The Current State and Future of Universal Studios Florida

[DodgsonHere]

Because you can have shirts, mugs, and the photo-op around for much cheaper and save room for Dreamworks, Illumination, and other more beneficial properties to the overall park

I'm sure everyone here would *love* a Universal where Diagon and Jaws are side by side in Orlando, but we all know space is a commodity

This is another reason why I would be careful to compare Universal and Disney in the "nostalgia" category

But do we really think the park is saving space for supercharged and fallon? I haven’t seen anyone actually buy merch for either in the park and nobody is buying tickets because of those. USF has an attraction quality and variety issue, not a space issue because there’s a lot that can be done away with as far as I’m concerned.

 

[shiekra38]

But do we really think the park is saving space for supercharged and Fallon? I haven’t seen anyone actually buy merch for either in the park and nobody is buying tickets because of those. USF has an attraction quality and variety issue, not a space issue because there’s a lot that can be done away with as far as I’m concerned.

Supercharged is bad, everyone knows it's bad, and Universal will be addressing it in the next decade

It's still based on one of their highest grossing franchises in the companies history, and yes that space is better served with F&F than Earthquake

And Fallon was built as a synergistic strategy to promote the current host of an iconic show that goes back decades, and yes that space is better served with Fallon than Twister

I don't think anyone is arguing against Studio's current diversity issue in regards to attractions

I just disagree that the solution to that issue is "bring Jaws back"

Especially when they have not implemented a single Dreamworks or Illumination property other than a 4D Shrek film and a sprinkle of Minions

 

[DodgsonHere]

Supercharged is bad, everyone knows it's bad, and Universal will be addressing it in the next decade

It's still based on one of their highest grossing franchises in the companies history, and yes that space is better served with F&F than Earthquake

And Fallon was built as a synergistic strategy to promote the current host of an iconic show that goes back decades, and yes that space is better served with Fallon than Twister

I don't think anyone is arguing against Studio's current diversity issue in regards to attractions

I just disagree that the solution to that issue is "bring Jaws back"

Especially when they have not implemented a single Dreamworks or Illumination property other than a 4D Shrek film and a sprinkle of Minions

Sounds like Dreamworks is coming to KidZone, and minions is about to receive another ride plus a restaurant, so those franchises are getting representation very soon. Still a lot of other opportunities in the park to replace undesirable attractions, nobody wants the whole park to be saturated with the little yellow guys.

I’m sure F&F and Fallon are better than Earthquake/Disaster and Twister from a merch perspective. On a “make me want to spend time in the park” perspective, they were both major hits.

I do apologize if my tone is coming off as rude or hostile in my posts, I always enjoy a good debate, so thank you for the great conversation.

 

[shiekra38]

Sounds like Dreamworks is coming to KidZone, and minions is about to receive another ride plus a restaurant, so those franchises are getting representation very soon. Still a lot of other opportunities in the park to replace undesirable attractions, nobody wants the whole park to be saturated with the little yellow guys.

I’m sure F&F and Fallon are better than Earthquake/Disaster and Twister from a merch perspective. On a “make me want to spend time in the park” perspective, they were both major hits.

I do apologize if my tone is coming off as rude or hostile in my posts, I always enjoy a good debate, so thank you for the great conversation.

I don't think you're coming off as rude in anyway

I think we're discussing the same issue, just coming to a different conclusion on solutions

Studios definitely needs work in many areas

 

[belloq87]

It's still based on one of their highest grossing franchises in the companies history, and yes that space is better served with F&F than Earthquake

IP for IP, sure, you'd rather have a F&F attraction over an attraction based on EARTHQUAKE.

Ride for ride, I don't think it's at all clear that the space is currently better served with Supercharged. My enjoyment is certainly not better served, at any rate!

 

[Mad Dog]

IP for IP, sure, you'd rather have a F&F attraction over an attraction based on EARTHQUAKE.

Ride for ride, I don't think it's at all clear that the space is currently better served with Supercharged. My enjoyment is certainly not better served, at any rate!

and...we also lost a good show, Beetleguise, that they leveled for the terrible F&F attraction that hardly anyone rides. Bad enough that F&F is a rotten attraction, but it also has a 'huge'
footprint in a park where space is at a premium.

 

[Legacy]

I guess it's true that it's hard to predict what's evergreen and how public perception will change, but Disney still has rides that are 50 years old and have stood the test of time. I think in general is Disney is much better than Universal at keeping older properties and characters relevant even if they're not receiving new movies. Again though, I think this is only a problem at USF. Islands still has quality and timeless properties (your mileage on Toon Lagoon may vary), and Epic is going to have a whole land based on a property that is nearing 100 years.

