Universal Great Britain - Speculation & Rumors

[luckoftheirish]

That’s true I didn’t think about the possibility of this being a completely unique park with no cloned attractions.

I mean they can reuse all the exclusive rides from non-orlando parks like Beijing's JW ride

 

[xtpower]

I mean they can reuse all the exclusive rides from non-orlando parks like Beijing's JW ride

I just want that JW ride, the rest I have no want for. The JW ride and a bunch of new and unique rides is perfect to me. If we're not getting the marquee Florida rides then give us new rides that are just as good.

 

[rob@rar]

• I worry about the potential impact this would have on the existing Orlando parks
• I’m excited that Universal is deciding to compete with Disney in the European market
• This process has been moving at lightning speed so far.
• After this potentially opens I feel they won’t be building any new ones for a long time
• What IPs do you guys want to appear at this park?

What might be insider rumours in this thread have suggested no direct copies of Orlando rides, which makes sense if Universal are concerned about reducing UK/EU attendance in the Florida parks. I’d guess there are some families who might decide that they’ve had their theme park experience by visiting Universal GB so no need to travel all the way to Orlando. Equally there may be some families who love their first experience of a world class theme park and are lured to Orlando with the promise of even more of what they loved at home. Swings both ways I think, so perhaps the impact will be minimal?

In terms of what I want to see in the park my No.1 priority is for whatever they build to be as good or better than what they have built before. I’d be heart-broken if they built something substandard to what we know and expect from the Universal brand. Make it world-class and then IP choice becomes less critical. Having said that, my personal wish list for IP-based lands would be, in order, Middle-Earth, Wizarding World, Jurassic World, Super Nintendo World. Plenty of scope for immersive environments which are rich and fantastical; plenty of scope for world-class attractions which are unique; but a theme park still firmly rooted in the “Universal experience” which many UK families have loved in Florida and beyond.

 

[Chessy]

I just want that JW ride, the rest I have no want for. The JW ride and a bunch of new and unique rides is perfect to me. If we're not getting the marquee Florida rides then give us new rides that are just as good.

I think your line of thought is the same as mine. If it’s a ride like JW which looks excellent then by all means add it. But if we are to have new attractions then they should be at the same level as their Orlando counterparts. No cutting corners or substandard attempts at immersion and storytelling. But I trust Universal Creative will have plenty of ideas on the storyboard.

 

[Altonsky]

That’s true I didn’t think about the possibility of this being a completely unique park with no cloned attractions.

I also think those that can afford to go to Orlando still will, because they’re not just going for Universal or Disney it’s a mix of both and other parks.

Those that can’t afford would never have gone anyway but they’re now an extra market that will be able to go here.

 

[Steeb]

The more I think about it, the more I can't see Potter coming here tbh. I imagine it's the main draw for a lot of visitors from the UK, and if they are still thinking LOTR, then that will tick a box for an epic fantasy section of the park.

My current guesses are

• Lord of the Rings
• Jurassic World (Beijing version)
• Some kind of London Area, with Paddington land and a 007 stuntacular
• Minions
• DreamWorks in some form

 

[rob@rar]

The more I think about it, the more I can't see Potter coming here tbh. I imagine it's the main draw for a lot of visitors from the UK, and if they are still thinking LOTR, then that will tick a box for an epic fantasy section of the park.

If Universal can get the rights for a Wizarding World land in the UK I think they'd be mad not to build it, with rides unique to this version of a Universal park. As much as I love Lord of the Rings it does not have the demographic reach that Harry Potter does. JK Rowling's books will continue to be introduced to new generations, the movies continue to be popular and there's the massive TV series which is due to debut in 2026 or 2027 and will delve even more deeply in to the Potterverse than the movies could. It is, of course, a distinctly British IP, exported across the world with astonishing success. We took our two nieces to Orlando when they were young teens and then late-teens and they loved the Wizarding World land(s) more than anything else. No way that are similarly invested in Lord of the Rings, they definitely haven't read the books and I'm not sure they've seen any of the movies. I'd guess they are typical of kids their age, and I don't think the Middle-Earth TV series on Amazon is going to gain much traction with that age range.

I'm pretty sure that a Wizarding World land would be the No.1 draw in any UK theme park. The HP Studio Tour just down the road gets 2 million visitors a year just by itself, that's almost one quarter of the targeted attendance that Universal has said they would like. Perhaps for that reason Universal won't get the rights, so any speculation about whether Universal should include Potter could well be pointless

 

[Steeb]

Oh for sure, I certainly get the appeal of Potter and have no doubt it would be a slam dunk if they got the rights. But I suspect that Universal will be having to weigh up the cost to get the UK rights plus also how much it may impact their Orlando appeal. If they somehow can get the rights, I agree it would be an obvious choice.

