The Current State and Future of Universal Studios Florida

[SeventyOne]

In any case, I think the following should be on the chopping block WAY before Revenge of the Mummy:

• The Simpsons Ride/Springfield (very old ride system, contract possibly up soon)

Has an actual end date for the Simpsons contract ever leaked? If HHN 30 is any indication, Disney probably going to play hard ball, and I'm not sure the IP is as evergreen as we thought a decade ago. Replacing an E-ticket, a C-ticket, and what seems like the park's most popular mass-loader QSR and #2 bar, as well as all the theming, is going to require a real plan. Especially in such a critical corridor of the park. Not as simple as switching out a film in a simulator.

(BTW, as an aside, been told multiple times there is a generic Race Thru NY video ready to be switched in should Jimmy Fallon ever find himself in the news for the wrong reasons.)

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Let's be realistic:

• RockIt is popular, it'll get the Hulk treatment of re-tracking and hopefully a new soundtrack. It's become an icon of Universal.
• Revenge of the Mummy ain't going anywhere. Unless it's a retheme, it would be a silly move for Universal to get rid of it.
• Fallon is perfectly fine for what it is. Had the park not had 100 other screen-based attractions, the fans would have received it well.

All they need is relevant scenic/relaxing dark rides in the style of Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Easy to ride for all ages and understand.

There's only one ride at USF that is easy to ride, no motion base, and no screens/3D, - ET. But ET is in a poor state, which leaves most people unsatisfied.

I know Universal has always been the "grown-up" resort, but they are in a great position to invest in family/children based attractions for the next few years before having to go back to the thrill market.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Let's be realistic:

• RockIt is popular, it'll get the Hulk treatment of re-tracking and hopefully a new soundtrack. It's become an icon of Universal.
• Revenge of the Mummy ain't going anywhere. Unless it's a retheme, it would be a silly move for Universal to get rid of it.
• Fallon is perfectly fine for what it is. Had the park not had 100 other screen-based attractions, the fans would have received it well.

All they need is relevant scenic/relaxing dark rides in the style of Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Easy to ride for all ages and understand.

There's only one ride at USF that is easy to ride, no motion base, and no screens/3D, - ET. But ET is in a poor state, which leaves most people unsatisfied.

I know Universal has always been the "grown-up" resort, but they are in a great position to invest in family/children based attractions for the next few years before having to go back to the thrill market.

For the resort as a whole they’re taking a relative break from thrill rides honestly, minus ones at the new park of course but we all know that park is generally the most family focused one they have. Looking at this possibility:

2022: VillainCon walkthrough
2023: VR Potter
2024:??????
2025: Epic Universe
2026: Trolls/Pokémon in Kidzone
2027: KFP/Zelda in LC

Other than of course the new rides at epic, I don’t expect the current parks to get another true pure thrill ride until after 2027. These are all hypothetical, but this would make things SUPER family focused compared to where we’re at currently.

 

[GAcoaster]

• RockIt is popular, it'll get the Hulk treatment of re-tracking and hopefully a new soundtrack. It's become an icon of Universal.

Rockit is popular but mostly because it's so visible. I don't see them doing a simple re-track when they could build a much better ride with better capacity.

 

[tielo]

Rockit is popular but mostly because it's so visible. I don't see them doing a simple re-track when they could build a much better ride with better capacity.

And as an added benefit they could promote it as a brand new ride instead of a retrack.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

You will have to keep the lift hill and the non-inverting loop, everything else is fair game.

 

[JungleSkip]

• RockIt is popular, it'll get the Hulk treatment of re-tracking and hopefully a new soundtrack. It's become an icon of Universal

Disagree with this one completely. It's an unreliable design from a dodgy at best manufacturer. When its time comes it'll be replaced by a new ride completely.

 

[Jwhee]

I wonder if they will bring that night parade from Japan over. Would be cool.

 

[HHN Maddux]

Found this really good video, and he makes lot of excellent points.

TL;DW

• The problem with most of the screen rides isn't the screens themselves, more just the lack of atmosphere and good ride design + story, and failure to give you a good memorable experience. Compare Spider-Man with Transformers for example, they're both the exact same type of ride. But, Spider-Man does a much better job, integrating the screens greatly with physical sets, putting you in the middle of the action while still delivering a well-paced and easy-to-follow story, and just offering a fun charming experience. Transformers meanwhile has a story that's too fast-paced and hard to follow, has very minimal physical sets, and just lacks the charm that Spider-Man has.
  
  
• He thinks Toon Lagoon and Seuss Landing don't need to be removed, as they are very well-themed lands with rides that hold great potential. Instead, what they need is the Marvel treatment: Going through and giving the rides good upgrades while not removing or retheming them (i.e. Hulk getting a new track and story, Spider-Man getting the visuals upgrade). Also, add a Grinch coaster to Seuss to attract more people to that area.
  
  
• As for Kid Zone... Yeah, just tear it down, start from scratch, put in something new. And E.T., give it a mega overhaul to fix all the effects and animatronics (which, having rode it last week, yeah just about everything is broken now), bring back the pre-show, and just... Make it good again.

 

[Brian G.]

Has an actual end date for the Simpsons contract ever leaked? If HHN 30 is any indication, Disney probably going to play hard ball, and I'm not sure the IP is as evergreen as we thought a decade ago. Replacing an E-ticket, a C-ticket, and what seems like the park's most popular mass-loader QSR and #2 bar, as well as all the theming, is going to require a real plan. Especially in such a critical corridor of the park. Not as simple as switching out a film in a simulator.

