A new permit filed today with the South Florida Water Management District confirms that the Main Street Theater Project for the Magic Kingdom has been fully cancelled. We first told you about the rumors of the project being delayed or cancelled back in February, and then Disney removed mention of it from the “What’s New” web page for Walt Disney World in April.
Now we have evidence that the project is not going forward anytime in the near future. The new permit removes the “MK1” area from the previously-filed permit, which had combined the MK1 theater area with the MK2 area for the Tron coaster. Compare the project limits from the previous permit with those from the revised permit, and it is evident that the Main Street Theater project is not moving forward.
Previous permit project limits:
Revised permit project limits:
Of course, as we all know, good ideas never die at the Walt Disney Company, so it is possible that the theater project will come back at some point in the future. But it certainly will not be open in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary as originally planned.
Do we know what’s happening at the south end? Is the retention pond just getting bigger?
I don’t believe the South Pond is getting any bigger, but they do have to re-route the canals that connect it with the North Pond to accommodate Tron construction and buildings. So that’s why the South Pond is included in the project limits.
Why put in something just for entertainment, when Disney can put in a store, or something to make money off the hoards of people there?
1) Main Street has plenty of shopping.
2) Disney Springs is now a shopping mecca.
3) Disney is a little tied on financial/personnel resources at the moment.
4) The theater might still happen in the distant future. Why build something when it will just get replaced?