People visit Disney Town of Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China.
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But Disney denies the allegation, saying its philosophy is to integrate local elements throughout, from the first Chinese-language production of “The Lion King”, to the food and the attractions – even the Disney castle is topped with a traditional peony flower.
The theme park and hotel complex boasts of the biggest, tallest castle in any Disney park, the first pirate-themed land, and Disney’s most technologically advanced park to date.
Entertainment giant Disney opened a massive theme park in Shanghai on Thursday, hoping to win over communist-ruled China’s growing middle class with the ultimate American cultural export.
The resort reportedly cost a whooping $5.5billion, making it one of the biggest ever foreign investments in China.
The Shanghai Disneyland of China has been in the works for a very long time. She said the potential profit was insignificant against Disney’s total revenue, which a year ago was US$52.5 billion. “The expansion underscores the tremendous opportunity we see in Shanghai and demonstrates our long-term commitment to and confidence in China”. Wearing an Epcot Center shirt, Mr. Jochens said he had been to every Disney park and was surprised at the wide walkways in the Shanghai park, which he said took away “a bit of the atmosphere” but made it easier to deal with the crowds.
Disney remains the majority shareholder in the company created with Shendi to manage and run the resort.
China’s new Disneyland has some attractions that are absent in the older theme parks of the franchise.
A multi-generational choir performed a unique version of the Disney song, “When You Wish Upon a Star”, arranged in a Chinese style to reflect a blend of Disney magic and China’s cultural spirit. In fact, Chinese officials said that there are around 300 million people that are within 3 hours of the park by auto.
Amid the activities surrounding the Shanghai park debut, Iger offered his sympathies to the family of a 2-year-old boy who was dragged by an alligator into a man-made lake at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Consumers also have an ambivalent attitude to its products, with some being sceptical about American values overriding Chinese traditions and culture.
JAPAN: Tokyo Disneyland, the company’s first park outside the United States, opened in 1983, about 10 kilometres east of downtown on Tokyo Bay.
Furthermore, Disney will have to share the spoils. Hours after the gates officially opened, thousands of ticket holders stood under umbrellas outside the park hoping to enter. Parks in California, Hong Kong and France are based on the Sleeping Beauty story. The 963-acre facility is 57% owned by government-backed Shanghai Shendi Group.
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The Shanghai park could lose money for the first couple of years as it ramps up, but if can attract 18 million annual visitors, it should produce $150 million in earnings before interest, taxes and other items by 2018, Anthony Diclemente, an industry analyst at Nomura Securities, wrote in an investor note Wednesday.