(BTW, as an aside, been told multiple times there is a generic Race Thru NY video ready to be switched in should Jimmy Fallon ever find himself in the news for the wrong reasons.)

Nothing ever outright confirmed but the expectation was a 20 year deal - so 2028.

 

[SkiBum]

Thinking the same. If anything, I think 2 additions wouldn't be far off, depending on Supercharged and as mentioned before, parade.

I think if anything, Rockit is going to be the immediate project post EU. I think IOA desperately needs a show, but Maurer's X-Coasters do not age well, and would be better equipped to easily go demolished.

According to a quick search, it cost $45M to build. That is an expensive coaster. Hard to believe that it is only 12 years old.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

According to a quick search, it cost $45M to build. That is an expensive coaster. Hard to believe that it is only 12 years old.

The high cost might make sense if you factor in the technical issues, the location of the ride, and music licensing.

 

[RedButton]

Nothing ever outright confirmed but the expectation was a 20 year deal - so 2028.

I was curious about this and started looking at some old SEC filings from UCDP and it appears the license agreement with Fox (Fox Agreement in official filings) was amended to coincide with their license agreement with WB - May 25, 2007. Still nothing in there on an end date, but if we’re assuming a 20-year agreement then I’d suspect 2027 might be the official end. This could, of course, be wildly wrong and not at all up-to-date. :bolt:

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Let's be realistic:

• RockIt is popular, it'll get the Hulk treatment of re-tracking and hopefully a new soundtrack. It's become an icon of Universal.
• Revenge of the Mummy ain't going anywhere. Unless it's a retheme, it would be a silly move for Universal to get rid of it.
• Fallon is perfectly fine for what it is. Had the park not had 100 other screen-based attractions, the fans would have received it well.

All they need is relevant scenic/relaxing dark rides in the style of Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Easy to ride for all ages and understand.

There's only one ride at USF that is easy to ride, no motion base, and no screens/3D, - ET. But ET is in a poor state, which leaves most people unsatisfied.

I know Universal has always been the "grown-up" resort, but they are in a great position to invest in family/children based attractions for the next few years before having to go back to the thrill market.

My other problem is that I find Jimmy obnoxious as hell. But your point is still pretty accurate. I would really like it if it were just a walkthrough museum--in other words, an expanded version of what the queue already is.

***

Shame they're likely not cloning SLoP.

 

[belloq87]

Shame they're likely not cloning SLoP.

I think it's extremely frustrating.

 

[Legacy]

Define “gone” because they’re not putting money into this just to kill it several years later.

I think this revamp is a matter of necessity than desire. Mummy was suppose to get drastic refurb a few years ago for the Tom Cruise version/Dark Universe. It flopped, so the reverb didn’t happen. Since, they’ve been looking at replacing it, which will likely happen after EU opens so they can consolidate all the monsters in one spot.

The ride has been running almost non-stop for twenty years, and changes will likely be a minor investment for something that will likely stick around for 8 or so years.

They’ve spent more on less, and there’s far too much smoke to believe it’ll last another decade.

 

[shiekra38]

According to a quick search, it cost $45M to build. That is an expensive coaster. Hard to believe that it is only 12 years old.

That is WAY too much for what we got

It has been nothing but a headache from the beginning, and ironically, was supposed to be a cheap add to draw some attention back to USF

Mack, Intamin, or even Gerstlauer could do wonders with this given footprint

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I think this revamp is a matter of necessity than desire. Mummy was suppose to get drastic refurb a few years ago for the Tom Cruise version/Dark Universe. It flopped, so the reverb didn’t happen. Since, they’ve been looking at replacing it, which will likely happen after EU opens so they can consolidate all the monsters in one spot.

The ride has been running almost non-stop for twenty years, and changes will likely be a minor investment for something that will likely stick around for 8 or so years.

They’ve spent more on less, and there’s far too much smoke to believe it’ll last another decade.

Got you, I'm wondering if they'd keep the core and do a retheme even if that's kinda against their MO recently.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I think this revamp is a matter of necessity than desire. Mummy was suppose to get drastic refurb a few years ago for the Tom Cruise version/Dark Universe. It flopped, so the reverb didn’t happen. Since, they’ve been looking at replacing it, which will likely happen after EU opens so they can consolidate all the monsters in one spot.

The ride has been running almost non-stop for twenty years, and changes will likely be a minor investment for something that will likely stick around for 8 or so years.

They’ve spent more on less, and there’s far too much smoke to believe it’ll last another decade.

There is talks of a Mummy 4 with Brendon Fraser, so idk, this ride is one of the few staples outside of Potter that anyone I ask who’s been to UOR can name. I just don’t see the need to get rid of this before 2030, with all the other needs in USF.

 

[belloq87]

I just don’t see the need to get rid of this before 2030, with all the other needs in USF.

Exactly. If this upcoming refurb will be prolonging the life of the actual ride infrastructure inside, why would anyone at Universal then think that a retheme (or complete removal) would be a priority over the several other areas in the park that could use some serious work? What would prompt them to believe that getting rid of Revenge of the Mummy would be a more pressing need than doing something significant in KidZone?

Done right, a KidZone project could net the park several significant attractions (as seen by the original Nintendo plans).