Disney CEO Bob Iger has chimed in on the announcement that Disneyland will being selling alcohol in the park, beginning with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. He also confirmed that production of Star Wars movies will begin to slow down, as a response to audience feedback.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter the news of alcohol being sold at Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was mentioned, and how some “Disneyland purists” were upset over the announcement. Iger responded to the statement by saying, “We have to be careful we don’t let people drink and then go on Autopia. (Laughs.)”
When pressed further about the topic, mentioning that Walt Disney had specifically called for no alcohol in Disneyland, Iger responded with, “I think Walt had a nip or two in his apartment at night. (Laughs.) I am a big believer in tradition. This just seemed like one of those traditions that if we changed it the empire wasn’t gonna crumble.”
Speaking of Star Wars, the subject of fans wanting Disney to slow down on the amount of Star Wars movies being released was brought up, to which Iger said, “I made the timing decision, and as I look back, I think the mistake that I made — I take the blame — was a little too much, too fast. You can expect some slowdown, but that doesn’t mean we’re not gonna make films.”
Fans have been divided on the sheer volume of Star Wars movies released since 2015’s The Force Awakens. Most recently the conversation became prevalent when this summer’s Solo: A Star Wars Story hit theaters a mere five months after The Last Jedi saw its theatrical release. Paired with a divisive fan reception and negative discourse surrounding the franchise, many have blamed the constant stream of Star Wars movies being released as the reason for Solo‘s lower than expected box office numbers.
But there is still a lot of Star Wars to come. Iger went on to say:
“J.J. [Abrams] is busy making [Episode] IX. We have creative entities, including [Game of Thrones creators David] Benioff and [D.B.] Weiss, who are developing sagas of their own, which we haven’t been specific about. And we are just at the point where we’re gonna start making decisions about what comes next after J.J.’s. But I think we’re gonna be a little bit more careful about volume and timing. And the buck stops here on that.”
After Episode IX comes out in 2019, the slate will be empty, but we do know that Lucasfilm is working on a slew of new sagas and other Star Wars projects, like the new movie series in development from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
“We have to be careful we don’t let people drink and then go on Autopia. (Laughs.)”
When pressed further about the topic, mentioning that Walt Disney had specifically called for no alcohol in Disneyland, Iger responded with, “I think Walt had a nip or two in his apartment at night. (Laughs.) I am a big believer in tradition. This just seemed like one of those traditions that if we changed it the empire wasn’t gonna crumble.”
Is it a Joke??
I am pretty sure that Bob Iger knows that there are many long time Disney loyalists who believe this Alcohol thing is a BIG deal and has serious repercussions…
Is it something to make light about, and joke as if those who are against it, and their opinions, mean nothing?
He is correct about one thing; “the empire” isn’t “going to crumble”.
The translation here seems to imply that Disney is so BIG that no matter what they do, they will continue to be strong, no matter what long time Disney loyalist Guests may see objection too…..
That is a fact.
The “empire” will continue and people will still go….
Soon with the passage of time, folks will forget that there ever was such a silly thing as NO Alcohol allowed in the park…
Or even such a silly thing as Walt Disney himself.
“EMPIRE”: an extensive group of states or countries under a single SUPREME AUTHORITY, formerly especially an emperor or empress
Have a drink Randy, it’ll calm your nerves.
You could always start your own park called Randyland where no alcohol is served and everyone sits around complaining that life is passing them by while embarrassing their families and making everyone around them feel sorry for them.
You could be the Walt Disney of pathetic existences.
I have been running my own amusement facilities for 40 years, both before and after I was an iconic cast member at WDW… And there IS a Randyland, and it is NON Alcoholic… And guests love what I present and they love me as inspiration to all the world. I hold celebrity status and have viewers all over the weekend world. If you only knew to whom you speak to with such ignorance and disrespect you would beg God for forgiveness, assuming you have any spiritual beliefs.
Oh wow. I’m sorry. I didnt know you were completely insane.
Get some help Randy.
Randy;
It *is* a fact that Walt Disney drank, you know.
Fred;
It *is* a fact that Walt Disney understood the effects of alcohol on some visitors to Amusement Parks.
