Universal and Disney in talks over Marvel in Florida

WDWNT has some good info, but connects the dots to a path that isn't correct.

Yes, Hulk and Doom should close by the end of the year/beginning of 2016. Hulk will be retracked, receive new trains, and effects upgrades. It may also possibly get rethemed. Doom is either going to be upgraded or demolished for a new attraction. If Doom stays, expect a new attraction to go where the Toon Lagoon theater is now.

With that being said...it's still all going to be Marvel. Marvel is staying at IoA, as it has since the Disney deal. Expect the theme of the land to be heavily upgraded, but expect it to stay Marvel.

I don't understand why Disney would care to buy Marvel out of Universal's hands in Orlando. Universal does a good job with Spider-Man and Hulk, they are not bringing any embarrassment to the IP, Disney gets free advertising in a rival park, and they get a cut of any Marvel branded merchandise sales. Plus there is the licensing fee, right? Universal must be writing a check to Marvel/Disney for the rights on an annual basis or something, right? Regardless, Disney has Star Wars and Pixar and Avatar and Frozen and Pirates and a mountain of other IPs that they can draw from - Disney simply does not need Marvel in its theme parks in Orlando right now.

@Sean - I thought that Universal was not allowed to "grow" their Marvel land, all they can do is upkeep and enhance what is already there? If not, I would LOVE to see Doom torn down - what an eyesore. And that Stormforce ride is the pits.

Well, My petition that i made in 2013, doesn't worked.

Let me just say that if your sources are seeing some Marvel merch on property at WDW and a refurb sked for IOA, I wouldn't read too much into that.

Disney and Universal will be talking about royalty payments, as that's a regular part of the deal. Let's not overlook that Universal has been an EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD partner for Marvel over the years, and Marvel's not in the habit of screwing over partners that work with them -- only with the partners that don't. *cough* Fox *cough*

Universal cannot expand beyond its current character families without reworking the deal. But if it presents a plan to Marvel/Disney that incorporates the character families currently in the park, and the project reflects industry standards of quality, Marvel/Disney cannot unreasonably withhold approval.

The only part of the current rumors that makes me say "hmmmmmm," is the idea that Marvel would agree to swift approval for new Avengers-themed attractions at IOA in exchange for Universal dropping all Fantastic 4 theming in the land, to both build brand value for Avengers and screw Fox (which holds the Fantastic 4 film rights) for not playing along with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Why would Fox care about Fantastic 4 being in an Universal Park? Nor should Fox care about Fantastic 4 in a Disney Park. Fantastic 4 is only represented in the comic book version, not the film version. Same for Spider-Man in comic book style in Universal (not Spiderman as in the film). I suppose Universal will have to negotiate with Sony to access a live action version. Fat chance. The next Spiderman lead won't be Andrew Garfield. Already goodbye to Tobey Maguire.

Anyways, Fox has nothing worry about Disney's threats. Fox has done quite well for itself and often exceeding Disney in box office receipts as a major movie studio.

There's an awful lot of "screwing" going on in the theme park business these days.... Perhaps a new attraction like the explosive Madame Orr's House might be in order?

I think it will be business as usual. I think Spiderman and Hulk are the only think keeping the IOA land alive. They are two of the greatest Theme Park Attractions in history.

Then again, they might tweak the agreement to give Disney the agreement to use all other Marvel Characters except for Spiderman, Hulk, and the X Men. I do not think much is lost.

Then again, what ground does Universal have to stand? Couldn't Disney just say "screw it, we are taking our characters back"?

Comcast just came out with their 2015 first quarter report. They reported a huge 33.7% (from $487 million to $651 million) increase in revenue for their USA theme parks. Operating cash flow increased by 54.6%. Those numbers, combined with the past two quarterly reports indicate that Diagon Alley is, and will continue to be, a resounding success. Comcast execs indicated they will be adding at least one new attraction per park each year, and will continue to build additional hotels. This is great news for theme park fans & shows what an immersive well themed new land brings to the table.....I'm reading Avengers E ticket, retheme for Hulk, upgrade to the Marvel facade, shops & restaurants.

