State of USH - What's Next?

[chris.g]

If all we get are clones, then I disagree. Epic's Nintendo blows ours out the water, and World barely moved the needle. They need unique attractions going forward.

 

[saint.piss]

I'll just leave this here.

 

[Pacific]

If all we get are clones, then I disagree. Epic's Nintendo blows ours out the water, and World barely moved the needle. They need unique attractions going forward.

Eh, besides maintenance issues, I like our quirky SNW and think (said this before) with some creativity and smart planning, it could actually become the "best" SNW.

World barely moved the needle but I saw it as a statement about the park going forward. It's not the best ride or anything, but that finale is something truly impressive. And Pets, regardless of it being a flop, was another statement piece.

Hollywood Drift is going to fully push the needle, and then it's go time.

But yeah, I hope we get unique rides like Hollywood Drift going forward and not clones. Like give us a unique Nintendo attraction, give us unique IP experiences you can't experience anywhere else.

I'll just leave this here.

Double post but I kind of hope the expansion is Wicked instead of Potter or even Dark Universe (if it's a single IP).

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I'll just leave this here.

If this is true (not really anything to say there is), then presumably it's just London/Diagon again, but with MOM either added or replacing Gringotts. Not the most exciting thing in the world, but a sensible addition

As much as I think a lot of people here overemphasize Wicked, I would prefer Wicked here just to have something unique.

Finally, if they are building attractions down there, I would like to petition for a more interesting name then "Center Lot" or "Middle Lot".

If all we get are clones, then I disagree. Epic's Nintendo blows ours out the water, and World barely moved the needle. They need unique attractions going forward.

They also need to bring back indoor shows. I gather that people are mixed on Bourne, but for a park of USH's size, a show like that would really help with wait times and overall guest satisfaction.

 

[Clive]

In the future, please use the edit feature instead of double posting.

I'm still not convinced Falls Lake is going to be immediately used for park expansion. Even if you relocate the Studio Tour to the lower lot (which I do think could happen eventually), there's a massive distance between the current park's real estate and the purported expansion site.

London/Diagon Alley would be interesting (and as we know, it's something they've nearly greenlit for the park before), but I'm not sure how you navigate Gringotts vs Ministry of Magic. Path of least resistance is to just build Gringotts, but knowing what we know now, is that really the best move for the park by the late 2020s? And if it isn't, can you really build Diagon Alley *without* Gringotts? (What goes inside that weenie of a building?)

 

[Brian G.]

I would just caution to not put the cart before the horse.

 

[highdefrex]

I would just caution to not put the cart before the horse.

Right? I swear I've heard "Falls Lake is going to be absorbed by the theme park" for as long as I can remember -- until the day dirt starts being turned over and something actually rises, I just can never bring myself to get my hopes up that this time it's true.

That said, just spitballing based off the discussion at hand, but in theory, if they were to use it for Wizarding World expansion, what's to stop them from building a London land that essentially allows Diagon Alley and MoM to exist in the same orbit?

 

[saint.piss]

what's to stop them from building a London land that essentially allows Diagon Alley and MoM to exist in the same orbit?

I think that would be a great idea for the Simpsons replacement. Turn that whole area into London and bring over the Hogwarts express. It can take over the Simpsons ride space

 

[Viator]

I'd rather have Simpsons be used for better things in the longer term.

I mentioned this before, but I think the best move for Springfield/Simpson's replacement is to have something that won't be a magnet. I'd rather Springfield be converted to a half/half, where half of it is related to Fast & Furious & LA, and the other half is related to whatever they'd want to do. Something small wouldn't kill anyone.

 

[Jake S]

I'd rather have Simpsons be used for better things in the longer term.

Like what? Your proposal of a 50/50 land, one of which is LA, doesn’t exactly sound better than going the Diagon direction; but I may be misunderstanding!

 

[Wesker69]

I really really REALLY don't want to see more Potter in the park. The last thing this park needs is to rely solely & heavily on one singular IP. The park is too small. As much as I dislike the excessive Potter existence in Orlando, at least it is split between 3 parks. To replace/expand USH with more Potter would be a downgrade.

Orlando getting a Universal Monsters land before USH is already offensive considering this park is their "home". But it is what it is.

USH needs to get its own things not found in other parks (exception being shows). Use the same (preferably Universal) IP, but in a completely different way. Like JP/JW is in Orlando/Singapore/Japan/Beijing. Even Minions has evolved between the parks.

USH needs to get a solid plan & then execute it. Preferably in a timely non-Disney fashion of announcing things then delaying them to the point of not happening. (Like the long overdue hotel & whatnot they're scrambling to get done which should've happened 10yrs ago).

/End rant

Oh yea... give us back the Phantom sets that are allegedly "stored safely"

 

[saint.piss]

I really really REALLY don't want to see more Potter in the park. The last thing this park needs is to rely solely & heavily on one singular IP. The park is too small. As much as I dislike the excessive Potter existence in Orlando, at least it is split between 3 parks. To replace/expand USH with more Potter would be a downgrade.

Orlando getting a Universal Monsters land before USH is already offensive considering this park is their "home". But it is what it is.

USH needs to get its own things not found in other parks (exception being shows). Use the same (preferably Universal) IP, but in a completely different way. Like JP/JW is in Orlando/Singapore/Japan/Beijing. Even Minions has evolved between the parks.

