Matt Stroshane/Disney
- Disney recently opened "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance" in both Disneyland, California and Disney World, Florida.
- "Star Wars" fans have delayed visiting the parks until the star attraction opened, meaning the new rides promise to release pent-up demand and boost Disney's theme-park business.
- Domestic park attendance slid 3% in the third quarter, and Disneyland attendance fell in the fourth quarter.
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Disney recently opened "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance" - one of the two star attractions in the "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" areas of Disneyland, California and Disney World, Florida. The rollout of the rides, more than six months after the "Star Wars"-themed sections opened, promises to release pent-up demand and provide a welcome boost to Disney's theme-park business.
"There are people that are just waiting for the whole thing to be open, which is fine," Disney CEO Bob Iger said on the media titan's fourth-quarter earnings call in November.
"Awareness and intention to visit remain strong," finance chief Christine McCarthy added, pointing to booking rates at Disney's domestic hotels tracking 5% higher.
"Star Wars" fans delaying their visits to both parks until "Rise of the Resistance" opened, coupled with Disney fanning fears of overcrowding, slashed domestic park attendance by 3% in the third quarter. Attendance fell again in the fourth quarter, the company said.
However, both Galaxy's Edge areas "have been far more successful than has been reported," Iger said on the call. They fuelled a 5% rise in guest spending, he said, as people spent more on admission, merchandise, and food and drink.
Moreover, the popularity of the areas' other star attraction bodes well for the new rides.
"Just to give you one crazy stat, the Millennium Falcon attraction has carried over 1.7 million people already since they've opened across both places," Iger said.
The Disney boss added that guest ratings for experience, satisfaction, and attraction availability are in the high 90s out of 100, indicating a "very, very complex technological attraction is running really well."
In other words, the parks are already cashing in on "Star Wars" fever, but "Rise of the Resistance" should help unlock their full potential.