I think Disney wants Marvel out of Universal. The question is if they can come to terms they can agree on. If not, they at least want a deal that is beneficial to them even if it's not their ideal situation. Marvel and Universal have had a good relationship, but that doesn't matter anymore. Disney doesn't want to supply IP to a rival theme park. But this preexisting agreement means Disney has to for the time being. The contract will keep being negotiated until Disney gets itself out it. my guess is Disney will work out a deal that means they don't get paid royalties and may actually have to pay Universal on the condition that Universal loses the right to use Marvel on a certain date. By then,
Universal will want something new, and Disney has time to design it's own Marvel attractions. The one thing that is certain is that Disney will work hard to make sure Universal doesn't open attractions that capitalize on the success of Marvel's films.

Randy, Disney can want to work as much as they want to stop Universal from opening new Marvel attractions. Unfortunately for them, the letter of the law states they cannot do such a thing. Contracts are contracts. If Universal wants a new Marvel attraction, they'll get one.

Anthony, Universal has a contract to stand on. That's all that matters.

From what I've seen Universal got the deal of deals on IP payments since they signed the contract when Marvel was close to collapse. Also, Disney supposedly only gets a small percentage of the merchandise sales. It really makes no sense for Universal to give up the rights. Just face the facts, Marvel is remaining Universal. Wish upon a star, but Universal's not going to give it up.

I really doubt Disney will get Universal to drop Marvel completely unless they're willing to pay for a complete overhaul of Marvel Super Hero Island. While I haven't been to the park, I'm guessing this area is the biggest draw other than Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and I don't see Universal easily parting with it. What wouldn't surprise me, however, is if the two companies come to a joint agreement that will allow each company to develop Marvel attractions using different characters. For example, Disney would be allowed use of Iron Man, Avengers, and all other related properties while Universal would retain rights to Spider-Man, X-Men, and anyone not related to the current Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Doubt that. It makes no sense for Universal since they have the complete upper hand. Plus, it looks like Universal will be using the Avengers & Iron Man for their new E ticket.

You'd have to read the contract yourself (which you can do here), but it seems to me that it is very vague on details. What I have read elsewhere is that any Marvel attraction Universal has in the park right now is fine as long as it is kept up and running in reasonably good fashion (except for scheduled refurbs or unexpected repairs, of course). However, Universal cannot add anything new or drastically modify any of the existing rides unless Disney agrees to the expansion or change - which of course, they won't if at all possible. Now there is such a thing as bargaining in good faith, so Disney can't just say "no", they will have to be creative to stop Universal, turning any planned expansion into a huge legal battle that neither company will want to fight. Which means, if we want to see more Marvel, we'll have to look outside of Orlando cause Universal isn't budging and Disney isn't going to allow them to grow without a fight.

Universal definitely pays an annual fee to Marvel/Disney for the right to use Marvel in the parks, as well as for the right to sell Marvel merchandise. Also, they have to buy the merchandise from Marvel or its designated distributors, or make it themselves as a direct licensee of Marvel toys.

As for food and drink sales, Universal doesn't have to pay anything to Marvel unless the food is served in "Marvel" packaging. I haven't been to Orlando for a few years, does Universal sell soda in Spider-Man/Captain America/Wolverine cups? Do they use Marvel heroes on the packaging of burgers or hot dogs? If so, then part of those sales goes to Disney.

Long and short of it, Universal is indeed paying Disney and giving them free advertising in IOA. And honestly, I have a hard time believing Universal wants ANY money or publicity going to Disney from their park operations. Plus I can't imagine Marvel is really driving that much business to the parks since Harry Potter is and will continue to be (for a few more years, anyway) the big draw. Therefore, IMHO, it is only a matter of time before something gives when it comes to Marvel.

But I am no lawyer, and I am not sure the contract we have access to online has all the details, so someone else can fill in the "facts" if my understanding is incorrect.

Has there been any solid news source that has indicated that Disney has expressed an interest in acquiring the east of the Mississippi rights to Marvel or that they have ever broached the subject at all with Universal?

Nope. Not to my knowledge. But we love our rumors and conjectures.

I mean, with the massive expansion of the Disney footprint in China, all the attractions that are ('Avatar,' Frozen') or soon will be ('Star Wars') on the way at WDW, the huge Disney Springs retail, food and civil expansion, the thousands of WDW hotel rooms under renovation, the expansion at Hong Kong and Tokyo ... Why would Disney feel pressed to cut a fat check to Universal any time soon?

The key word in the contract is "reasonable" and that gives Disney very little legal leeway in rejecting anything Universal proposes. I agree with TH. Disney has enough on their plate. They own many of the most popular IP's. They really have little need of Marvel at WDW. The only thing I think Disney might want to get from Universal, in return for some concession, is the right to advertise their Marvel movies at the WDW parks. And that's purely conjecture on my part. If Disney was so much into Marvel you would have already seen a new land fast tracked at the Disneyland Resort.

