Not surprised by this delay at all. F&F was always rumored for late 2017 anyway, they have Fallon and VB + CB Towers next year. It's not needed. The fact that they seem to be running incredibly slow on the project so far only made it more clear. I'd expect June 2018.
I don't really care how much money Uni makes on merch if the attraction ends up being no good and what would be a COLOSSAL waste of space.This isn't true at all. I think we all agree that this ride looks and sounds underwhelming but the franchise is a money maker and a in house property. The merchandise sales Universal will get from this will alone be worth it for them.