The Current State and Future of Universal Studios Florida

[TheUniC6]

With Epic Universe, USF could finally find its identity. They’re currently using IOA as the park with tested quality and USF is the dumping ground of ‘new and shiny.’ This is causing victory after victory for IOA and dud after dud for USF. It seems like Epic might become the shiny new toy for the hottest IPs, and this can be done right if they take note of the shortcomings of USF. With this, I’d love to see USF take the direction of the legacy park. This can be the home of all things classic universal. They’ve been trying to make this the ‘hip and fresh’ park, and it doesn’t seem to be working. Try this approach with something that was made for this (like epic), and treat USF to new (or old) IPs with quality and longevity. IOA can be home to the thrilling properties, USF can be home to the classic/legacy properties, and Epic can be home to the hip/new properties. It works perfectly. Recently, USF has gone from Universal’s version of MK to their version of Epcot. One thing that Disney did right was let the OG park do what it was meant to do and do most of the experimenting with the other parks as not to ‘fix’ what wasn’t broken and fail horribly.

Now that's a great Idea!

 

[shiekra38]

With Epic Universe, USF could finally find its identity. They’re currently using IOA as the park with tested quality and USF is the dumping ground of ‘new and shiny.’ This is causing victory after victory for IOA and dud after dud for USF. It seems like Epic might become the shiny new toy for the hottest IPs, and this can be done right if they take note of the shortcomings of USF. With this, I’d love to see USF take the direction of the legacy park. This can be the home of all things classic universal. They’ve been trying to make this the ‘hip and fresh’ park, and it doesn’t seem to be working. Try this approach with something that was made for this (like epic), and treat USF to new (or old) IPs with quality and longevity. IOA can be home to the thrilling properties, USF can be home to the classic/legacy properties, and Epic can be home to the hip/new properties. It works perfectly. Recently, USF has gone from Universal’s version of MK to their version of Epcot. One thing that Disney did right was let the OG park do what it was meant to do and do most of the experimenting with the other parks as not to ‘fix’ what wasn’t broken and fail horribly.

That's certainly the optimistic view

I believe EU will only make USF's issues more glaring.

In a way USF is Universal's Epcot...It exists primarily to host event and is full of some decent attractions, but overall is a visionless hodgepodge

Luckily the events are successful and Diagon helps to anchor things

I think I appreciate Fallon for several reasons and quite frankly think the F&F queue, facade, and sets are more or less what I'm wanting to see more of in Studios

 

[DodgsonHere]

I been thinking a lot recently about what USF needs to improve so I've compiled a wish list so why not.

Keep:
Mummy - No explanation needed here, for those not interested in Harry Potter as a franchise this is for sure the anchor of the park.
E.T. - Again, no explanation should be needed, the last opening day attraction left and the kind of ride this park needs more of.
Diagon - Maybe the best theme park land in the world, Gringotts is a solid ride, and Hogwarts Express is a big draw.
Bourne, Animal Actors, Horror Makeup - All solid and unique shows, one of the only aspects of this park that is far above IOA is the shows and entertainment.
Transformers - Not my favorite ride but damn is it compact. If the franchise has to be represented in the parks this is a clean contained way.
Fallon - Opened at an unfortunate time where the park already had to many screen based experiences, but it's really not a terrible attraction. If all else in this wish list goes according to plan, hopefully it doesn't feel to repetitive within the parks lineup.
Despicable Me - Since this is a cash cow franchise that has to be represented somewhere, the current ride at least keeps those little yellow things contained in one attraction. I know Villain-Con is happening right across the street though, hopefully that's all we need for the franchise.
MIB - I know this rides future is always in question, but it's still a good ride with much needed physical sets and family appeal. If it has to go I'm hoping whatever replaces it is another high quality dark ride, interactive or not.

Replace:
Supercharged - Duh. Ideally it gets replaced by it's exact opposite, a large physical set based dark ride *cough* JAWS *cough*
KidZone - Another obvious pick, but I think a land still centered around a kids franchise is a good idea. Spongebob's Bikini Bottom would be my pick if we're going all in on one IP for the land, but I guess Pokemon would also be a fine area if Spongebob can't happen.
Fear Factor - Already on the way out, next.
Springfield - Contract seems like it will be on the way out soon, and Simpsons Ride hasn't held up well, so I would hope the 1991 simulators would be replaced entirely. I think Hill Valley would be a great area with a Back to the Future dark ride or coaster, but I understand concerns over the relevancy of the series, even though it's large share in pop culture.
Rockit - Outdated aesthetic and it's just crushed crushed by Velocicoaster and Hulk. A new coaster in this space would be cool, but if it was removed it would also allow the park to expand more in that direction if they're willing to remove some soundstages.

