There were reasons for failure due to marketing and administration decisions made before and after the launch of the park. The whole concept of trying to sell an American product to Europe, while trying to adapt some features of the park to suit a wide variety of cultural tastes, doomed the project.

While Disneyland Paris (originally Euro Disney) is now a successful resort, its 1992 opening was widely considered a failure due to several cultural and financial miscalculations. Disney executives attempted to impose American behavioral standards on French guests, such as an initial ban on alcohol in the parks—a decision that was poorly received in a culture where wine is a standard part of lunch. Furthermore, the pricing was considered far too high for the European market at the time, and the resort's massive hotel capacity was built based on the assumption that Europeans would stay for a week, like they do in Orlando, when in reality most visitors only stayed for one or two nights. The "cultural imperialism" narrative led to local protests, and the resort faced a massive debt crisis in its early years. It took several financial restructures, the introduction of wine in restaurants, and a rebranding to "Disneyland Paris" to align with European expectations and turn the park into the continent's most visited tourist destination.