I read the contract and it was difficult as heck. Written by and for lawyers. As long as Universal is in full compliance, Disney has no grounds to cancel the agreement. The contract is about how Universal theme parks benefit and not anything else. At that time, movies were not a major factor or a major source of revenue for Marvel. Nor did Universal try to tie the two together with other movie studios. Disney is a one stop shop and they can make their investments go further.

Star Wars should be their next project. It is a true Harry Potter competitor and Star Wars fans were waiting for their world for a very long time. My only concern is the often rumored additions are rather puny. Remaking Toontown and Big Thunder Ranch into Star Wars Land is not that ambitious. Turning the Echo Lake area in Disney Hollywood Studios into Star Wars Land is not much to work with. Both rumors suggest major crowd flow problems and the lack of any remarkable attractions. I guess we just have to wait for the announcement.

I agree. Star Wars as an IP, & it's potential for entertaining attractions & lands, can be nearly as effective as Potter in generating income & attendance. But unfortunately, Disney is really dragging their feet on this.

James:

<>

You're overestimating what ability Disney has to stop any potential expansion. As long as Universal treats the characters in a respectable manner, Disney cannot stop an expansion just because, no matter how creative they get.

<< I have a hard time believing Universal wants ANY money or publicity going to Disney from their park operations>>

Universal clearly does not care about money or publicity going to competitors from their theme parks as long as Universal is the one making the most money. Harry Potter, Transformers, Simpsons, MIB, and Terminator are all owned by other entertainment companies. If it benefits Universal, they don't care who owns the product.

Disney's Quarterly (CNBC): "Revenue at theme parks rose 6 percent to $3.76 billion, pushing up the unit's operating income 24 percent, as ticket prices and hotel room rates increased and visitors spent more on food, drinks and merchandise."

I think Sean's on the right track. If Universal is getting a lousy deal with Marvel, they would have dumped those characters long ago. My guess is that they're satisfied with the amount of money they earn personally compared to what they have to pay Marvel. As for Disney, there is a plethora of upcoming Marvel movies that should make the relatively unknown characters with no IOA connection (Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Black Panther, and yes, Guardians of the Galaxy) popular once the films come out. It'd be better to save their money and use those in Orlando.

^^^Only characters I think they could get away with using in Orlando out of those are the Guardians. The rest are far too tied into the Avengers in the comics, though that is one of the grey areas in the contract both sides would have to work out in that case.

So it would seem that most folks believe Disney doesn't need Marvel in Orlando right now, and Universal is fine with paying a rival theme park (their chief rival) and providing advertising for a rival studio (again, their chief rival). Fair enough.

Personally, I never want to see Spider-Man leave Universal, but I don't want the Marvel area to remain stagnant forever, either. So I hope you all are right and Universal will remove their two Six Flags rides (Doom and Stormforce) and bring in something from the Avengers. That expansion would be fantastic. I just don't think it will be as simple as some folks are depicting or Universal would have made the move already. After all, the Avengers franchise is significantly better than King Kong (even if KK is Universal's IP).

I know I'm going to get some hate over this, but I actually don't mind Doom at IOA. Yeah, the ride is pretty lame after the launch, but it does that launch so well that I always enjoy it, along with the view of the greater Orlando area. Having said that, I won't shed any tears if it did go by the wayside.

Storm however is complete crap and I'll personally lend a shovel if it meant bringing in an Avengers ride.

Disney would have to pay hundreds of millions, possibly up to around the tune of a billion dollars to buy out that Marvel deal. Ideally I think they would do it to get the characters into their parks at their flagship resort, but given these circumstances, I can understand why the money faucet hasn't been turned full tilt. Disney has already paid $4 billion to purchase the Marvel brand. Do they really want to pay again, possibly another billion, just to use them at a resort that continues to rake in the money every year when they have plenty of other strong IP options for WDW already. Plus, don't forget, paying through the nose for those theme park rights would essentially be Disney putting up the cash to fund whatever brand new, cutting edge land Universal will be building to directly compete with WDW. For the time being, Universal has the advantage, but I think on a long enough timeline the stagnation of the land could work in Disney's favor and force Universal to play ball. It's only a matter of time before Earth's Mightiest Hero's end up at WDW and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if a deal went through sooner rather than later.

