King Kong's Future

[Freak]

I figured I would start a topic about our beloved ferocious beast. We already have 360 and people love it. Something else is happening over on the East coast that will probably change the future of Kong for the good here at USH. IoA is building a new Kong ride. Apparently a pretty spectacular one. If/when it does well over here, I don't think it will be long before we get their version of it. Here's something to consider:

Fast and the Furious will essentially be the same concept as Kong, but expanding the concept and improving the screen-based aspect. The one we have honestly seemed like a quick-fix to just bring Kong back. This is going to make the one we have look *VERY* outdated; that is especially when Orlando's Kong opens. So...

I could very easily see us get a clone of their ride over here. The big question is....WHERE!? Here's where I think it will go if it happens:

Depending on how the ride concept goes, they could incorporate it on the tour. They could put it where the Dead Sea lake is, I suppose. If the nature of the ride doesn't call for it to be on the tour, then there is only one logical spot I could see this fitting in the park. If the ride has amazing capacity (Which we know it should), then good-bye WaterWorld.

That's my thoughts on Kong. What do you all think? Either way, I think 360's days are numbered as it will soon be out-shined by IoA's version.

 

[Red Carpet]

I don't think this will happen because upgraded attractions do not generate the same hype as brand new attractions. Just look at Star Tours 2.0 as an example. Many people did not realize it was new experience when they upgraded it. They just think Star Tours is Star Tours. It would seem like a wast to spend all of this money on an improved Kong just for ignorant tourists to think it is the same Kong as before. I don't think you will get the same return on investment as would a totally new attraction.

 

[Chris]

I totally understand what you are saying.  And I agree, this can become a possibility.  Let me entertain in a bit:

- Kong 360 will look outdated, but so did Kong Encounter.

- Attractions hope to get a 10 year life span at least.  Kong 360 has currently 4.

- Kong may be big enough to warrant growth

- Kong 360 is limited to California only with the tram in the video.

I think once F&F opens, we need to keep a close eye on Kong 360.  Perhaps wait until the summer of 2016.

Could I see the new Orlando Kong green-lighted if it does extremely well in Orlando, yes.  Where would I think it could go?  If you look at layout plans, I would say its perfect for the Studio Tour loading area or an expansion to the lower lot.  Notice Beijing has it in their public art plans...

I believe this option is on the table, but will only become reality if Kong in Orlando exceeds expectations, very similar to Potter.

 

[Alexshow.]

I'd think if KongOrl is a success, yes we will see it come over here but that asks another question.. What would you do with that area King Kong 360 has it on? make another soundstage or more sets?

 

[William]

Kong 360's placement is fairly poor, considering the amount of traffic it causes due to the fact that the trams have to loop around twice. They could eventually demolish Kong 360 and the Collapsing Bridge to create another tour animation further down the road, but I wouldn't expect any type of movement there until after F&F (and even then some).

Kong 3.0 over here would never be able to fit in the footprint of a current Studio Tour animation, however. The show building for this attraction is going to be massive, along the ranks of Forbidden Journey or Transformers. WaterWorld's footprint could barely hold an attraction the size of Minion Mayhem, so I'd look elsewhere.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I mentioned this idea in another thread already.

I think it's a very good possibility that we could eventually get Orlando's new Kong ride. Development and design is already done, it would just be construction costs to clone it that would have to be funded. It would have to be placed in a very big chunk of land, the new Kong is going to be absolutely massive. I've always thought King Kong 360 3D was underwhelming to be honest, and the new Kong ride in Orlando will absolutely take a massive dump all over our Studio Tour version.

With Fast and Furious Supercharged essentially being an improvement of our Kong, I agree with Chris, we should definitely keep an eye in our Kong. Another hint might be what type of 3D technology Supercharged will use.

Kong is going to be a massive hit in Orlando, so I sincerely hope they'll port it over here. Kong definitely deserves a bigger experience than we got.

As for guests not realizing that it's another new Kong experience (if we got it), I wouldn't worry about that. Universal could find a way to get the point across. Star Tours was essentially a massive refurbishment. Yes the experience was very "new" but it's still essentially the same, just updated. Disney also didn't do that big of a marketing push. It was big, but not even as massive as what Universal has done with Transformers or Kong 360 3D.

I think if we got it, we should take another page out of Orlando's book. Kong will look great next to Jurassic Park over there, so they should do the same here! It would require the loss of a few extra surrounding soundstages, but with the route Universal has been going, I don't think that would be a big hoop to jump through in a few years.

As for what to do with the current Kong? Remove the Kong facade, and change out the film. Pull a BTTF -> Simpsons. Find a new franchise to stick in there with updated 3D technology. Wouldn't be too difficult!

Bottom line is...i don't think it's far fetched at all to imagine us getting a version of Orlando's new Kong. People thought fans were crazy when rumors started going around that they'd get Transformers over there because it was essentially a "Spiderman Clone".

Anything is possible at this point for Universal.

"The future is what you make it! So make it a good one!"

