did not have enough room. They removed attractions to add new stuff to bring in more crowds. Disney's Hollywood Studios permanently closed a land called Streets of America which housed the Spectacle of Lights, The Motor Stunt Show, The Studio Backlot Tour (Yes a studio backlot tour, similar to The Universal Studio Tour. Yes Disney's Hollywood Studios was an actual live studio where they created costumes for many films and shows, and even housed the Cast Member costume department and warehouse for parade floats. They also taped Wheel of Fortuned and Ernest Saves Christmas. The Streets of America had an actual New York Facade which could be used to film movies.) Honey I shrunk the Kids playground Area, Art of Animation, Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade, High School Musical 2: School's Out Parade, Journey to Narnia: Prince Caspian, Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Frozen Playground, Tinseltown Talent Show, Villians Unleashed!, The Magic of Disney Animation, The American Idol Experience, and much more! 

Source: Disney

Why it isn't Working

One reason why all this is not working is because Disney's Hollywood Studios has limited space, and has been know for always hosting temporary events that may only be popular for a while. There is no room to add a good permanent themed attraction, and the park's focus seems to be shows and events, which over time wont draw big enough crowds to the parks because  guests usually travel as a family, and folks want a good ride to enjoy together like The Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean. A  Teen would not enjoy sitting through The Beauty and the Beast Musical and a young three year old  cannot ride Tower of Terror. Usually, families deal with this struggle every time when they are at DHS. They are a family of four or five and have one or two small child and a teen. Scheduling a FP+ ahead of time does not help the stress. It adds more stress when deciding which attractions to spend FP+ on.

 They need attractions and lands that everyone in the family can enjoy together. Disney's Hollywood Studios is a half day theme park and everything can be done in  less than in day, whereas in Magic Kingdom, it takes about two days to fully enjoy everything.  

Source: Disney

What can be the Solution?

Disney has paid attention, finally, and are trying to solve the issue. They think they came up with solutions, but to be honest, they still do not have it right. Right now they have a Star Wars overlay which will not last a long time. They currently have a few rides open: Toy Story Mania, The Great Big Movie Ride, Rockin' Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror and a few more. Not everyone in the family can enjoy and/or ride these rides. 

They do have plans on expanding the park, which is why they have so many closures but one issue Disney is doing, is following the new current park trend: Themed Movie Lands! Both Universal Studios Orlando and Hollywood have Harry Potter World, a land themed to the Harry Potter films. 

Disney has one or two lands themed as movies like Bugs' Land and the new Cars Land. Cars Land did help Disney's California Adventure park attendance, it was in a similar situation DHS is facing, but they did a complete park overhaul which took 8 years in the making. They had parts of the park closed. They had World of Color, Fun Wheel, and retheme of Paradise Pier open in 2010, then The Little Mermaid Ride by 2011, and Cars Land by 2012. Even then Disney still made the mistake since when DCA opened by creating a movie themed land. 

Source: Disney

What is the issue with a movie themed land? Well it limits the chances for expansion and creation of new rides. In Fantasyland, Disney can create and add or remove rides for other rides. They can remove Snow White and add Tangled. Why? Because Fantasyland is themed for fairy tales and princesses. Disney has arm and leg room to make things fit to theme. Adventureland can remove Aladdin's Oasis and add another original ride to the land as long as it fits to the theme. 

In Cars Land, Disney can struggle to make new rides because the land is set in the fictional Radiator Springs. We as movie goers and fans of the Cars franchise have seen how Radiator Springs looks. They have to be authentic and original to the land in the films. They cannot just add a ride that wont fit with the land and town. Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters proved other wise, but I bet it was a challenge for the Imagineering team. 

Source: Disney

DHS will be adding Toy Story and Star Wars land and will be opening very soon, but DHS should have done what DCA did. Do a complete overhaul of the park pieces at a time. Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land can be a solution but it will not be a permanent one. Star Wars and Toy Story Land has to stay to the theme of that specific franchise, same as Avatar Land. With movie themed lands, it can limit the amount of rides the land can have.

 I have faith Disney will do a good job and will find a way to impress us, but so far they are failing with DHS and even with Shanghai. I can add this, Disneyland's opening day WAS A DISASTER, but over time and with mistakes Disneyland has become a hit and a place where we all hold dearly in our hearts. This can be the same scenario for DHS, Star Wars Land, Avatar Land, Toy Story Land, and Shanghai. Over time, they will become beloved by guests all over the world.

Honestly only time will tell the true success, but as of right now, things are not looking so bright for Disney's Hollywood Studios'

What do you folks think? Comment below and let us know

This is Gabriel from SOM

see you all in the parks!

-SOM