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(Rumor) New Potter Attraction to Replace Fear Factor Live?

I dunno how true this is anymore with what we know about EU and Beijing. I think they are anti-bad theater show. Studios already has Makeup, Bourne, and Animal Actors. Could they have something Broadway-esque coming to the original resort? Sure. I just don’t thinks it’s coming pre-EU.
But, still three empty 'large' theaters. One, in IOA, empty like forever. One, in IOA empty for four or five years. and one in USF that only ran shows a few months a year. Hell, they haven't even tried to find a 'good' replacement show.
Sounds 'lazy' to me. All in a resort that has capacity issues right now.
 
But, still three empty 'large' theaters. One, in IOA, empty like forever. One, in IOA empty for four or five years. and one in USF that only ran shows a few months a year. Hell, they haven't even tried to find a 'good' replacement show.
Sounds 'lazy' to me. All in a resort that has capacity issues right now.

I get that, but we were originally talking about FFL and a replacement show. That’s an empty stadium in a park with 3 existing shows. I don’t know if that shows a disinterest in shows. Capacity can be achieved with the addition of any attraction.

If we want to say IOA needs a show, I agree. I just don’t know if Universal does. One day I would love for them to explain their vision for each park and what they should/do contain.
 
I get that, but we were originally talking about FFL and a replacement show. That’s an empty stadium in a park with 3 existing shows. I don’t know if that shows a disinterest in shows. Capacity can be achieved with the addition of any attraction.

If we want to say IOA needs a show, I agree. I just don’t know if Universal does. One day I would love for them to explain their vision for each park and what they should/do contain.
Exactly shows are nice but any new attraction would help capacity issues.

Also developing new state of the art productions cost money. I don’t think Universal is ready to start spending since Epic’s construction is picking up.
 
But, still three empty 'large' theaters. One, in IOA, empty like forever. One, in IOA empty for four or five years. and one in USF that only ran shows a few months a year. Hell, they haven't even tried to find a 'good' replacement show.
Sounds 'lazy' to me. All in a resort that has capacity issues right now.
Except a brand new theme park in a few years will help with capacity issues.

But yeah, USF needs more rides. The park could actually use another show.
 
Except a brand new theme park in a few years will help with capacity issues.

But yeah, USF needs more rides. The park could actually use another show.
A hopeful yes. USF and IOA are so much better with a more normal 10 to 20% less attendance. They're presently not built, especially with the large outdoor theaters shuttered, for the attendance they've
been getting for the past 12 plus months.
 
I think they don’t want to invest in shows cause if a cast gets Covid twice a year that’s more difficult to fill then TM’s being randomly out since their roles are rehearsed and scripted for. I can see why a coorporation making plenty of money doesn’t see a show is the draw/capacity helps USF or IOA need right now. They’re unfortunately playing the long game with those areas.
 
I think they don’t want to invest in shows cause if a cast gets Covid twice a year that’s more difficult to fill then TM’s being randomly out since their roles are rehearsed and scripted for. I can see why a coorporation making plenty of money doesn’t see a show is the draw/capacity helps USF or IOA need right now. They’re unfortunately playing the long game with those areas.
That's a good sounding excuse but it doesn't hold a lot of water. The two IOA theaters were closed long before covid and the USF Fear Factor theater has been part time for a long time. Universal is just being cheap when
it comes to outdoor theaters. Large outdoor theaters can't be expected to have the same ROI as rides, but they are important to the quality of guest experiences and a way to address capacity issues, especially when the
parks are seriously overcrowded. Just like the closed parade, though maybe outdated, but hasn't been replaced and was shuttered even though the parks are overcrowded. I can read a profit and loss statement. Universal 'Orlando' is
doing better than ever. ...and future capitalization of a new park shouldn't even be configured into the equation.
 
That's a good sounding excuse but it doesn't hold a lot of water. The two IOA theaters were closed long before covid and the USF Fear Factor theater has been part time for a long time. Universal is just being cheap when
it comes to outdoor theaters. Large outdoor theaters can't be expected to have the same ROI as rides, but they are important to the quality of guest experiences and a way to address capacity issues, especially when the
parks are seriously overcrowded. Just like the closed parade, though maybe outdated, but hasn't been replaced and was shuttered even though the parks are overcrowded. I can read a profit and loss statement. Universal 'Orlando' is
doing better than ever. ...and future capitalization of a new park shouldn't even be configured into the equation.
Oh I agree, I just bet right now this is where their head is at.
 
A hopeful yes. USF and IOA are so much better with a more normal 10 to 20% less attendance. They're presently not built, especially with the large outdoor theaters shuttered, for the attendance they've
been getting for the past 12 plus months.

There's also only 3 attractions for guests that want to relax without any motion effects/thrills - Cat in the Hat, Seuss Trolley and Poseidon's.