 

[Freak]

I mentioned this idea in another thread already.

I think it's a very good possibility that we could eventually get Orlando's new Kong ride. Development and design is already done, it would just be construction costs to clone it that would have to be funded. It would have to be placed in a very big chunk of land, the new Kong is going to be absolutely massive. I've always thought King Kong 360 3D was underwhelming to be honest, and the new Kong ride in Orlando will absolutely take a massive dump all over our Studio Tour version.

With Fast and Furious Supercharged essentially being an improvement of our Kong, I agree with Chris, we should definitely keep an eye in our Kong. Another hint might be what type of 3D technology Supercharged will use.

Kong is going to be a massive hit in Orlando, so I sincerely hope they'll port it over here. Kong definitely deserves a bigger experience than we got.

As for guests not realizing that it's another new Kong experience (if we got it), I wouldn't worry about that. Universal could find a way to get the point across. Star Tours was essentially a massive refurbishment. Yes the experience was very "new" but it's still essentially the same, just updated. Disney also didn't do that big of a marketing push. It was big, but not even as massive as what Universal has done with Transformers or Kong 360 3D.

I think if we got it, we should take another page out of Orlando's book. Kong will look great next to Jurassic Park over there, so they should do the same here! It would require the loss of a few extra surrounding soundstages, but with the route Universal has been going, I don't think that would be a big hoop to jump through in a few years.

As for what to do with the current Kong? Remove the Kong facade, and change out the film. Pull a BTTF -> Simpsons. Find a new franchise to stick in there with updated 3D technology. Wouldn't be too difficult!

Bottom line is...i don't think it's far fetched at all to imagine us getting a version of Orlando's new Kong. People thought fans were crazy when rumors started going around that they'd get Transformers over there because it was essentially a "Spiderman Clone".

Anything is possible at this point for Universal.

"The future is what you make it! So make it a good one!"

The surrounding stages would not be a bad location at all for Kong. They could make it work better over there.

 

[Bonkers]

I don't know about Kong going, it just feels to soon for me.  

Jaws, Earthquake, and Kongfrontation were popular at USF. Why didn't we lose the tour versions and get the larger/longer versions? Also, why not have them co-exist? I wouldn't mind having 2 Kong attractions in 1 park and I know many people associate Kong with the tour.

I think Kong is possible here, just with another theme (For some uniqueness).

 

[k_peek_2000]

I don't see Kong going anywhere any time soon. IF the attraction is popular at IOA, I would think a clone of that ride would come with the possibility of a second Hollywood park before it would ever be considered for USH, and here is why. Universal had just spent millions of dollars on marketing for Kong 360, "See Kong like you've never seen him before, blah blah". Having to do another multi-year marketing blitz for the same character and a somewhat similar attraction would be completely confusing for 90% of the local visitors. If I didn't know what was happening at USH, I certainly wouldn't be compelled to go. The non-regulars would likely assume it was more of the same with fancy new commercials.

I would personally like to see some developments take place where the current picture cars/former F&F: Extreme Close-Up animations were at after Fast: SS opens up. It would not be difficult to add a small effects demonstration in that facility and it will eat up a few minutes of the tour. Heck they could theme it to Jurassic World and have it tie-in with that Jurassic Park portion of the tour.

 

[William]

This ride will be popular, I can assure you.

 

[k_peek_2000]

That still doesn't justify a clone at USH, yet. And by yet I'm talking ~10 years.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Jaws, Earthquake, and Kongfrontation are all from a different era of Universal Parks and management, etc, there's no comparison there. Plus, Earthquake is essentially identical but with a massive preshow, Jaws (as we know) as it was in Orlando would have never fit here, it was a massive amount of space for one ride. Same thing with Kongfrontation. But regardless, that was all a much different time period, so moot point.

Even with the marketing push Kong had, Universal can do an all new marketing push. They never even showed the attraction, they showed guests yelling into the screen in slow motion. If this were to happen, this would be AFTER Potter. Most guests will have forgotten about or not be that excited about 360 3D that much anymore. Nothing will stop them from making a new attraction and calling it "Skull Island: Return of King Kong" or something like that and have a whole new marketing push. The Orlando ride is going to be a massive success, I can tell you that. The ride is more than just Kong Kong 360 3D on steroids. That's an understatement!

With Supercharged essentially being the new Kong 360 3D, and with the Orlando ride being a massive hit, it'll be a smart move if it happens.

Plus...no one is saying tear down the current Kong. They spent money on that building, the screens, etc. Make a new entrance, and give it a new ride film and theme. Wouldn't be difficult.

If Universal is serious about making USH a world class theme park, having the new Kong ride (which will be one of the greatest rides on earth) will seriously elevate the park.

 

[Jon Fu]

Let's step back for a minute and look at the reality of the situation before we start making grandiose statements about the success of King Kong in Florida.

First off, Universal hasn't even announced King Kong yet to the general public, nor have they given any hint as to what type of attraction Kong could be. Simply put, no one but Universal has any clue as to what type of figures they're expecting. That's a fact. No one on this forum can definitively predict how well Kong will perform, if they even announce such an attraction anytime soon.

