According to the Wall Street Journal, the new Disney park under construction in Shanghai will not open until the first half of 2016. The $5.5 billion theme park was originally scheduled to open at the end of this year. The mayor of the city spoke about the project last week, saying that “basic construction should be completed in 2015.” In April 2014, Robert Iger, Disney CEO, had said that the park would open in 2015.
No comments were available from Disney as to why the opening has been pushed back.
Update 2/3/15: Bob Iger confirmed the day in his quarterly earnings call:
“This is also a dynamic and exciting time for our Parks & Resorts – with another very strong performance in Q1 and plenty to look forward to, including the spectacular Shanghai Disney Resort. I was in China the week before last and saw amazing progress — we just topped off our signature Shanghai Disneyland Hotel… and we’re nearing completion on iconic features throughout the park, including the largest castle we’ve ever built… and we’re getting ready to start casting the hundreds of performers we’ll need to entertain our guests. It’s thrilling to see Shanghai Disney Resort rapidly coming to life. The artistry, complexity….the magnitude…and the detail….it’s all quite astonishing. As you’ll recall, after we broke ground on this incredible resort, we announced an $800 million expansion, significantly increasing both the size of the park and the number of attractions available to our guests on opening day. Even with that expansion, we will complete major construction by the end of this calendar year, and we’re planning a spectacular grand opening in Spring of 2016, which we believe is the optimal time to showcase the full grandeur of this world class destination.”
News source: Reuters and Wall Street Journal
Photo credit: Shanghai Disney Resort
