Halloween Horror Nights 30 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors (2021)

[v0latilebear]

The street locations on the final 2020 map were intentionally swapped a bit. 30 Years, 30 Fears was always in Production Central. Last year, New York was just an original we never got details on.

The important thing is that it’s obvious Universal reworked the streets in some capacity already. Giving a street (NY at that) to one of the most popular musical acts in history is completely reasonable since they’ve had a year to focus almost entirely on zones.

So I’m confused now because looking back at that map we have both an anniversary zone and 30 years 30 fears so what would have been the difference between these two proposed zones?

 

[Legacy]

So I’m confused now because looking back at that map we have both an anniversary zone and 30 years 30 fears so what would have been the difference between these two proposed zones?

Anniversary zone was icon-centric. 30 Years was best-of streets.

 

[Living Dead Dude]

Anniversary zone was icon-centric. 30 Years was best-of streets.

So is this years 30th anniversary zone a combination of both those zones?

 

[Legacy]

So is this years 30th anniversary zone a combination of both those zones?

Maybe.

 

[Clive]

I have no idea if it’s Metallica or not, but there’s a reason it didn’t end up happening in Hollywood.

 

[Tobias]

The important thing is that it’s obvious Universal reworked the streets in some capacity already. Giving a street (NY at that) to one of the most popular musical acts in history is completely reasonable since they’ve had a year to focus almost entirely on zones.

An this is something I think some folks forgot or didn't realize, due to the unique situation of the past year, all but one of the houses were already built, so that's given them a solid year to focus on the scare zones. The same goes for the budget, too. It does line up with various insiders hinting that this could be a fun year for the scare zones since they have the best chance of getting amp'd up in some way or another.

 

[Neo]

An this is something I think some folks forgot or didn't realize, due to the unique situation of the past year, all but one of the houses were already built, so that's given them a solid year to focus on the scare zones. The same goes for the budget, too. It does line up with various insiders hinting that this could be a fun year for the scare zones since they have the best chance of getting amp'd up in some way or another.

Is that a "real" thing though? That would be like a golf course having a $10,000 budget and then having to close for a full year and saying, "well, we have another $10k to improve the course." That doesn't make sense. Granted, Universal is a multibillion dollar company, but doubling down on something because you missed a year doesn't make much business sense.

The bean counters MIGHT be able to say some turnstile turns were because of HHN lite...but it's really a sunk cost for 18+ months until they start to collect revenue off it.

I don't know how much bonus/plus money they have to play with. Especially after having to scrap and re-do a house that generated negative revenue (because of the licensing and construction costs of Billie).

 

[Tobias]

Is that a "real" thing though? That would be like a golf course having a $10,000 budget and then having to close for a full year and saying, "well, we have another $10k to improve the course." That doesn't make sense. Granted, Universal is a multibillion dollar company, but doubling down on something because you missed a year doesn't make much business sense.

The bean counters MIGHT be able to say some turnstile turns were because of HHN lite...but it's really a sunk cost for 18+ months until they start to collect revenue off it.

I don't know how much bonus/plus money they have to play with. Especially after having to scrap and re-do a house that generated negative revenue (because of the licensing and construction costs of Billie).

I didn't say the budget is magically doubled. The budget is decided on every year, and when the majority of houses are already constructed, that's an aspect they don't need to budget for this year. With things pointing to the scare zones getting reworked, it's not hard to imagine they were able to work a nice budget for them.

 

[Legacy]

Is that a "real" thing though? That would be like a golf course having a $10,000 budget and then having to close for a full year and saying, "well, we have another $10k to improve the course." That doesn't make sense. Granted, Universal is a multibillion dollar company, but doubling down on something because you missed a year doesn't make much business sense.

The bean counters MIGHT be able to say some turnstile turns were because of HHN lite...but it's really a sunk cost for 18+ months until they start to collect revenue off it.

I don't know how much bonus/plus money they have to play with. Especially after having to scrap and re-do a house that generated negative revenue (because of the licensing and construction costs of Billie).