I love this park but it needs help. All the attention is at Islands right now with Hagrid's and Velocicoaster, and I'm sure that attention will go to Epic next when it opens. Studios needs a huge quality draw like Islands recent additions have been. Doesn't have to be a roller coaster though, a huge family dark ride would work great like Rise of the Resistance does for DHS. Selfishly, I think Jaws or Back to the Future are two stellar IPs to pull off a large scale immersive experience that won't loose cultural relevancy because neither of those films have yet. I understand it wasn't in Universal's model to invest in older IP, but hopefully Monsters in Epic is the turning point in that. Imagine if every investment the company made into the park was treated with the same respect as Potter is.

 

[TheUniC6]

I been thinking a lot recently about what USF needs to improve so I've compiled a wish list so why not.

Keep:
Mummy - No explanation needed here, for those not interested in Harry Potter as a franchise this is for sure the anchor of the park.
E.T. - Again, no explanation should be needed, the last opening day attraction left and the kind of ride this park needs more of.
Diagon - Maybe the best theme park land in the world, Gringotts is a solid ride, and Hogwarts Express is a big draw.
Bourne, Animal Actors, Horror Makeup - All solid and unique shows, one of the only aspects of this park that is far above IOA is the shows and entertainment.
Transformers - Not my favorite ride but damn is it compact. If the franchise has to be represented in the parks this is a clean contained way.
Fallon - Opened at an unfortunate time where the park already had to many screen based experiences, but it's really not a terrible attraction. If all else in this wish list goes according to plan, hopefully it doesn't feel to repetitive within the parks lineup.
Despicable Me - Since this is a cash cow franchise that has to be represented somewhere, the current ride at least keeps those little yellow things contained in one attraction. I know Villain-Con is happening right across the street though, hopefully that's all we need for the franchise.
MIB - I know this rides future is always in question, but it's still a good ride with much needed physical sets and family appeal. If it has to go I'm hoping whatever replaces it is another high quality dark ride, interactive or not.

Replace:
Supercharged - Duh. Ideally it gets replaced by it's exact opposite, a large physical set based dark ride *cough* JAWS *cough*
KidZone - Another obvious pick, but I think a land still centered around a kids franchise is a good idea. Spongebob's Bikini Bottom would be my pick if we're going all in on one IP for the land, but I guess Pokemon would also be a fine area if Spongebob can't happen.
Fear Factor - Already on the way out, next.
Springfield - Contract seems like it will be on the way out soon, and Simpsons Ride hasn't held up well, so I would hope the 1991 simulators would be replaced entirely. I think Hill Valley would be a great area with a Back to the Future dark ride or coaster, but I understand concerns over the relevancy of the series, even though it's large share in pop culture.
Rockit - Outdated aesthetic and it's just crushed crushed by Velocicoaster and Hulk. A new coaster in this space would be cool, but if it was removed it would also allow the park to expand more in that direction if they're willing to remove some soundstages.

I love this park but it needs help. All the attention is at Islands right now with Hagrid's and Velocicoaster, and I'm sure that attention will go to Epic next when it opens. Studios needs a huge quality draw like Islands recent additions have been. Doesn't have to be a roller coaster though, a huge family dark ride would work great like Rise of the Resistance does for DHS. Selfishly, I think Jaws or Back to the Future are two stellar IPs to pull off a large scale immersive experience that won't loose cultural relevancy because neither of those films have yet. I understand it wasn't in Universal's model to invest in older IP, but hopefully Monsters in Epic is the turning point in that. Imagine if every investment the company made into the park was treated with the same respect as Potter is.

I would love to see them demo those soundstages to the left of USF and expand the park into it. To not do that would be a missed opportunity.

 

[GA-MBIT]

The park uses the soundstages pretty frequently for both actual studio work and events. They're not going to remove the soundstages between the parks.

 

[TheUniC6]

The park uses the soundstages pretty frequently for both actual studio work and events. They're not going to remove the soundstages between the parks.

AH. They have other options for expansion. I think KidZone will be next after EU opens

 

[biggerboat16]

I been thinking a lot recently about what USF needs to improve so I've compiled a wish list so why not.

Keep:
Mummy - No explanation needed here, for those not interested in Harry Potter as a franchise this is for sure the anchor of the park.
E.T. - Again, no explanation should be needed, the last opening day attraction left and the kind of ride this park needs more of.
Diagon - Maybe the best theme park land in the world, Gringotts is a solid ride, and Hogwarts Express is a big draw.
Bourne, Animal Actors, Horror Makeup - All solid and unique shows, one of the only aspects of this park that is far above IOA is the shows and entertainment.
Transformers - Not my favorite ride but damn is it compact. If the franchise has to be represented in the parks this is a clean contained way.
Fallon - Opened at an unfortunate time where the park already had to many screen based experiences, but it's really not a terrible attraction. If all else in this wish list goes according to plan, hopefully it doesn't feel to repetitive within the parks lineup.
Despicable Me - Since this is a cash cow franchise that has to be represented somewhere, the current ride at least keeps those little yellow things contained in one attraction. I know Villain-Con is happening right across the street though, hopefully that's all we need for the franchise.
MIB - I know this rides future is always in question, but it's still a good ride with much needed physical sets and family appeal. If it has to go I'm hoping whatever replaces it is another high quality dark ride, interactive or not.