People like comparing Universal’s IP-based attractions to Disney’s concept-based attractions when it’s apples and oranges. Space, pirates, ghosts, myths/legends/story-telling (Frontierland, a lot of the Fantasyland source material) are all concepts first and IPs second. That’s the difference and why so many of Disney’s attractions are timeless. When you look at the IP-oriented stuff, they inadvertently put shelf lives on them (Splash, Jack Sparrow in Pirates). There are also a number of IPs that haven’t changed because Disney hasn’t bothered (

Universal, conversely, is IP-forward. It’s “concept” was “how we make movies,” but that has changed immensely. As a result, they have to rotate stuff based on the zeitgeist. The Monsters are an exception because they have transcended to concepts more than IPs.

Just curious and not trying to argue, why should a film like Jaws not have an attraction at the parks, besides the fact that Universal does not hold nostalgia for it’s classic property. I think it would be more successful in advertising campaigns and merch sales than every addition to Studios since Diagon.

Do you mean “Jaws” as in a tense boat ride or “Jaws” as in an older movie?

Because the answer to the second is because it’s an old IP that most people in Universal’s target audience (at this point) likely haven’t seen.

 

[DodgsonHere]

Universal, conversely, is IP-forward. It’s “concept” was “how we make movies,” but that has changed immensely. As a result, they have to rotate stuff based on the zeitgeist. The Monsters are an exception because they have transcended to concepts more than IPs.

Do you mean “Jaws” as in a tense boat ride or “Jaws” as in an older movie?

Because the answer to the second is because it’s an old IP that most people in Universal’s target audience (at this point) likely haven’t seen.

I guess I mean more of the second. Even if you haven’t seen Jaws, the ride was a quality attraction that transcended the IP and became more of a concept, just like Monsters. The concept of a shark attack has universal appeal, and Jaws is one of the most culturally significant movies of all time so it will always exist in the public consciousness.

As for why not another tense boat ride, is that not somewhat near to what we’re expecting for a phase 2 Monsters EU attraction?

 

[shiekra38]

As for why not another tense boat ride, is that not somewhat near to what we’re expecting for a phase 2 Monsters EU attraction?

I honestly don't know what to expect from the Creature boat ride tbh

I think the 1 to 1 comparison people are making to Jaws might leave some folks disappointed

It feels more "spooky Jungle Cruise" than "Jaws" to me

 

[Legacy]

I guess I mean more of the second. Even if you haven’t seen Jaws, the ride was a quality attraction that transcended the IP and became more of a concept, just like Monsters. The concept of a shark attack has universal appeal, and Jaws is one of the most culturally significant movies of all time so it will always exist in the public consciousness.

It won’t always exist in the public consciousness—that’s the thing. Gone With the Wind, with inflation, remains the highest grossing film of all time. References to it were popular into the 90s. But how many people nowadays have actually seen the film? Would an exhibit or attraction dedicated to it draw any sort draw more people to the park? When it draw anybody under the age of 40? Not even “probably;” not enough people would care to warrant it.

And the public perception of sharks have changed. In the eighties, sharks were scary. They’re not viewed that way anymore. People naturally know more about them and they’ve reached meme status (“Fish are friends, not food” and “Baby shark”).

Plainly, if Jaws was still a hugely popular attraction with the general public when it closed, Diagon would have gone somewhere else (likely KidZone).

 

[Magic-Man]

I'd love a Great Movie Ride style attraction for the classic IP's. Bringing back the old rides doesn't make any sense from a marketing or popularity standpoint (they're gone for a reason). Put it where Simpsons is now. Retheme that whole area + Men in Black to be a Retro 80s land. Maybe retheme Men in Black to Ghostbusters or Scooby Doo? Save Fear Factor for another Harry Potter attraction sometime down the road. It gives that entire back corner of the park a refresh and a popularity boost.

 

[belloq87]

And the public perception of sharks have changed. In the eighties, sharks were scary. They’re not viewed that way anymore. People naturally know more about them and they’ve reached meme status (“Fish are friends, not food” and “Baby shark”).

The proliferation of (mostly bad) shark attack movies continuing to this day would imply the idea of sharks as a source of terror in films has not waned.

 

[Casper Gutman]

The proliferation of (mostly bad) shark attack movies continuing to this day would imply the idea of sharks as a source of terror in films has not waned.

Yeah, the idea that sharks are no longer scary because of things like Baby Shark is, to put it politely, absolutely nuts. I mean, the whole gag in Finding Nemo isn't that they're cuddly, its that they're saying comforting things while being absolutely terrifying.

Jaws isn't one of my favorite movies. It is, however, one of the most significant, perpetually relevant films in cinema history. Even if people haven't seen it, EVERYONE knows the theme song. Lots of folks know the fin. They know the line "We're going to need a bigger boat." It's iconic. If Jaws doesn't deserve a new attraction, no film does. The same is largely true of all Universal's core "nostalgia" properties. What's more, an attraction based on Jaws is going to have a much longer meaningful shelf life then one based on Fallon, Fear Factor - or How to Train Your Dragon, or any number of IPs with attractions at Universal. The problem with Universal's old Jaws ride wasn't the IP, it was (whispering) that it wasn't very well designed.