To this day I still don't understand the logic behind building an amphitheater in Toon Lagoon and not Seuss Landing. I love thrill rides, but I also need a break from them as well as the A/C.
 
There's also only 3 attractions for guests that want to relax without any motion effects/thrills - Cat in the Hat, Seuss Trolley and Poseidon's.

To this day I still don't understand the logic behind building an amphitheater in Toon Lagoon and not Seuss Landing. I love thrill rides, but I also need a break from them as well as the A/C.
Yes....the break that refreshes. Important, yes essential, to a satisfying guest experience !!!!!
 
It amazes me that it appears as if they have no intention of just putting a new show into the spot. Seems like a no brainer if the replacement has been canceled for the foreseeable future.

Depends on what's on the table for entertainment, if they didn't have their hands full with the escape rooms I bet they could. Personally, move Animal Actors here and remove that theater.
 
Had Universal stuck to the original SNW plan a few of these issues (like capacity) would've had some relief.

That doesn't solve the empty theater problem. And to be fair they did appear to want to address this theater with the Potter VR thing even if it was something that got an overall lukewarm response.

I wonder if the desire for a unified land/theme is also what's causing problems creatively (I'm just spitballing now). They did want to merge that chunk of land into HP but the theater sits between that and MIB in a somewhat awkward space. At least for this area I can maybe see the need to want to do something fast (like shoving HP VR in that space) but trying to also keep the momentum going in the way the park has been headed as an overall 'theme' of USF and the resort as a whole with these lands/zones.

There's also only 3 attractions for guests that want to relax without any motion effects/thrills - Cat in the Hat, Seuss Trolley and Poseidon's.

To this day I still don't understand the logic behind building an amphitheater in Toon Lagoon and not Seuss Landing. I love thrill rides, but I also need a break from them as well as the A/C.

Going back in time to the pre-Potter era I think it made more sense. Those three attractions are all on the right side of the park.

Seuss Landing may not be a show but for that ride the land itself is the show. As you said with its family-friendliness most guests could sit, relax, and still see things in a covered ride vehicle sort of met the same requirements. It even has a portion that's air conditioned! ;) It wasn't a show obviously but it got you out of the sun (somewhat), you got to sit, and you still got to "do" something.

Lost Continent is right next door with Poseidon's Fury and while it wasn't a sitting attraction it generally served the same purpose of cooling people off and could hold a lot of people. Sinbad was a show in the traditional sense and further away but at least again, like the trolley ride, you could sit for a bit and still be entertained.

When you consider MSHI doesn't have a show or a people-eating gentle attraction and TL having nothing but water rides (great for sun/heat, terrible for rain/cold, and not everyone wants to get wet), guests needed something like a trolly ride or theater on this side of the park placed somewhere in these two islands. You could dash into the stores in both islands for a quick break but that obviously didn't help capacity issues and overall really isn't a solution.

Otherwise when you enter the park and go left the first attraction similar to the ones described above would be the old Triceratops Encounter. Camp Jurassic is there too but it's still a far walk coming from MSHI's direction first and it's not exactly designed for crowds.

So it appears (again, assuming here) the solution to this problem was to just shove a theater between the two islands to try balancing the park out some in this regard. Considering the guidelines around MSHI it was probably easier to theme and design it on the TL side of things.

tltheater.png

Tell me this doesn't look shoved in there to solve a problem?

I add that I obviously don't know the thinking behind the original way the park was designed, just basing this off observations. It's possible the designers didn't even realize this problem until late in the game and this was their solution. Can't say we haven't seen this kind of thing happen in a park before.

(If you're wondering what would have gone in this area instead I'd like to think they would have extended the water between the two islands the same way the water separates Seuss and LC.)


To bring it back over to this theater/topic (sorry for the segue) it does feel like we're seeing a similar problem here too.

oldtheater.png

In this case this "pocket corner theater problem" grew over time for this theater as the USF shifted direction with Diagon Alley, Simpsons, etc. instead of starting out that way from the early days like in Islands.

So the question in the long term would be if they may try making another new HP attraction after EU, demolish MIB and the theater all in one swoop to make a new land/area, or [blue sky] refurbish the ride and make an MIB show in that space?

Unrelated: Has anyone looked at EU's blueprints closely to find future abandoned theaters? Is that what all those expansions pads are for? :lol:
 
Unrelated: Has anyone looked at EU's blueprints closely to find future abandoned theaters? Is that what all those expansions pads are for? :lol:
Funnily enough, some early park renderings showed a full theatre and/or music plaza in the hub.
 
Funnily enough, some early park renderings showed a full theatre and/or music plaza in the hub.
I wouldn't have been against that. Moving concerts over there would've allowed USF to get rid of their Music plaza and use that land - along with tearing down the Minion Mayhem building (and a re-routed entrance for HRRR or a retheme) - for a completely new land. They could've used the area where Minion Mayhem queue is for some greenery and an entrance to Minion Park on that side of USF or something and do it in a classy way.
 
