Another possibility is that UGB will debut with new ride systems that will be cloned to other Universal parks albeit with different IPs to give them their own distinct flavor. I also think there will be at least one land from the start that will be cloned to other Universal parks.
Universal Great Britain
- Thread starter AlexanderMBush
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- Jul 3, 2013
- 941
- 328
I wasn’t implying otherwise. SNW opened in Japan first so it’s not unprecedented. Just don’t see this park getting something that major as an exclusive unless the rights are just easier to obtain in the UK for some reason beyond my understanding.
Yup. Look at Tron making its way to Florida and likely Jurassic World Adventure to this new park since it would make total sense.
- Apr 27, 2021
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This park won't be a licensing deal, nor will it be a Joint Venture Partnership, if they are dropping $5BN+ on a brand new park that's entirely owned by NBCU we can totally expect they will have UK exclusive rides especially when they don't want to cannibalise the Orlando park. I'm not really sure why this is being thought of as a lesser park in scope, or one that needs clichéd "British" stuff. Anything from all their other worldwide parks is fair game though
Honestly wouldn't be surprised if they lifted the Fast coaster concept (not layout) and put it here too... especially as we have the ability to dig down in UK, could actually be a better ride than the weird layout USH got.
Also as I've talked about before, since Paramount are in the process of suing London Resort, they had a clear intention to allow their IP into a major UK park. So that's something we can look out for too.
Side note: who says they are chasing anything? They might already have the LOTR
- Dec 28, 2023
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The number of Brits who go to Orlando is pretty decent. While doing the same IPs as UOR sounds nice on paper...it would be fresh if there was a level of surprise. There is something that makes it more unlikely Universal is going to want to license a lot of expensive outside properties in which they would have to pay multiple partners as they will not make as much money as other parks.
What I mean by that is: look at the the ticket costs for the competitor theme parks and number of attractions (As of 12/30/2023).
Alton Towers: Over 40 rides and attractions/tickets can be bought for 35 pounds ($44 USD)
Thorpe Park: Over 28 rides and attractions/ tickets can be bought for 34 pounds ($43 USD)
Blackpool Pleasure beach: 39 rides and attractions/Tickets for 33 pounds ($42 USD) (Note: They have rights to Spongebob)
Chessington: Over 40 rides and attractions/ TIckets for 34 pounds ($43 USD)
Drayton Manor: Over 40 rides and attractions/ Tickets for 29 Pound ($36 USD)
Legoland Windsor: Over 40 rides and attractions/Tickets for 34 pounds ($43 USD)
Add in a Merlin Pass is roughly 99 pounds ($126 USD) thats a lot of parks listed above to go to for a low entry cost.
Going to Hotels,
Looking at Details and what included for the lower end UK resort hotels, I decided to compare it to Cabana Bay. For consistency used the same date across the board (March 16-17), cheapest room available / Two adults and two children 9 years old)
UOR Cabana Bay Standard 2 Bed Queen: $299 USD/ 234 Pounds
Park Tickets not Included/Early Park Admission
Park tickets for that day cost (March 16): $646
Legoland Windsor Legoland Hotel: 1 bed 2 bunkbeds 1 trundle bed: $625 USD/ 491 Pounds
Hotel includes Park Admission/ lego souvenir set to take home with you/ Full breakfast (continental/cooked)/ early park admission
Alton Towers Splash Landing Hotel: $318 USD/ 245 Pounds
Hotel includes 9 rounds of Mini Golf/ Full breakfast (continental/cooked)/ early park admission
All the other Merlin spots are roughly the same with same level of benefits.
So with that to compete Universal can't be charging US theme park prices....they can't even get away with USJ level prices (69.39) But even then USJ is the most visited park in Asia and more visited than all the other Universal parks (Japan is the third largest economy in the world so there is that factor as well) and they receive subsidies by the city of Osaka.
Of note to measure attendance:
Legoland had an estimated 2.4 million guests which is the most popular park in the UK..
Europe: Disneyland Paris had 9.9 Million (2022)
Europa Park had 5.5 million.
PortAventura had 3.75 million.
USJ was 12.21 million (2022) and that was when it was closed off from the rest of the world so this years number should be much higher.
US Beijing was 5.5 million in 2022.
USS per pandemic was 4.5 million posts 1.2 million as of 2021 numbers. (Universal licenses and designs attractions..does not own).