USH needs to get a solid plan & then execute it. Preferably in a timely non-Disney fashion of announcing things then delaying them to the point of not happening. (Like the long overdue hotel & whatnot they're scrambling to get done which should've happened 10yrs ago).

/End rant

Oh yea... give us back the Phantom sets that are allegedly "stored safely"

I get all that but like... from a financial and business standpoint, more HP is what's going to earn them more money. I rather see a version of Dark Universe but that won't be as profitable as HP. It sucks but that's the safe option and the one they're most likely going to go for

 

[TheUniC6]

Like what? Your proposal of a 50/50 land, one of which is LA, doesn’t exactly sound better than going the Diagon direction; but I may be misunderstanding!

I think what he means is the area with Hollywood drift will tie into LA, while a Simpsons replacement would be a standalone attraction with its own area. As for what it could be I'm at a loss. I think Wicked would be neat, but it seems it might not come to USH due to the lack of space.

Maybe Simpsons here can be replaced with something WB related in the event Comcast acquires it.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I don’t see the incentive in building more Potter. Hogsmeade itself wasn’t a huge attendance boost on the West Coast and I think anything further would be diminishing returns. At least at UOR, you could sell park-to-park tickets and force people visit both IoA and USF. No such case here.

 

[Wesker69]

As i said before, replace Simpsons with a new show venue to make up for the loss of Castle Theatre/Animal Actors. Give us a live show that can be easily swapped out for haunt/holiday season. (I'd love to resurrect Singapore's former Monster Rock aka Graveyard Revue type show for USH)

Overhaul the Fast Food Blvd & surrounding area to the same art deco/Mediterranean vibes of the park entrance/Universal Plaza for extended cohesion. Add landscaping that can withstand the CA summer heat (including trees to appease the Lorax)

The park needs more of everything- Rides, entertainment, & dining (especially sit-down)

 

[Viator]

Like what? Your proposal of a 50/50 land, one of which is LA, doesn’t exactly sound better than going the Diagon direction; but I may be misunderstanding!

I think the question to what happens with Springfield/The Simpsons, is in itself what happens to the current Studio Tour plaza. If nothing is done that allows the park to expand their foothold to swallow the plaza; then they find themselves limited by the nature of having to cater to both that of the secondary exit to Potter and the flow that is present as people go to the Studio Tour (And those who go into the lower lot in turn).

Echoing @Wesker69--and being a bit more broad, I think a project that combines both Studio Tour Plaza + The Simpsons Ride, Cleetus, Kwik-E-Mart, and the restrooms would give them options in being able to improve and betterment the flow and navigation over there. A combined Show + attraction, with a relocated Studio Tour feels like the right play in the longer run.

Once Hollywood Drift finishes, and once they get operations occurring for the hotel; one of the last true big holes USH will have lies with live entertainment. I genuinely believe they need to replace The Simpsons Ride with a live entertainment venue that can have something that'd make sense for the park.

Untrainable, The Bourne Stuntacular, that once planned Wolfman stunt show for Epic, hell even Sing Live would do something to help. It is a glaring and prevalent issue that I believe matters on a larger element.

I get all that but like... from a financial and business standpoint, more HP is what's going to earn them more money. I rather see a version of Dark Universe but that won't be as profitable as HP. It sucks but that's the safe option and the one they're most likely going to go for

Oz is right there. I think USH needs to diversify what IP's they have, and more Potter feels like a incredibly bad choice in the long run.

 

[Pacific]

I'd rather have Simpsons be used for better things in the longer term.

I mentioned this before, but I think the best move for Springfield/Simpson's replacement is to have something that won't be a magnet. I'd rather Springfield be converted to a half/half, where half of it is related to Fast & Furious & LA, and the other half is related to whatever they'd want to do. Something small wouldn't kill anyone.

I really think Spongebob is the solution to that problem.

 

[TheUniC6]

Untrainable, The Bourne Stuntacular, that once planned Wolfman stunt show for Epic, hell even Sing Live would do something to help. It is a glaring and prevalent issue that I believe matters on a larger element.

If they go with a show venue to replace Simpsons, it should be a flex space that can rotate out rather than being tied to just one show or theme.

 

[Viator]

If they go with a show venue to replace Simpsons, it should be a flex space that can rotate out rather than being tied to just one show or theme.

I absolutely agree. Or even a generic themed building that could compliment other elements; but I absolutely think USH needs a second "Live Show" in the more traditional sense.

Chucky while an interesting experiment for HHN, lacked the true potential that could come with a show venue space, because it had to be confined with that of the limitations of DreamWorks Theater--a venue that is not meant for traditional live entertainment like a Waterworld, like a Terminator 2: 3D, like a Detective Conan.

USH needs a second show. I won't shut up about it either as it genuinely feels like the one last major thing that needs to get addressed once they have the reworked security, the hotel, and the coaster up and running.

 

[Wesker69]

While I'd love Bourne... it requires extensive permanent show aspects. Also.... SCREENZ. USH is already plagued by too much of that, no matter how good Bourne is (or how badly we miss T23D)

- Untrainable Dragon
- Singapore's former Monster Rock (Beetlejuice 2.0)
- Sing Live
- Highlights of Wicked (or other Universal acquired musicals ......EXCEPT CATS!)

Exterior of the building can be the Universal Palace Theatre