Fantastic post.

To answer this question, concept art showed a “Rocky The Flying Squirrel” coaster in this area of Toon Lagoon.
I haven't looked super closely to the original IOA concepts so that's cool to know. Admittedly it is a large bit of space so it could have gone either way in terms of using it for something or just making a canal. IOA obviously isn't consistent with its island theme all the way around since from TL you can simply walk into JP.

The switch to a theater makes sense as the coaster definitely wouldn't have helped with the hot crowd issue.

Funnily enough, some early park renderings showed a full theatre and/or music plaza in the hub.
Well there ya go, confirmed. You read it here first!


My last post was lengthy so I didn't want to delve into it there but to jump off the earlier guess I made about reapproaching the HP attraction idea in the future: Right now I would think WB and Uni have their hands full with EU and needing to rightfully focus all attention there. It would give them more time to come up with a better solution to this theater and if they do actually go through with a HP attraction—let's not pretend the new ones are pulling in fan love and may have given Universal pause for the moment—it'll be a guaranteed addition to USF post-EU to attract guests back to the original park.

I do wonder if some of this floundering (not to say that's the case internally) is partially due to developing attractions in these unused spaces to build after the new park opens. It makes sense even if in the short term (2-4 years) it's annoying. Perhaps Universal thinks its worth the slight hit for now leaving them unused or with extremely temporary setups to use them as expansion pads to attract crowds?

Looking at KZ, Simpsons, and MIB it's not hard to think about phasing each of those sections out post-EU and solve multiple problems in phases after 2025 and beyond while the heavy crowds are at the newest shiny thing. For example they could decide to take out Simpsons and redo KZ at the same time redoing that entire area—ET would stay, maybe redo the area leading to the entrance—before even touching MIB and this theater.

Then when those areas are done with their makeover they make this area the last big Potter expansion for the resort.
 
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I haven't looked super closely to the original IOA concepts so that's cool to know. Admittedly it is a large bit of space so it could have gone either way in terms of using it for something or just making a canal. IOA obviously isn't consistent with its island theme all the way around since from TL you can simply walk into JP.

The switch to a theater makes sense as the coaster definitely wouldn't have helped with the hot crowd issue.


Well there ya go, confirmed. You read it here first!


My last post was lengthy so I didn't want to delve into it there butt to jump off the earlier guess I made about reapproaching the HP attraction idea in the future: Right now I would think WB and Uni have their hands full with EU and needing to rightfully focus all attention there. It would give them more time to come up with a better solution to this theater and if they do actually go through with a HP attraction—let's not pretend the new ones are pulling in fan love and may have given Universal pause for the moment—it'll be a guaranteed addition to USF post-EU to attract guests back to the original park.

I do wonder if some of this floundering (not to say that's the case internally) is partially due to developing attractions in these unused spaces to build after the new park opens. It makes sense even if in the short term (2-4 years) it's annoying. Perhaps Universal thinks its worth the slight hit for now leaving them unused or with extremely temporary setups to use them as expansion pads to attract crowds?

Looking at KZ, Simpsons, and MIB it's not hard to think about phasing each of those sections out post-EU and solve multiple problems in phases after 2025 and beyond while the heavy crowds are at the newest shiny thing. For example they could decide to take out Simpsons and redo KZ at the same time redoing that entire area—ET would stay, maybe redo the area leading to the entrance—before even touching MIB and this theater.

Then when those areas are done with their makeover they make this area the last big Potter expansion for the resort.
Awesome post.
 
I think ultimately, USF fell victim to “cool major stuff we planned for USF is now going to Epic Universe.

SNW was one of those things for sure, that’s all but confirmed by Universal itself.

Ministry is/was a logical expansion for Diagon, but now with more space they can really go for it with the Ministry and it’s E ticket.

Dragons was apparently part of a Dreamworks land at some point according to Park Stop. Then, they got the approval for a new park to utilize these IPs and expand on ideas more.

Ultimately I think this will be better for USF in the long run as they have to replace the concepts they were originally planning to replace these things eventually, pandemic happened, so I think it just is what it is while they build a massive theme park trying to expand their resort in a major way.

I’m fine with it, 2035 Universal is gonna be insanely good destination if they keep up with big projects every year or 2 post 2025.
 
Just close down Fast & Furious and retheme it to the Potter Knight Bus. Park problem solved. With the low ridership of Fast and Furious and it's lower than bottom basement guest satisfaction rating....it's time to replace it already. Keep the ride system and building but replace it with London sets and a decent 360 film and some nifty special effects.....Fear Factor stage has become the 'Son of Kidzone Curse (Kurse)' . The curse cancer spreads. . It'll be there 'forever'.
That actually would make sense, that way FF can be used for something else for when eventually MIB goes too, they'd have a lot of space for something big then.
 
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