Heck, WDW can't even get the IP's they have the rights to, to translate into theme park lands. They don't know what to do with Marvel at WDW nor do they have the inclination to spend much money for new Marvel lands. Expansion is a slow moving sloth like animal at WDW. Star Wars is a perfect example. They could have done that expansion a while ago. Nothing's coming till the next decade.

Star Wars Land tagline:

A long time to go, with a completion date far, far away... ;o)

Bet it will open in 2019 ... And that until that time Disney's parks will be far and away the most attended in the industry.

Look at this from Marvel's perspective. If you want the synergy of theme park attractions promoting your IP, would you rather...

1) Continue working with a great partner that had your back in the lean times and is promoting your brand with popular attractions in one of the fastest-growing parks in the world?

or

2) Abandon that partner to switch to another park chain that probably couldn't get around to developing any attractions based on your IP for nearly a decade -- a time during which you would have no major theme park presence in the US? And, oh, by the way, to make that switch, your corporate parent would have to write a huge check to your soon-to-be-former partner, money that former partner likely would use to redevelop your current branded attractions and brand them your main competitor.

This is, as the pros say, a no-brainer.

In what scenario does Disney make MORE money? That is the big question. Bottom line is bucks!

Why doesn't Universal just build a Howard the Duck ride? You'll never see that Donald rip-off at Disney.

"Bet it will open in 2019 ... And that until that time Disney's parks will be far and away the most attended in the industry."

Like they are now?

Because when choosing a theme park, I care about what its attendance is!

Interesting post Robert. I will add some more lines.

"1) Continue working with a great partner that had your back in the lean times and is promoting your brand with popular attractions in one of the fastest-growing parks in the world?"... And Marvel will indirectly promote the Universal brand off the goodwill of the current fortunes that Marvel via Disney has generated in the last 5 years. Disney's current slate of Marvel movies means one movie per year up to year 2020.... all for Universal's benefit. Loki for them.

or

"2) Abandon that partner to switch to another park chain that probably couldn't get around to developing any attractions based on your IP for nearly a decade -- a time during which you would have no major theme park presence in the US? And, oh, by the way, to make that switch, your corporate parent would have to write a huge check to your soon-to-be-former partner, money that former partner likely would use to redevelop your current branded attractions and brand them your main competitor."...

... That big check is a huge down payment (i.e. $500 million) for an even bigger payback if instead of a mere land, Disney World gains a fifth park marketed as Marvel Universe. Disney decides to invest $2 Billion that includes park and surrounding resorts.

The $500 million isn't really that big if given to Universal in installments of $100 million over 5 years with the eventual phase out of the Marvel land in the fifth year. In the sixth year, Universal replaces Spider-Man with a Fast and Furious overlay (Cost: under $10 million).

The no brainer gets more interesting.

That's chump money to Comcast. No way they would touch that.heck, they just did a 2 billion dollar plus stock buyback since they had nothing better to invest the money in. They've already made back their $450 million Diagon investment. New attractions on Marvel Island will also pay for themselves quickly & be the gift that keeps on giving after that.

$500 million can buy them another Diagon Alley with a bigger property. Marvel Superhero Island doesn't feature the Avengers. It is a distant cousin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It only has one great attraction Spider-Man and it lacks theming everywhere else. Universal is in a holding pattern with the land.

There is an alternative solution. Universal can drop the Marvel brand and just keep Spider-Man attraction only. Maybe that is happening as the rumor is the Hulk and Dr. Doom brands are retired. The land may be revised to Superhero Island or something else.

Anon, Universal isn't in a holding pattern with the land.

Or at least won't be very soon. Hulk isn't going anywhere.

Hardcore Disney fans wishing upon a star for Marvel are going to be very disappointed. Universal has Marvel on the cheap as an IP, pays a small percentage of royalties on merch. sales, Comcast has no need of Disney money for a buyback, the contract is strongly in Universal's favor, when Universal refurbs Marvel Island & builds a new E attraction they will make significantly more money in increased attendance & merch. sales than Disney would ever think of offering in a contract buyout, there is the rivalry factor involved, and Comcast/Universal are not fools. Wish upon a star, but it isn't happening.

I am a hardcore Disney fan, I think, so I will go back to my original post in this thread and ask: "why would a Disney fan want Disney to buy Marvel from Universal in Orlando?" There simply is no compelling reason for the franchise to leave IOA and no reason for Disney to spend more money with everything (real and rumored) on their plate right now. Makes no sense.

