Disneyland Shanghai will reopen on May 11, but unfortunately there's no official timeline on U.S. and other parks. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt around the world. Although some nations are beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, much uncertainty remains. As the first nation to experience the full effects of the coronavirus, China had spent much of the new year under very strict lockdown. Consequently, the East Asian nation has been one of the first to attempt a return to normal. At this point, however, exactly what normal means in a time where COVID-19 still has no cure or effective treatment is a tricky question to answer.
The disease has greatly affected everything from how people live and work to the sort of entertainment they’re able to seek out. In terms of entertainment, for example, Disney has faced considerable financial loss not just as a result of film production being shut down, but due to its theme parks having to close. With six parks worldwide, Disney has considerable investments to look after, and with some regions of the world easing lockdown restrictions, the question of how these assorted theme parks fit into a return to normal continues to be asked. Some had even suggested Disney Parks wouldn't re-opoen until next year.
For now at least, fans have an answer on one park. Unfortunately, Disney parks in the U.S. remain shut and currently have no official re-opening date to speak of. At the same time, however, Chinese residents will be able to return to Disneyland Shanghai as of May 11th. The news came courtesy of Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s most recent public earnings call, in which he stated the Mouse House was seeing “encouraging signs” from China’s steady return to pre-coronavirus life.
It does certainly seem strange to think a country as hard hit by the pandemic as China was is only a matter of days away from opening up a major space for public gatherings. Nonetheless, China is determined to put its days of being at COVID-19’s mercy behind it. Whether or not this move will pay off for Disney certainly remains to be seen, but should the re-opening prove successful, it could be used as a model for how to re-open its five remaining parks when the time comes. To date, it has been revealed that Disney parks could end up losing as much as $21 billion in revenue as a result of the ongoing shutdown. That’s an unfathomable amount of money for any business to lose, and Disney is currently doing everything it can to return its operations to normal while trying to ensure that the process is done safely. It’s an extremely difficult balancing act to perfect and is likely the reason why American Disney parks have no official re-opening date in sight.
At the same time, however, it’s one thing for Disney to re-open one of their parks, but it’s quite another thing altogether to ensure people are visiting. As long as COVID-19 exists without a cure, the public will be susceptible. Easing lockdown restrictions is still a relatively new process, and the exact success rate for it still isn’t known. Right now, only time will tell how Disneyland Shanghai will fare, but Disney remains optimistic in the face of such an unprecedented challenge.
Source: Disney