Second, let's look at the logistics of having Fast and Furious and Kong 360 on the same tour. Ideas based on this stream of logic - for now - will be more sound since it's an actual problem Universal will face once Fast and Furious opens in 2015. How do they deal with two types of projection technologies? Will they upgrade 360 to bring it on par with Fast and Furious, or will they scrap the Kong building and attraction altogether? Or God forbid will they have guests carry two pairs of 3D glasses?

Let's start basing our predictions from there and see what happens.

 

[Alexshow.]

most of the new Kong will be VERY different from Kong 360. I agree on Jons post btw entirely.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Jon, I agree that we can only make assumptions as to how popular it'll be in Orlando, but some people DO know the specifics and intricate details of the attraction already and what type of ride it will be, even without Universal announcing it. Similar to how lots of people knew about Diagon Alley and the details of Escape from Gringotts and Transformers LONG before Universal ever announced it. That's also a fact. So while I agree that predictions of its success is 100% just assumptions at this point (educated or not), the new King Kong attraction is 100% real and quite a few people know the details of the ride. Trust me on that

Knowing what I know about what's happening in Orlando, I will say that I predict that the new Kong ride will be a massive hit. Probably not as massive of a hit as Diagon Alley simply cuz Potter is a massive franchise, but probably even more of a hit than Transformers. It'll be incredible.

So, I'll cross my fingers that it'll be a big hit! Even if it doesn't ever come to Hollywood, I can't wait to ride it in Orlando!

As for Supercharged and King Kong on the tour and the logistics of the glasses issue, that's a very interesting and valid curiosity at this point.

The logistics of two sets of glasses is ridiculous, I don't think they'd ever do that. That is, unless the tram could stop before entering the attraction, and special team members collect the Kong glasses and pass out the new Dolby 3D glasses. But that seems like a big headache as well. Little pockets in the trams for glasses could be nice but also seems like a headache either way you look at it.

I think they'll stick with the King Kong 360 3D polarized 3D glasses technology for a few different reasons.

They can have a very high resolution projection while still having them polarized. Also, polarized 3D is more practical for the types of screens and the type of attraction that Kong is. The crosstalk would probably be worse if they used Dolby 3D considering how long the screens are in both directions. Not impossible, just in my experience, Dolby 3D is better if you're more centered to the screen.

I can go into detail, but it's very technical, I'll save it for a different time. But it'll be very interesting to see what they figure out for the 3D in supercharged.

 

[Chris]

Something tells me that Supercharged will use the old 3D glasses.  My thoughts behind this are because we already see how sensitive Universal parks are with the new "expensive" glasses.  Now hand those expensive glasses to 140 people on a tour vehicle where those glasses can be thrown out the window and broken.  It may be sad to say it, but a new attraction would have to use old 3D projection technology and this problem would be solved.

I don't see them stopping every tram and handing out the 3D glasses and then returning them afterward.  Ugh.  Nightmare!

 

[Allen The Actor]

^ That's a fantastic point Chris!!! Can't count how many times I've seen guests throw the glasses off the tram or have driven by many glasses along the tour.

In all honesty, the T23D/King Kong 360 3D technology isn't bad. It honestly isnt. T23D was always very bright and crisp, I always loved it.

Kong (and Supercharged) can be improved to match the quality of Transformers by using brighter projectors and projecting in a higher resolution, which is all possible with the "old" polarized 3D technology.

Plus, with the long screens that Kong has, polarized 3D is better.

 

[sickle_claw]

^ That's a fantastic point Chris!!! Can't count how many times I've seen guests throw the glasses off the tram or have driven by many glasses along the tour.

In all honesty, the T23D/King Kong 360 3D technology isn't bad. It honestly isnt. T23D was always very bright and crisp, I always loved it.

Kong (and Supercharged) can be improved to match the quality of Transformers by using brighter projectors and projecting in a higher resolution, which is all possible with the "old" polarized 3D technology.

Plus, with the long screens that Kong has, polarized 3D is better.

But these glasses have tracking devices right? I mean I assume these are the same kind of glasses that transformers uses. And honestly, you hand guests these glasses for a 5 minute part, in the rest of the tour is 40 minutes. I can easily imagine that kids lose them all the time, never heard of anyone trying to keep one though. Have never seen any guest throw them off, although I can imagine that would be a pain in the water portion...I can imagine the Jaws portion has a lot of glasses sunk in there...

 

[Allen The Actor]

Neither the Kong or Transformers glasses have tracking devices, that'd be astronomically expensive. The Transformers glasses do have security sensors that will set off alarms/signals if the glasses are taken out of the building (similar to store theft sensors).

In a perfect world, there could be little pockets for the glasses in the trams.

 

[William]

The glasses used on the tour are quite literally pieces of plastic with lenses inside of them. The Transformers/Minion Mayhem glasses are a major upgrade from that, but to reiterate, do not have tracking devices.