I am also a hardcore Universal fan, I think, so I hope Sean and Rob's rumors for IOA pan out... More and better Marvel attractions at Universal Orlando is fine with me!

James: You said it all, "Makes no sense". Like you, I'm a hardcore fan of both Universal & Disney. Marvel remaining at IOA, and at a higher refurbed level, is what is going to happen. The problem is that many hardcore Disney fans look down at or hate Universal, and won't go there no matter what.

Oh Mr. Pastor I so disagree! The criticism from Uni-Fans about Disney (slow growth, Avatar is a bad idea, etc.) seems so much greater than that of Dis-Fans at Universal.

If Universal is so hot to hold onto the Marvel IP, and they're supposedly going to build this phantom "E-Ticket" in that section of the park nobody has heard a thing about up until Rob's breaking story, then why haven't they done it, announced it or eluded to it at this point? Seems to me, a company that has turned out "E-Tickets" at a relentless pace over the last several years starting with WWoHP, would have doubled down on adding to Marvel Super Hero Island with another gate crasher along side of Spiderman, especially given how Marvel has become an insanely popular brand these days. A brand that is current and continues to produce an insane amount of material across multiple mediums unlike Potter, with an extremely high profile cinematic universe that shows no sign of slowing down, that for many kids has become the Star Wars saga of their generation. It's hard to imagine the Universal/Comcast of today shying away from capitalizing on such an amazing IP that they're able to hold onto for a song. There's more going on behind closed doors than a contract anybody can google on the web could possibly shed a light on.

TH: Those criticisms are generally voiced by Disney fans on the Disney forums. The only real Universal sites are OU & OI, and very rarely does the discussion turn to Disney. Myself, I'm looking forward to Avatar..........Phil: Time will tell. Remember this discussion when Marvel's still at IOA years from now.

Hey, I love Universal, especially in the last several years. Their go getter, take no prisoners mentality towards expansion has been incredible! It harkens back to the type of spirit Walt approached Disneyland with, when he continued to plow profits right back into the park and sought to raise the bar each and every time. I love that they are bringing Kong back in what appears to be a very atmospheric ride experience according to the concept artwork recently released, and I absolutely love the deal they did to bring Nintendo into the parks. Who saw that coming? To me that was always a fanboy fantasy, but Universal has made it a reality and I'm thrilled to see what they do with the IP.

As far as the whole Disney/Universal/Marvel love triangle, I don't think anybody could deny that ultimately Disney wants that IP out of IOA and into their east coast parks in whatever capacity that may be. Don't forget, this doesn't begin and end with theme parks and Disney and Universal do co-exist and play nice outside of the world of themed entertainment. The talks are most likely ongoing and probably have been since the day the mouse purchased Marvel. The deciding factor may not only involve money paid but some form of asset acquired outside of the theme parks division that could prove to be a tipping point for Universal to send Marvel over to WDW. Remember, these were the 2 companies who not too long ago traded legendary, flesh and blood sports caster Al Michaels, for long lost cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Just because Disney may covet something doesn't necessarily mean they will be able to get it. All the more reason for Universal to retain their rights. Why give up the rights to characters that are appearing in today's most popular movies, when you got those rights for bargain basement prices?

Phil B. wites: "As far as the whole Disney/Universal/Marvel love triangle, I don't think anybody could deny that ultimately Disney wants that IP out of IOA."

I Respond: And I don't think anyone has confirmed or can confirm that they do.

I'm sure somebody CAN confirm it either way, they're just not able to speak on such matters. IMHO, even though WDW is not lacking for source material to mine for attractions at that resort, and Disney is able to produce Marvel attractions in their other parks, there's a level of frustration that goes with having a brand new toy you're not allowed to take out of the box. At some point the deal will go through, and honestly, I think Universal would be better off for it. Outside of upgrades and refurbs, nothing new seems to be going on at Super Hero Island. That's a nice chunk of land in a park that has all but maxed out on expansion space. Mind you, I'd much rather see Toon Lagoon get the axe, but I digress. I have no doubt Universal Creative could dream up something astonishing to replace what is already there, much in the same way Diagon Alley replaced a much beloved Jaws ride people thought would stick around forever because of Speilberg's involvement with the parks. If Universal has shown us anything in the last few years, it's that they are more than willing to tear down, cannibalize or retheme anything and everything in their parks and create experiences that allow people to get over the nostalgia hump. They truly are risk takers and innovators in this industry and if they are sitting on a property they are unable to do anything further with just because they're engaging in a pissing contest with their industry rival, then that's not doing either side any good.