While we look at theme parks through theme park fans eyes, it needs to be looked at through international tourist eyes. Its part of the reason why so many countries were thinking oh lets build parks in Dubai and Saudi Arabia and then later realized while there is huge money spends in those areas, tourists are not going to theme parks in those areas. Universal is not Disney. Disney can build a park almost anywhere and people will come to see Disney characters. Universal is much different beast, while the parks are popular, USJ is popular and gets tourism like crazy due to their anime like things which is why Universal Cool is in season they sell out of so much merchandise (prior to anime being brought in the park USJ was not hitting good numbers at all), UOR/USH is popular for Potter and extremely popular during HHN for now. But that was the downfall of Universal Studios Beijing, while the park had cool rides and Universal themed stuff...it ignored the cultural and societal values of travel that are important to the people and what they want.
While London is massive tourist hub, Universal will need to look at why are people traveling to London vs this many people travel to London, develop a park exclusively hitting that target. They can't just be like we got Potter, we got this because while people may still be going to the UK, doesn't mean they will go to the park. So after all of this, I think if Universal uses outside IPs, they will need to be fresh and unique not just rehash of IPs done before. I also think this park NEEDS to be different than anything they have done before.
Remember when everyone was like IOA was based on books....why not make a park based on British Literature and authors.
Potter
Lord of the Rings of course should be in the new park. (money magnet and fresh IP)
Oz (Wicked Version) use some of the old Goddard/Genting Ideas (Mainly for the food options)
Peter Pan (based off Universal's 2003 edition) Distinctively british IP for the Park
The works of Diana Wynne Jones (Work with Studio Ghibli/give us Howl's Moving Castle Universal edition)
Chronicles Of Narnia (just the books not any film or other media)
Universal Monsters (Bram Stroker and Mary Shelley both English)
Mystery Land (Agatha Christie and Sir Conan Doyle)
Works of Neil Gaiman (Good Omen, StarDust, etc)
IPs not seen before, done in only a way Universal can create as since the rights will be for mainly property usage and not so much visuals for most of these; the fees owed to third parties would be much cheaper and also a few of these should be public domain already
What I mean by that is: look at the the ticket costs for the competitor theme parks and number of attractions (As of 12/30/2023).
Alton Towers: Over 40 rides and attractions/tickets can be bought for 35 pounds ($44 USD)
Thorpe Park: Over 28 rides and attractions/ tickets can be bought for 34 pounds ($43 USD)
Blackpool Pleasure beach: 39 rides and attractions/Tickets for 33 pounds ($42 USD) (Note: They have rights to Spongebob)
Chessington: Over 40 rides and attractions/ TIckets for 34 pounds ($43 USD)
Drayton Manor: Over 40 rides and attractions/ Tickets for 29 Pound ($36 USD)
Legoland Windsor: Over 40 rides and attractions/Tickets for 34 pounds ($43 USD)
Add in a Merlin Pass is roughly 99 pounds ($126 USD) thats a lot of parks listed above to go to for a low entry cost.
Going to Hotels,
Looking at Details and what included for the lower end UK resort hotels, I decided to compare it to Cabana Bay. For consistency used the same date across the board (March 16-17), cheapest room available / Two adults and two children 9 years old)
UOR Cabana Bay Standard 2 Bed Queen: $299 USD/ 234 Pounds
Park Tickets not Included/Early Park Admission
Park tickets for that day cost (March 16): $646
Legoland Windsor Legoland Hotel: 1 bed 2 bunkbeds 1 trundle bed: $625 USD/ 491 Pounds
Hotel includes Park Admission/ lego souvenir set to take home with you/ Full breakfast (continental/cooked)/ early park admission
Alton Towers Splash Landing Hotel: $318 USD/ 245 Pounds
Hotel includes 9 rounds of Mini Golf/ Full breakfast (continental/cooked)/ early park admission
All the other Merlin spots are roughly the same with same level of benefits.
So with that to compete Universal can't be charging US theme park prices....they can't even get away with USJ level prices (69.39) But even then USJ is the most visited park in Asia and more visited than all the other Universal parks (Japan is the third largest economy in the world so there is that factor as well) and they receive subsidies by the city of Osaka.
Of note to measure attendance:
Legoland had an estimated 2.4 million guests which is the most popular park in the UK..
Europe: Disneyland Paris had 9.9 Million (2022)
Europa Park had 5.5 million.
PortAventura had 3.75 million.
USJ was 12.21 million (2022) and that was when it was closed off from the rest of the world so this years number should be much higher.
US Beijing was 5.5 million in 2022.
USS per pandemic was 4.5 million posts 1.2 million as of 2021 numbers. (Universal licenses and designs attractions..does not own).
While we look at theme parks through theme park fans eyes, it needs to be looked at through international tourist eyes. Its part of the reason why so many countries were thinking oh lets build parks in Dubai and Saudi Arabia and then later realized while there is huge money spends in those areas, tourists are not going to theme parks in those areas. Universal is not Disney. Disney can build a park almost anywhere and people will come to see Disney characters. Universal is much different beast, while the parks are popular, USJ is popular and gets tourism like crazy due to their anime like things which is why Universal Cool is in season they sell out of so much merchandise (prior to anime being brought in the park USJ was not hitting good numbers at all), UOR/USH is popular for Potter and extremely popular during HHN for now. But that was the downfall of Universal Studios Beijing, while the park had cool rides and Universal themed stuff...it ignored the cultural and societal values of travel that are important to the people and what they want.