Replace:
Supercharged - Duh. Ideally it gets replaced by it's exact opposite, a large physical set based dark ride *cough* JAWS *cough*
KidZone - Another obvious pick, but I think a land still centered around a kids franchise is a good idea. Spongebob's Bikini Bottom would be my pick if we're going all in on one IP for the land, but I guess Pokemon would also be a fine area if Spongebob can't happen.
Fear Factor - Already on the way out, next.
Springfield - Contract seems like it will be on the way out soon, and Simpsons Ride hasn't held up well, so I would hope the 1991 simulators would be replaced entirely. I think Hill Valley would be a great area with a Back to the Future dark ride or coaster, but I understand concerns over the relevancy of the series, even though it's large share in pop culture.
Rockit - Outdated aesthetic and it's just crushed crushed by Velocicoaster and Hulk. A new coaster in this space would be cool, but if it was removed it would also allow the park to expand more in that direction if they're willing to remove some soundstages.

I love this park but it needs help. All the attention is at Islands right now with Hagrid's and Velocicoaster, and I'm sure that attention will go to Epic next when it opens. Studios needs a huge quality draw like Islands recent additions have been. Doesn't have to be a roller coaster though, a huge family dark ride would work great like Rise of the Resistance does for DHS. Selfishly, I think Jaws or Back to the Future are two stellar IPs to pull off a large scale immersive experience that won't loose cultural relevancy because neither of those films have yet. I understand it wasn't in Universal's model to invest in older IP, but hopefully Monsters in Epic is the turning point in that. Imagine if every investment the company made into the park was treated with the same respect as Potter is.

An indoor jaws might be able to fix all tech issues with the original because of a controlled environment. To squeeze a ride of that size into the San-Francisco footprint would be quite do-able if it’s indoor, as they could build these large physical sets while using screens as a backdrop, almost like they did with the filming of the Mandalorian. I certainly wouldn’t want any sharks to be on screens, but they could at least display the sky and far-away backgrounds to add depth to the space while saving room. An indoor ride would even be more thrilling, as a night-time aesthetic would be much more exciting for flame effects and could even hide the sharks a bit more. They could fit the ride over the current show-building while even taking up some queue space if they wanted to, or they could expand back into the backstage area, but the hogwarts express might prove this costly. As for the ride itself, they could keep the shark-attack scenes fairly faithful to the original, but technologically superior and far more life-like. After seeing the new indo and even the kong figure, I wonder if they could pull off a reliable shark-bites-boat figure like the 1990 version they had to scrap. The one issue I could see would be blending amity between New York and london. Having that small-town feel, the amity buildings were always shorter than the buildings in the surrounding lands, which might make some New York or London sight-line issues. The chief concern would be the New York side, as the London side kept some of the amity buildings that were there originally there such as the lobster pound facade that was taller to blend it with San Francisco. If they can build something to at least block the streets of New York from the ride entrance, we can have a great version of amity back. Instead of using the old earthquake entrance, I say they use the current F&F entrance plaza, as that lends itself perfectly for placing the hanging shark in the middle. This would be my ultimate vision that may or may not happen

 

[DodgsonHere]

An indoor jaws might be able to fix all tech issues with the original because of a controlled environment. To squeeze a ride of that size into the San-Francisco footprint would be quite do-able if it’s indoor, as they could build these large physical sets while using screens as a backdrop, almost like they did with the filming of the Mandalorian. I certainly wouldn’t want any sharks to be on screens, but they could at least display the sky and far-away backgrounds to add depth to the space while saving room. An indoor ride would even be more thrilling, as a night-time aesthetic would be much more exciting for flame effects and could even hide the sharks a bit more. They could fit the ride over the current show-building while even taking up some queue space if they wanted to, or they could expand back into the backstage area, but the hogwarts express might prove this costly. As for the ride itself, they could keep the shark-attack scenes fairly faithful to the original, but technologically superior and far more life-like. After seeing the new indo and even the kong figure, I wonder if they could pull off a reliable shark-bites-boat figure like the 1990 version they had to scrap. The one issue I could see would be blending amity between New York and london. Having that small-town feel, the amity buildings were always shorter than the buildings in the surrounding lands, which might make some New York or London sight-line issues. The chief concern would be the New York side, as the London side kept some of the amity buildings that were there originally there such as the lobster pound facade that was taller to blend it with San Francisco. If they can build something to at least block the streets of New York from the ride entrance, we can have a great version of amity back. Instead of using the old earthquake entrance, I say they use the current F&F entrance plaza, as that lends itself perfectly for placing the hanging shark in the middle. This would be my ultimate vision that may or may not happen

The screens used in Bourne would be excellent for use as a backdrop for a boat ride, conveying vast open water. Pirates of the Caribbean in Shanghai uses a similar effect for the same purpose.

