The theme park rights to "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" have been tied up in a larger legal battle between the heirs of author J.R.R. Tolkien and Warner Bros., the studio that made the recent films. The Tolkien family has taken a narrow view of the rights it assigned to Warner Bros. — claiming they were for the movies and "tangible" merchandise derivatives. The studio claims that it has the rights to license a much wider range of branded products, which would include online video games and, potentially, theme park attractions.
The heirs sued; Warner Bros. countered with a breach-of-contract claim, and then the estate tried to get the Warner Bros. action thrown out of court. This week, a federal appeals judge ruled that Warner Bros.' action could move forward, taking the whole process closer to trial... or a negotiated settlement.
The Middle Earth franchises have grossed more than five billion dollars in worldwide box office, making them one of the world's most valuable entertainment franchises. Universal long has been tipped to be after the theme park rights, following its very successful development of multiple theme park lands devoted to Warner Bros.' Harry Potter franchise.
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Please explain the statement, "...the Hobbit failed to revive the franchise's popularity." Where was the failure, and when did it need reviving?
For us consumers it would be bad news if Disney bought it - as it would be built when we're long gone. We can only hope Universal make a go for it.
Lastly, this is a huge opportunity - it's not just the movies, but the books are everlasting and some of the most popular literature ever written.
Next they can add a ride with a T-Rex.
First off, nice profile pic.:) Second I agree with you. IOA would be the perfect park to put in LOTR if Universal gets the rights. In fact, I hope Universal does get the rights. Even though I'm more of a Disney fan, I think selling out Tolkien's creation and legacy to a company that he personally despised would be a bad way to honor his memory.
And TH,
Maybe Universal can combine LOTR with Jurassic Park! That way we can get a ride with a dragon AND a T-Rex!!!
Universal's dragons and dinosaurs themed stuff:
Lands
-Jurassic Park
Children's Play Areas
-Camp Jurassic
Attractions
-Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
-A Day in the Park with Barney
-Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
-Jurassic Park River Adventure
-Dragon Challenge
-Raptor Encounter
-Jurassic Park Discovery Center
-Pteranodon Flyers
-Skull Island (upcoming)
Restaurants
-Pizzaria Predatoria
-Burger Digs
Disney's dragons and dinosaurs themed stuff:
Lands
-Dinoland USA
-Pandora (upcoming)
Children's Play Areas
-The Boneyard
Attractions
-Ellen's Energy Adventure
-Dinosaur
-Primeval Whirl
-Triceratop Spin
-Fantasmic
-Flight of Passage (upcoming)
Restaurants
-Nine Dragons Restaurant
The validity in your perception stems from the fact that the Magic Kingdom has exactly zero attractions themed to dragons or dinosaurs, and since most of us think of the Magic Kingdom or Disneyland when we think of Disney parks, it's easy to see where things go astray.
But enough digression! I want the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit in a Universal park because they'll get it done quickly even if it means that we get an attraction featuring Smaug, and it makes TH Creative look more right than he really is!
1) Someone questioning why should a LOR land or area be built in a theme park (good question).
and
2) Listing of box office numbers for LOR movies.
Yes, the films were a big box office draw (a decade ago) along with the diminishing returns of the Hobbit. Looking at the top box office films of all time, this is the one "franchise" that hasn't been developed in a park form or any other merchandise form since its inception (probably due in part because of the rights issues). The other big draw being "Titanic", but if you want to see commercialization of it, just visit Branson, Missouri.
Should there be themepark related lands-rides based on Lord of the Rings? My question would be is there really a demand for it? Is the fanbase that has read the books and watched the movies really interested in visiting a themepark, much less have an inclination to go to one even if a LOR area did exist? I would assume if they weren't interested in visiting one before, they would be if a land is built, but how many people are we really talking about here? Enough to warrant the building of a hundred million dollar land? Probably not.
Like Avatar, I don't think LOR has a "sticky-ness" to it with the general public. What I mean is something along the following - for 100 random people on the street, could they name three characters from Avatar or LOR. For LOR, they could probably name at least two (Gandalf, Frodo-Bilbo, and/or Gollum). I bet you could find very few that could for Avatar. Sure, you can quote box office receipts and dvd sales as being high, but if the overall characters, places, concepts, and names don't stick with the public, why would they be interested in visiting a "land" based on them.
Franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, and the various Disney princess films have this stickyness to them. Ask a person on the street to name three characters from any of them. The percentage would definitely be higher than asking about LOR or Avatar.
Yes, there will be an increase in guests when the Avatar land is built. Yes, the statistics will show that Disney's Animal Kingdom is drawing more guests than it was prior to the land being built. But are any of these people basing their visit solely on the Avatar film? Did they not have an interest in visiting Disney prior to the land being built, but this persuaded them to book a flight to Florida? I highly doubt it.
Yeah, I got off track with Avatar, but to me it has the same feeling as LOR. I don't see it as a big tourist draw for the general public.
As for the "stickyness" of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, they have been captivating people for upwards of 80 years (the Hobbit was first published in the late '30s). How much more sticky can an IP get?
You don't even need smaug (although it's silly to imply that Universal has too many dragons or Dinosaurs). Have an attraction where you encounter Azog, gollum, and the Necromancer that would be one heck of a ride!
My bet is Universal. I think Disney is content with their Star Wars since they can control the whole thing!
That's a 3 billion dollar franchise. People still like this series.
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