He did NOT want the type of people it would attract and stated that we do not need that.
He also stated that he never needed to drink alcohol when he went to an amusement park, so whether he drank or not, he understood there is a time and a place for everything.
Then how do you explain alcohol in California Adventure? Seems to be just fine having it there. I don’t see the problem having it in Disneyland Park proper.
Randy; alcohol is available at California Adventure park and WDW. I can’t speak for WDW, but I have never seen anyone drunk at California Adventure.
Serving alcohol at one venue in Disneyland is not going to ruin anything. It’s also been stated that guests will not be allowed take their drinks out of the cantina.
go to youtube and search “drunk at disney world”
Randy, you have to keep in mind that Walt’s comments were made in the 1950s. It is now 2018, (and it will be 2019 when Galaxy’s edge opens). Times have changed.
California Adventure has never had any problems from selling alcohol.
Given the steep price of getting into Disneyland, people are not going to go to the park to get sloshed. Most guests will be families. Adults will want to have a drink or two, but that’s it. They are not going to waste their time in the cantina drinking given how much money they spent to into the park.
Remember the incident in which an intoxicated man attacked a security guard in front of the entrance to the former Tower of Terror ride in which he had to be detained by some guests a couple years ago?
The Star Was Franchise is certainly crumbling. Merchandising declined. No one wants to buy Star Was merchandise anymore. I don’t even want to see Solo if free.
I just spent a day at my son’s school, and I was amazed by how many people (I would estimate 20-25%) had some sort of Star Wars shirt or backpack or lunch box. Star Wars is INCREDIBLY popular among today’s young people, which is a good sign for its continued success. To tweak a line from Mark Twain, “the rumors of [Star Wars] demise are greatly exaggerated…”
It almost seems like the ones who keep complaining about it…are the ones who aren’t the target
I’m sure buying lunch boxes for kids isn’t the same as the expensive action figures that adults buy. Rey, Finn, and Poe aren’t highly valuable to adult collectors. Yep, if we aren’t the target, no one is.
The only target audience Randy belongs to is adult diaper wearers.
Yeah it’s crumbling. It’ just makes a billion dollars a year. And when Galaxys Edge opens I’m sure it won’t draw any type of profit. You’re a dope.
Solo lost $250 million. The Last Jedi is half as profitable as The Force Awakens. Star Was money generating machinery is crumbling.
money talks and alcohol does make money and lots of it.. I guess you have to make all that you can. Free parking for guests was a nice pert, now that’s gone. Disney was a no smoking and no chewing gum and everyone enjoyed the spirit of a fantasy place away of the outside world. Call me old fashion but liquor always disrupts and nothing is more disgusting than a woman or man drunk and loud mouth in a public place, and I can assure you there will be a number who will over indulge. Disney was a place for kids and families of all ages 0-100. Walt may have had a nip or two but you never saw him in pictures or in the parks drinking. Good luck with this alcohol thing bad idea.
Teetotalers like leroy and Randy can continue to cry in their milk and scream at the sky all they want. Alcohol sales will continue to expand in both DL and MK. Moms, dads, and other responsible adults will be able to have a beer or a glass of wine with their meals and life will go on. Not many can/will afford to get sloppy drunk on $10 Bud Lights. The temperance movement was tried. It failed.
“Disney was a no smoking and no chewing gum”
Chewing gum is not sold at Disneyland. If you have ever seen any gum wads, it’s from people who brought their own gum inside the park.
And he needs to go the same way Eisner went….. stockholders need to revolt again
To be fair, Michael Eisner was a much, much better CEO than Iger has been and ever will be!
and this means it all comes down to money …. alcohol makes money just waiting for the beer carts in Main Street to open
From a WDW perspective, you hardly notice alcohol is around unless you’re at Epcot. Disneyland won’t turn into a football game atmosphere. Believe me.
Shhh, weirdos are whining about something. Let them tire themselves out.
want to see what drunks at disney look like” go to you tube and just search “drunk at disney world”. See a drunk get maced at tower of terror… see a drunk climb the mexico pyramid… see a drunk with her little girl, harass to get another beer.
I would imagine the drinks would be overpriced and probably contain very little in the ways of alcohol.