When Universal opened it was the park that was trying to attract grumpy teens who were grumbling about the family trip to Disney. It was narrowcasting, counter programming. It doesn't want to be that anymore, and it shouldn't be that anymore. It's positioned to take Disney on head-to-head. To do that, it NEEDS to build and harness nostalgia. Nostalgia is stable when dependence on the new isn't. It requires less constant investment. It's consistent through difficult economic times. It builds generational loyalty. It creates loyal Annual Passholders. It reliably moves merch. It is a much, MUCH firmer basis for long-term growth then constantly having to identify or produce what is momentarily "hot." Universal knows this. They've been pushing nostalgia in multiple ways. Epic Universe has two lands that are hugely nostalgia oriented - Monsters and Mario - and another that is only slightly less so - Wizarding, which has been reoriented from a failing current franchise to one that ended over a decade ago. Universal needs to continue to lean in to nostalgia and to continue to build a strong brand identity (something it lacks that is intimately linked to nostalgia) by harnessing the core classics of ET, BttF, Kong, Jaws, and the Monsters.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

If Fast and Furious was a legit E ticket, Kidzone aside, I don’t think there would be that many complaints about this park. Supercharged is just that bad and takes up a ton of space.

 

[MagdolHauntsMe]

I saw the Horror Makeup Show the other day, and the hosts actually made a joke about successfully hiding from security in Fast and Furious: Supercharged, because no one ever goes in there. They’ve joked in the past about Tom Cruise’s Mummy being a box office bomb, but this is the first time I’ve heard them joke about a ride in the park. I was a little shocked to hear that. I laughed, of course. But if even Universal is openly laughing at that ride, how much longer can it last? (Beyond completion of EU.)

 

[tielo]

An IP, well know, beloved, current, classic or hated, doesn't make or break a ride. That discussion is just silly.
Examples are plenty: Twilight Zone (not current, not classic, amazing ride), Song of the South (problematic movie, not current, great ride), WaterWorld (flop, not current, amazing show), Simpsons (had is time, mediocre ride, great land), The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow (at the moment a popular ip but the attraction was a bad).
And when you go into personal taste you can come up with a ton of rides that are amazing but the ip doesn't do it for you. For me personally, I hate super hero stuff but love SpiderMan (IOA) and Hulk, some people don't like Potter of JP but love the coaster.
In the end, a good attraction is a good attraction. You can make a boring Jaws ride or a spectacular Jaws ride. As we have seen with spiderMan, Disney made a turd of a ride 25 years after Universal made the best dark ride ever (imho).

 

[Alicia]

I’m not going to pretend JAWS wasn’t often a walk on most days before it was announced to close. I liked that I could ride it most days without waiting more than 10 minutes, but that’s not good for business.

The explosion itself was extremely expensive to run every time a boat went by, not to mention the cost of maintaining animatronics in water. Add in the fact of how much real estate it took up, and I understood why it was chosen for replacement.

 

[Casper Gutman]

If Fast and Furious was a legit E ticket, Kidzone aside, I don’t think there would be that many complaints about this park. Supercharged is just that bad and takes up a ton of space.

The head of Uni creative explicitly and publicly stated Fast was a mistake years ago. It’s not a secret.

That said, I think Fast gets a bad rap. Is it great? No. Should it ever have been built? No. Is it a fun ride that is stupid in an entertaining way, a way that captures the stupidity of the IP? Yup. I’d rather ride Fast then Mission Space, Smugglers Run, Toy Story Midway Mania, or a bunch of other rides in Orlando that get much less ridicule.

(This was specifically meant as a reply to Magdol. Sorry.)

 

[DodgsonHere]

It won’t always exist in the public consciousness—that’s the thing. Gone With the Wind, with inflation, remains the highest grossing film of all time. References to it were popular into the 90s. But how many people nowadays have actually seen the film? Would an exhibit or attraction dedicated to it draw any sort draw more people to the park? When it draw anybody under the age of 40? Not even “probably;” not enough people would care to warrant it.

And the public perception of sharks have changed. In the eighties, sharks were scary. They’re not viewed that way anymore. People naturally know more about them and they’ve reached meme status (“Fish are friends, not food” and “Baby shark”).

Are the classic monsters really scary anymore in the public perception? Have they really gone away in nearly 100 years?

 

[DodgsonHere]

I do want to say that of course I’m never expecting Jaws to return. I’m grateful for having experienced it and understand why it’s no longer around. That said, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to bring in a new Jaws attraction that is more modern and probably less costly than the original, just like Universal has done with Kong.