Edit: Hell, it even fits in with the studio theme of the park, those large screens are a new technology being used in actual movie production to replace green screens.

 

[ragerunner]

I would just be thrilled if they added a new parade, Cool Japan event and some type of water based ride. Jaws inside of FF would solve two problems in one move.

 

[biggerboat16]

I would just be thrilled if they added a new parade, Cool Japan event and some type of water based ride. Jaws inside of FF would solve two problems in one move.

Jaws would finally turn things around for USF so it can at least compete with IOA. If done well, this could be one of the most popular attractions. It excites all of the legacy fans while also getting all of the GP interested because it’s ‘scary.’ I think the monsters land is a good sign. It shows that universal is still willing to work with old IPs that are still popular. Jaws is the ultimate example of this. Do we think that this would still use skippers? An easy story could be a nighttime cruise of amity that goes wrong with scenes inspired by the original.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Jaws as it was wouldn't fit, but a smaller version with smaller boats could work. Indoors would be dope.

 

[biggerboat16]

Jaws as it was wouldn't fit, but a smaller version with smaller boats could work. Indoors would be dope.

The smaller footprint might even be better because it might make it dark and claustrophobic in there. Shanghai Pirates-style screen backgrounds would also limit space. Smaller boats would actually be better as everyone gets a better view without looking over heads

 

[Legacy]

Everyone is so focused on Jaws while automatically assuming a new Jaws ride would be good.

 

[JoeCamel]

Everyone is so focused on Jaws while automatically assuming a new Jaws ride would be good.

Jaws WAS great

 

[ragerunner]

Everyone is so focused on Jaws while automatically assuming a new Jaws ride would be good.

I just want a good water based ride in USF.

 

[Legacy]

Jaws WAS great

Jaws was good, but was essentially Catastrophe Canyon on water. It was also very much of its time, which was 30 years ago.

I think nostalgia has amped up passion for a ride that, with the current resort’s more visceral additions, would be a quaint C-ticket. That isn’t to say there isn’t a place for a quaint C-ticket—there absolutely is—but I don’t think the infrastructure required for Jaws would be with something that would no longer be a headliner.

Fans talk about the Shanghai PotC ride system for new Jaws attraction and, viscerally, that’s more in line with current theme-parking. But, again, that assumes that ride would be good.

 

[JoeCamel]

Jaws was good, but was essentially Catastrophe Canyon on water. It was also very much of its time, which was 30 years ago.

I think nostalgia has amped up passion for a ride that, with the current resort’s more visceral additions, would be a quaint C-ticket. That isn’t to say there isn’t a place for a quaint C-ticket—there absolutely is—but I don’t think the infrastructure required for Jaws would be with something that would no longer be a headliner.

Fans talk about the Shanghai PotC ride system for new Jaws attraction and, viscerally, that’s more in line with current theme-parking. But, again, that assumes that ride would be good.

Right - was
don't mess my memory

 

[biggerboat16]

Jaws was good, but was essentially Catastrophe Canyon on water. It was also very much of its time, which was 30 years ago.

I think nostalgia has amped up passion for a ride that, with the current resort’s more visceral additions, would be a quaint C-ticket. That isn’t to say there isn’t a place for a quaint C-ticket—there absolutely is—but I don’t think the infrastructure required for Jaws would be with something that would no longer be a headliner.

Fans talk about the Shanghai PotC ride system for new Jaws attraction and, viscerally, that’s more in line with current theme-parking. But, again, that assumes that ride would be good.

If Universal poured their current magic into this legacy IP, it would definitely be good. We’re not asking for a replica of the 1990 version, but something inspired by it that builds on it and adds to it. After seeing the new indo, I can only imagine what new shark animatronics would be like. They could even use one of the new Mack or Intamin boat ride systems that can simulate intense rocking

 

[JoeCamel]

If Universal poured their current magic into this legacy IP, it would definitely be good. We’re not asking for a replica of the 1990 version, but something inspired by it that builds on it and adds to it. After seeing the new indo, I can only imagine what new shark animatronics would be like. They could even use one of the new Mack or Intamin boat ride systems that can simulate intense rocking

The maintenance and staff needed probably makes this a non starter in today's world

 

[Ahmanet]

Jaws has the most popular cocktail at Universal Orlando ... it is way overdue for a new attraction, HHN or permanent.