Zones for 2020 were not approved to even occur until June, and were budgeted based on the constrained finances of the weeks-long closure and that approval timeline. The 2020 houses were budgeted before the closure and, therefore, not significantly impacted. That’s why most of them were finished. When the cancellation was made in July, finances would have gone into a full halt. They also would have recouped some of the licensing for Eilish because the license was never used.

When the parks reopened, Universal started making money again. The difference in the HHN budget between the two years is drastic though. Where they normally spend an estimated $11 million on 10 houses and 5 zones, now they only need 1 house and 5 zones. So they could take a quarter of the normal budget, and still have more money available for 1 house and 5 zones than they normally use.

 

[tdmarshmallow]

When the parks reopened, Universal started making money again. The difference in the HHN budget between the two years is drastic though. Where they normally spend an estimated $11 million on 10 houses and 5 zones, now they only need 1 house and 5 zones. So they could take a quarter of the normal budget, and still have more money available for 1 house and 5 zones than they normally use.

How might that affect future HHNs...While I would never say that the zones were an "afterthought", they have usually been secondary to the houses/mazes. This year, with the houses already done (with the exception of Shrek of course), and A&D having the time and possibly extra budget to focus on the zones, will we get zones that may be difficult to "top" in the future? I know A&D likes to make each year better than the last if they can....

 

[Legacy]

How might that affect future HHNs...While I would never say that the zones were an "afterthought", they have usually been secondary to the houses/mazes. This year, with the houses already done (with the exception of Shrek of course), and A&D having the time and possibly extra budget to focus on the zones, will we get zones that may be difficult to "top" in the future? I know A&D likes to make each year better than the last if they can....

I think it’s a bad idea to think about the 2020-2021 HHN processes as something indicative of or significantly relevant to future HHNs. This year is an outlier to a well-established process and everyone knows it. They will take future HHNs as they come.

 

[tittlediddle]

This is a turn in topic, but I'm curious: what deals does the Hard Rock do for HHN, and when do they usually start them? I've looked into it before but I couldn't remember. I'm a graduate student with my first car and money, and I'm really excited to plan a trip out without a bunch of family in the way "supervising" things, but I still wanna be safe, and spend as least money as possible. Any advice? Thank you!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

This is a turn in topic, but I'm curious: what deals does the Hard Rock do for HHN, and when do they usually start them? I've looked into it before but I couldn't remember. I'm a graduate student with my first car and money, and I'm really excited to plan a trip out without a bunch of family in the way "supervising" things, but I still wanna be safe, and spend as least money as possible. Any advice? Thank you!

What do you mean by "deals"? UOAP hotel rates are already gone, they should release package deals on the 17th, though you're usually not saving that much vs purchasing separate.

 

[tittlediddle]

What do you mean by "deals"? UOAP hotel rates are already gone, they should release package deals on the 17th, though you're usually not saving that much vs purchasing separate.

I remember something from a few years ago when I went for 27 about Hard Rock doing stay and scream/express pass deals for HHN if you booked a 2 night stay. I could be completely misremembering that.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I remember something from a few years ago when I went for 27 about Hard Rock doing stay and scream/express pass deals for HHN if you booked a 2 night stay. I could be completely misremembering that.

You probably mean vacation packages, which will released (typically) whenever ticket deals drop.

 

[tittlediddle]

You probably mean vacation packages, which will released (typically) whenever ticket deals drop.

That's probably it. Is there a usual time that they drop?

 

[JMalez]

That's probably it. Is there a usual time that they drop?

The current speculation is June 17th

 

[tittlediddle]

The current speculation is June 17th

Sounds good. Thanks guys!

 

[Grabnar]

What do you mean by "deals"? UOAP hotel rates are already gone, they should release package deals on the 17th, though you're usually not saving that much vs purchasing separate.

Only real benefit to purchasing package imo is if you’re going to get the “cancel for any reason” insurance. Not a terrible idea, especially if you’re going in Sept during peak hurricane season.

 

[UPSguy]

I've only been going to HHN for 3 years now, and a lot you guys on here are way more seasoned than me, so quick question. We normally go the second to last week in October, but this year we're going for the weekend of the 15-17. Is there a big difference, crowd wise, between those two weekends or should it be around the same level? Thanks guys.