Phil B.: "IMHO, even though WDW is not lacking for source material to mine for attractions at that resort, and Disney is able to produce Marvel attractions in their other parks, there's a level of frustration that goes with having a brand new toy you're not allowed to take out of the box."

I Respond: First of all if it is your opinion that this "frustration" exists how has it manifested itself? Where is that level of frustration visible? Second, Disney knew about the Marvel-Universal deal before it acquired the company. They knew the terms and knew the limits placed upon the model. And if Disney has made overtures to Universal regarding the licensing agreement can anyone find a single credible source that confirms it. I would suggest that the lack of any inside source news related to this subject would be a clear indication that Disney is not distracted by these circumstances and has shrugged its shoulders and moved on to other endeavors.

So your saying they haven't made "overtures" regarding the licensing agreement. Can anyone point to a single credible inside source that confirms they haven't?

Can anyone point to a single credible inside source that confirms aliens weren't present at the first Thanksgiving?

Nonsense questions... Pff...

Exactly

Nah bro, TH is right. You're pulling your facts and speculation from what's best rumors. There are no facts to back that Disney is trying to acquire the rights to Marvel's theme park rights. Just rumors. TH is asking for citation from a reliable media source to back your claim, but you don't have any. You are suggesting that because there is nothing that can be cited, that your argument must be true.

I love to cite South Park, and your argument is so much like the "A History Channel Thanksgiving" episode. "There's nothing to prove aliens weren't at the first Thanksgiving, so clearly they must have been there."

Nonsensical.

Never said anything I said was a fact, it's just my opinion. We're all here to debate, imagine and have fun speculating. Anybody can pose a theory and stand by it, not everything needs to be fact checked when having fun discussing theme parks and what may happen on stage and behind the scenes. Cheers!

You weren't behind the scenes. Nor is there evidence to suggest your "theory" (more like crap shoot guessing). You're right though. Have fun believing in Ancient Aliens. Cheers!

I'm more of a squatch kinda guy ;o)

However, couldn't Disney just pay whatever "penalty" imposed to break the contract.

Then again, they might be rolling in the money on royalties from Universal so they might not care that much.

>>>>However, couldn't Disney just pay whatever "penalty" imposed to break the contract.

I'm sure they could, however the net financial gain from having Marvel in the park would have to exceed the break fee, and the royalties they get.

Disney would also struggle if they tried to frustrate the contract... In Australia, the Burger King license is owned by a guy called Jack Corwin. Due to a trademark issue when the brand entered Australia they had to use another name - Hungry Jacks.

Once the trademark became available, Burger King decided to try and basically take over the operation. Part of the way they planned to do this was to frustrate the contract. The contract with Mr Corwin said that they must open X number of new stores, and stores had to be approved by BK. BK stopped approving stores to basically induce a breach.

The courts did not take such dickish behaviour well at all, and Burger King went home tail firmly between their legs. Sure, its an Australian court, but given both the US and Australia rely on Common law at its core... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger_King_Corporation_v_Hungry_Jack%27s_Pty_Ltd

>>>>However, couldn't Disney just pay whatever "penalty" imposed to break the contract.

I'm sure they could, however the net financial gain from having Marvel in the park would have to exceed the break fee, and the royalties they get.

Disney would also struggle if they tried to frustrate the contract... In Australia, the Burger King license is owned by a guy called Jack Corwin. Due to a trademark issue when the brand entered Australia they had to use another name - Hungry Jacks.

Once the trademark became available, Burger King decided to try and basically take over the operation. Part of the way they planned to do this was to frustrate the contract. The contract with Mr Corwin said that they must open X number of new stores, and stores had to be approved by BK. BK stopped approving stores to basically induce a breach.

The courts did not take such dickish behaviour well at all, and Burger King went home tail firmly between their legs. Sure, its an Australian court, but given both the US and Australia rely on Common law at its core... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger_King_Corporation_v_Hungry_Jack%27s_Pty_Ltd

I really would like to see something along the lines of what AJ proposed, where Universal sells Hulk back to Disney. Universal could re-theme the ride to Venom, get rid of Stormforce and Doom, and create "Spider Island". Spider-Man isn't going anywhere, nor should he. IMO, a partial-buyback would be ideal. Universal can do what they want with the Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and X-Men characters. Disney gets Avengers.

Call it a win-win.

Disney has opened a shop called superhero headquarters in Downtown Disney.

I think thats the current deal Gabriel