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Economy

Merci Mickey! 20 Years Of ‘Euro Disney’ By The Numbers

Mickey Mouse muscled his way into the French tourism market in 1992 with the opening of Euro Disney. Now called Disneyland-Paris, the park is France's top tourism attraction and employs nearly 15,000 people. But not all are thrilled.

Ears to you Walt Disney (MagPhoto2011)
Ears to you Walt Disney (MagPhoto2011)


*NEWSBITES

PARIS -- No doubt the first thing that comes to mind for many when they think of Paris is the Eiffel Tower. Or maybe the Louvre. But when it comes to tourist revenue, neither can hold a candle to ‘Euro Disney," which has attracted a quarter billion visitors since opening its doors here 20 years ago. That's about the same number of paid customers the Eiffel Tower has received since its grand opening – in 1889.

Now called Disneyland-Paris, the amusement park is an almost exact replica of its namesake in Anaheim, California. There's nothing remotely French about it. Tant pis! People love it anyway. According to a study carried out by the research firm Setec, 15.7 million visited the park last year, making it France's number one tourist destination. The Louvre and Eiffel Tower, in contrast, drew some 8.8 million and 7.1 million paid visitors respectively.

Foreigners are particularly fond of the park – especially British, Dutch and German tourists. Together they have spent some 37 billion euros in France over the past two decades. But the French frequent Disneyland-Paris as well, accounting for roughly 42% of its customers.

Not everyone, however, is completely charmed by popular park. The Setec study estimates that the American venture has created some 55,000 direct and indirect jobs since its April 12, 1992 inauguration. But Mickey doesn't pay so well. Right now the park employs approximately 14,700 people, many as servers and shop clerks, who earn between 1,100 and 1,300 euros per month. And while Disneyland-Paris does pay taxes – roughly 5.33 billion euros worth over the past two decades – the bulk of its earnings go straight to Mickey's motherland, the United States.

Read more from Le Monde in French

Photo – MagPhoto2011

*Newsbites are digest items, not direct translations

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Society

Should Christians Be Scared Of Horror Movies?

Horror films have a complicated and rich history with christian themes and influences, but how healthy is it for audiences watching?

Should Christians Be Scared Of Horror Movies?

"The Nun II" was released on Sept. 2023.

Joseph Holmes

“The Nun II” has little to show for itself except for its repetitive jump scares — but could it also be a danger to your soul?

Christians have a complicated relationship with the horror genre. On the one hand, horror movies are one of the few types of Hollywood films that unapologetically treat Christianity (particularly Catholicism) as good.

“The Exorcist” remains one of the most successful and acclaimed movies of all time. More recently, “The Conjuring” franchise — about a wholesome husband and wife duo who fight demons for the Catholic Church in the 1970s and related spinoffs about the monsters they’ve fought — has more reverent references to Jesus than almost any movie I can think of in recent memory (even more than many faith-based films).

The Catholic film critic Deacon Steven Greydanus once mentioned that one of the few places where you can find substantial positive Catholic representation was inhorror films.

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