Disney Store Cancels In-Person Release and Closes After Group Storms Queue

According to The Standard, the Disney Store on London’s Oxford Street was forced to open later than planned and cancel an in-person release due to massive crowds swarming to the flagship store.

A new limited-edition Lorcana trading card set was supposed to be released, causing long lines at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, and Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida. Starting as early as 5 PM on Thursday evening, people began camping out, eventually growing to around 600 people queuing and camping outside the store.

The line was about half a mile long, and the situation escalated early Friday morning when larger groups reportedly stormed the queue, pushing and shoving to get to the front. The group was reportedly a group of scalpers who intended to resell the products for a profit rather than buy them for themselves.

One fan told The Standard that the group of scalpers was “being passively intimidating in the lead-up.” Around 6:30 AM, the fan claimed that at least 100 people descended on the queue, coming from all sides as they pushed to the front. “They were obviously fighting among themselves. One was trying to get in through the front of the Disney Store. Another had stolen the tickets [from Disney Store staff] and was handing them out to his friends.”

The fan said that before the scalpers joined the line, “the vibes were honestly amazing.” They said people were playing games together as they waited for the store to open.

The Disney Store was expected to open at 9 AM for the limited-edition drop, with tickets handed out at 7 AM, but it announced it would cancel the drop. They originally announced it would be delayed and that the store would be closed, but later said that the release would no longer take place.

There has been no further information about whether the cards will be available online or in-store on a different date. We’ll be keeping an eye out for further information, but in the meantime, make sure you keep following AllEars for more.

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