While London is massive tourist hub, Universal will need to look at why are people traveling to London vs this many people travel to London, develop a park exclusively hitting that target. They can't just be like we got Potter, we got this because while people may still be going to the UK, doesn't mean they will go to the park. So after all of this, I think if Universal uses outside IPs, they will need to be fresh and unique not just rehash of IPs done before. I also think this park NEEDS to be different than anything they have done before.
Remember when everyone was like IOA was based on books....why not make a park based on British Literature and authors.
Potter
Lord of the Rings of course should be in the new park. (money magnet and fresh IP)
Oz (Wicked Version) use some of the old Goddard/Genting Ideas (Mainly for the food options)
Peter Pan (based off Universal's 2003 edition) Distinctively british IP for the Park
The works of Diana Wynne Jones (Work with Studio Ghibli/give us Howl's Moving Castle Universal edition)
Chronicles Of Narnia (just the books not any film or other media)
Universal Monsters (Bram Stroker and Mary Shelley both English)
Mystery Land (Agatha Christie and Sir Conan Doyle)
Works of Neil Gaiman (Good Omen, StarDust, etc)
IPs not seen before, done in only a way Universal can create as since the rights will be for mainly property usage and not so much visuals for most of these; the fees owed to third parties would be much cheaper and also a few of these should be public domain already
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There’s a lot to be said about quality, it will need to be cheaper than Orlando but Universal will (without even trying) be a more premium experience, here’s me paying £3000 just for Orlando.
On attendance let’s not forget about Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, appreciate it has a very unique pull and incredible location but it’s open for an under two months and pulls over 2 million visitors.
Most Universal & Disney parks outside the USA are cheaper tickets than the USA parks. I'd imagine that'll continue in the UK. USA has more disposable income than most other economies.
Putting Rat with a fake France facade in DLP was the most stupid thing to do when the real thing is just a 30 minute ride away.
So I hope they don't make the mistake to make UGB too much GB. I say yes to new rides but there is nothing wrong with Universal IP's like Minions, Jurassic or Mummy. I don't want an English pub or a fish and chips store. I think we can all accept this is a part on US in the UK and as someone from the Netherlands my visit to UGB will be part of a London vaction and I expect most people from main land EU will see it.
So I hope they don't make the mistake to make UGB too much GB. I say yes to new rides but there is nothing wrong with Universal IP's like Minions, Jurassic or Mummy. I don't want an English pub or a fish and chips store. I think we can all accept this is a part on US in the UK and as someone from the Netherlands my visit to UGB will be part of a London vaction and I expect most people from main land EU will see it.
- Dec 4, 2023
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A standard adult ticket to WB Studio Tour London costs £53.50 and the tour is expected to last approximately 3.5 hours. And that’s a tour with no rides etc. I really don’t know much about price points but I would expect this park would be somewhere between £80-£90 for a day ticket?
Like you said Universal is a more premium experience, it will undoubtedly be more expensive than any other UK park. But for good reason really.
I would expect a Universal Studios GB ticket to be in the ballpark of £80-£90 given the quality it should offer, and the competition.
Alton Towers is £68 on the day (£39 in advance) so I don’t think the above price point is too much of a stretch.
People don’t mind paying more money if the quality is there. This is demonstrated quite clearly with the Harry Potter Studios Tour.
I also really don’t think they should build a Potter land either. What’s the point in building a fake King’s Cross when the real one is 40mins away, or a Hogsmeade when we have the real deal with places like York and Oxford. It’s like the above poster said about DLP building fake Paris in… Paris.
Alton Towers is £68 on the day (£39 in advance) so I don’t think the above price point is too much of a stretch.
People don’t mind paying more money if the quality is there. This is demonstrated quite clearly with the Harry Potter Studios Tour.
I also really don’t think they should build a Potter land either. What’s the point in building a fake King’s Cross when the real one is 40mins away, or a Hogsmeade when we have the real deal with places like York and Oxford. It’s like the above poster said about DLP building fake Paris in… Paris.
- Dec 28, 2023
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It’ll be interesting to see how the indoors / outdoors aspect would relate to ticket prices.
A mostly indoor park would increase the potential operating hours, and account for poor weather conditions. So paying £80-90 to get up to 12 hrs visit time at a park like I could visiting Orlando, is more reasonable.
