Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[Ridgepole]

CLASSIC MONSTERS

LOTR. Take that to the bank.

 

[UK-Trigg]

So @Brian G. says in the Ministry of Magic thread there's no Potter (including Fantastic Beasts) in Park 3, so take that one off the speculation list.

For now. If future movies do well I would think it's quite likely they would think again.

I'm hoping they have a long term strategy of driving a bunch of these skeevy businesses out of the I-Drive district and spearheading an effort to bring some placemaking to the area, bring it up to the quality of International Drive south of Sand Lake.

I would guess this to be one of the long term goals.

 

[zg44]

I'm hoping they have a long term strategy of driving a bunch of these skeevy businesses out of the I-Drive district and spearheading an effort to bring some placemaking to the area, bring it up to the quality of International Drive south of Sand Lake.

I would assume so. I also think direct purchases will be a part of the equation after Universal's south resort is completely built over the next 20 years.

My guess is that it would look like a university that purchases up homes and businesses nearby. Of course, there's typically a tax implication there, but I've seen plenty of universities that have aggressive long-term strategies to purchase up parcels near their campuses.

I would have to think that Universal will think about that type of strategy after they've finished building out the second resort around 2035. That's when you'd potentially have 4 dry parks, 2 water parks, 2 CityWalks, 20000+ hotel rooms throwing off an aggregate of $2+ billion in operating income in Orlando alone.

At that point, it makes a ton of sense for Universal to start plowing back a part of that cash flow into that type of strategy.

 

[mainejeff]

Is it possible that they could move Jurassic (World) to the new park and close Jurassic (Park) at IOA to make room for new additions there?

I would love to see the World of Stephen King at the new park. There are so many stories & characters that they could draw from. Maybe have a New England section which could include Stephen King & a new Jaws ride!

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Is it possible that they could move Jurassic (World) to the new park and close Jurassic (Park) at IOA to make room for new additions there?

I would love to see the World of Stephen King at the new park. There are so many stories & characters that they could draw from. Maybe have a New England section which could include Stephen King & a new Jaws ride!

It has already been seemingly rumored that Jurassic Park: River Adventure at IOA would possibly close along with Hollywood's version to under renovations. And that, there seems to be another possible new Jurassic attraction coming to IOA.

 

[Ridgepole]

With the new land acquisition and plans relocating backlot services, the large area in the northeast corner of US that looks like a junkyard should be freed up for new attractions?

 

[Galaxy Defender]

With the new land acquisition and plans relocating backlot services, the large area in the northeast corner of US that looks like a junkyard should be freed up for new attractions?

Makes sense, but I don't think Universal is in any hurry to use this area. As attendance grows expansion plots like this will be important.

 

[JungleSkip]

Makes sense, but I don't think Universal is in any hurry to use this area. As attendance grows expansion plots like this will be important.

It's also used for HHN, for now

 

[Ridgepole]

Makes sense, but I don't think Universal is in any hurry to use this area. As attendance grows expansion plots like this will be important.

Was just thinking that maybe that's why they have not ripped out kidzone, yet....

 

[Galaxy Defender]

Was just thinking that maybe that's why they have not ripped out kidzone, yet....

Universal has been changing their plans quite a bit as of late. There's always a possibility they decided to keep KidZone and use that expansion plot. Haven't heard anything about it though.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

It's also used for HHN, for now

For now.

Is that a hint?

 

[JungleSkip]

For now.

Is that a hint?

No, not at all. Just stating a fact.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

No, not at all. Just stating a fact.

As my nephew likes to say, true that.

 

[Legacy]

LOTR. Take that to the bank.

Yeah?

I'll hold on to my cash for now.

 

[youhow2]

They own that and are showing projection mapping is another specialty. I do think Universal can do the mapping but if they went another direction (lasers?) I think they could carve out their own space. Fireworks are cool but a real pain to implement.

I'd argue Disney is actually kind of crap with their projection mapping. There is much more to be done with the technology. I saw a demo a few years ago that combined kuka arms and projection mapping for a show... Thought that was pretty neat.

The next phase of innovation with projection mapping is moving 3d surfaces, and not many, if any are doing that on a large scale.

 

[Alicia]

The next phase of innovation with projection mapping is moving 3d surfaces, and not many, if any are doing that on a large scale.

Like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

 

[youhow2]

Like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

Well thats not open yet, lol. WellW see how it looks when it opens.

 

[OLSinFLA]

Yeah?

I'll hold on to my cash for now.

With the Tolkien estate (now thankfully rid of Chris Tolkien) is taking bucks from Amazon for a mini series based on supplemental material from LoTR, I can't imagine them passing up a theme park opportunity

 

[Galaxy Defender]

With the Tolkien estate (now thankfully rid of Chris Tolkien) is taking bucks from Amazon for a mini series based on supplemental material from LoTR, I can't imagine them passing up a theme park opportunity

The only issue I could see stopping this would be money. The price of TV rights was astronomical but that was due mainly to a bidding war.

 

[Ridgepole]

With the Tolkien estate (now thankfully rid of Chris Tolkien) is taking bucks from Amazon for a mini series based on supplemental material from LoTR, I can't imagine them passing up a theme park opportunity

And Tolkien hated Disney. It is the best IP going. Uni needs to close the deal if they haven't already. IMO