A mostly indoor park would increase the potential operating hours, and account for poor weather conditions. So paying £80-90 to get up to 12 hrs visit time at a park like I could visiting Orlando, is more reasonable.
Oh I think Potter is a must. They could do Azkaban. the Womping willow or The Weasleys' home, all non existing locations (both in Orlando or in the UK as real life locations).
- Apr 27, 2021
- 384
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few points of consideration:
A stay in a Hotel the quality of Cabana bay will set you back at least $450 for that same weekend in London, so I would consider an on park hotel the quality of CB at £234 value for money, especially as the Merlin hotels are not great and feel like a rip off.
In regards to the pricing point, this will open as a single park, not a multiple park resort like you currently get at UOR, as mentioned by others UK parks are expensive on the door, you quoted their advanced prices , so I would be surprised if the admission price will be any different to any other advanced price Merlin park. At the end of the day they hoping to match DLP visitor numbers pretty quickly so they wont price anyone out of the park. Those people staying in london who jump on a train to visit this park and return in the even will just pay the on the door prices no matter what
I would say that visitors to London are doing the very British things when they are here, all the london landmarks, so they really do not need to visit a theme park based on that vibe cos they just got the real thing the day before. And quite frankly, British citizens definitely dont need that either, theres some things on your list ive literally never heard of, its a minefield to go down that road. I think this idea that we need uniquely British IP in this park is somewhat of a misnomer. I completely agree that LOTR is a great choice for this park, but more so because it currently has no home anywhere else.
for me I can seem them canibilising any other Universal Park that is more than a 5 hour time zone away. So the Fast and Furious coaster idea, Beijing's Jurassic World attractions, Kung Fu Panda Land, Secret Life of Pets Land, Sing Land perhaps (UK has the highest box office ratings on international market), something Mario/SNW that isnt at the other three parks, etc then of course the other rumoured stuff Alicia touched on. There was also some solid potter suggestions that arent in Orlando nor at Watford Studio tour
In general I would look at what universal movies do well on international markets because some of them do really well in european theatres
Edit: look at the Fast X box office takings alone, and see who how many of the 10 countries closest to and inc UK did $100m in sales, USA was $146M
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Not having Potter in this park would be quite perplexing. I have no idea what % of park guests to UOR are Brits... but it's gotta be 5-10%... and if 500K+ Brits are willing to fly to Orlando for Potter... imagine the popularity in a Universal park closer to home. I don't expect Diagon or Ministry, but I think Hogwarts/Hogsmeade could happen with a different ride system.
I just can't wrap my head around a UK park not having Hogwarts Castle in some form. No Hagrid, no Diagon, no Ministry... but by the time this thing opens in 2030, Hogsmeade at IOA would be 20 years old by then. Anyone who would have wanted to see it would have by then.
I just can't wrap my head around a UK park not having Hogwarts Castle in some form. No Hagrid, no Diagon, no Ministry... but by the time this thing opens in 2030, Hogsmeade at IOA would be 20 years old by then. Anyone who would have wanted to see it would have by then.
See, that is the thing. I don't think Brits are flying to UOR for Potter. They are coming for the resort as a whole. Potter is an added value of course but not their main reason for coming. Add me to the list of people who think UGB can be fine without harry potter UNLESS the approach is like what epic is doing, having the land not be England centric and you travel to locations via floo. Or, if they were bold, they could create the standard new york section and feature one potter attraction, the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Maybe even tie in a sit down restaurant as well.
I'd be curious to hear from those who live in the UK, but the locales in Harry Potter are fantasy versions of real-world locations. You can (and should!) go to Edinburgh to see the real-world Diagon Alley, but it's (obviously!) not the same as what you find at Universal Studios Florida. Likewise, while Hogsmeade is based on villages around England it's, you know, filled with magical crap (technical term!)
To me, and obviously I do not live there, this is not the same at California Adventure which was a pastiche of California culture. Hogsmeade, Diagon, etc. can stand out despite being in the country that inspired those locales.
To me, and obviously I do not live there, this is not the same at California Adventure which was a pastiche of California culture. Hogsmeade, Diagon, etc. can stand out despite being in the country that inspired those locales.
Potter is a weird one, the tour does great but I think that’s because it’s real or as close to real as you can get.
Most might not know but they expanded just a couple of years ago into a photo exhibition in Covent Garden (in a very good location) that now no longer exists and was a huge failure.
Most might not know but they expanded just a couple of years ago into a photo exhibition in Covent Garden (in a very good location) that now no longer exists and was a huge failure.
As a Brit, I'd be more inclined to go to a location that has the Potter locations as they are in the Potter Universe rather than what they were based off. Purely because the Potter locations are fantastical and magical takes of UK locations. Coupled with world class rides, it's just far more attractive to me.
Personally I want them to do Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade, those two are the big attractions for me.