 

[rob@rar]

... how much it may impact their Orlando appeal ...

I really hope that Universal don't hold back, in any way, what they could build in the UK because of fears that it might impact attendance in Orlando. The better the UK park is I think the more that families will want to travel to Orlando to have even more of that great experience. For me, visiting Disneyland Paris was the gateway drug to visiting Orlando, and then to LA and Tokyo for their theme park offerings. I was a reluctant visitor to DLP in 1996, but within an hour or two I'd been completely bowled over by the experience, and have loved visiting Disney and Universal parks ever since.

 

[Steeb]

I genuinely don't see them holding anything back in terms of quality. From what I have read, it seems that we can probably look at Epic Universe in terms of ambition for this park. I think it's more that they would want to offer something unique here. Which doesn't mean it would be lesser quality. It's more that I can see both the pros and cons of having Potter here as a business decision.

Being completely honest, I'll take whatever they are willing to give and will be overjoyed that it's even happened. If I had a preference, I would want LOTR instead so we have something truly unique, although I am aware I am fortunate enough to get to visit Orlando most years anyway to get my butterbeer fix.

 

[Altonsky]

Maybe they’ll wait and see how successful the tv series is. If it’s a hit I’m sure WB and JK wouldn’t mind selling the theme park rights for that.

Then it’ll be completely different to anything they offer anywhere else as well as the studio tour down the road.

It could be an expansion land added later on as the series would be well over the half way point of it’s ten year run.

Plus, they’ll be also filming this new series at Leavesden again (where the studio tour is) I assume as they’re massively expanding that, can’t get anymore local than that.

 

[Scott W.]

• I worry about the potential impact this would have on the existing Orlando parks
• I’m excited that Universal is deciding to compete with Disney in the European market
• This process has been moving at lightning speed so far.
• After this potentially opens I feel they won’t be building any new ones for a long time
• What IPs do you guys want to appear at this park?

If anything I think Universal Orlando will benefit. With the no cloned rides rule, they will be making fans here who might have never entertained visiting Florida before, especially when the Orlando parks are something completely different. Plus you have the added extras of the weather and Disney when they decide to travel. 2 of my friends visited Disneyland Paris before booking a trip to WDW to ensure their kids would enjoy it.

I think the Texas kids park is an experiment and if it's successful, they will build more around the states. Again, it's a good trial for families, which can get them attached to the brand and when the kids grow up and want something a bit more for older kids and teens, the obvious choice is to visit Orlando or Hollywood.

I don't see Potter coming, I think if Epic was being planned now, Potter wouldn't get built. I'd also be surprised to see Nintendo coming based on the no clone rule. If they want something unique, I can see LOTR as the big draw.

Bond and Paddington seem to be getting thrown around a lot, which seems like an obvious draw.

 

[tielo]

Universal isn't only coming to UK, it also unlocks the whole of Europe that has an easy boat, train or flight to a world class Universal park just like DLP. Europeans love their theme park visits when you look how much there is (for good and bad) and I'm positive lots of them will want to visit a Universal park without a +10 hour flight.
Regarding Potter, the stage show in London, the Studios and a theme park experience would only strengthen the pull to get visitors from further away. Again, don't just think UK but Europe.

 

[Steeb]

Universal isn't only coming to UK, it also unlocks the whole of Europe that has an easy boat, train or flight to a world class Universal park just like DLP. Europeans love their theme park visits when you look how much there is (for good and bad) and I'm positive lots of them will want to visit a Universal park without a +10 hour flight.
Regarding Potter, the stage show in London, the Studios and a theme park experience would only strengthen the pull to get visitors from further away. Again, don't just think UK but Europe.

It's not really a case of "Would Potter appeal to the UK and Europe?". It obviously would.

It's more a case of "are the UK rights worth paying for? would WB allow it? Would it make Orlando less tempting for that market?"

 

[Altonsky]

It's not really a case of "Would Potter appeal to the UK and Europe?". It obviously would.

It's more a case of "are the UK rights worth paying for? would WB allow it? Would it make Orlando less tempting for that market?"

Harry Potter as an IP will forever be huge but again why pay for the theme park rights which involves the movies series when the TV series has the potential to supersede it whilst taking the IP forward for future generations.

I don’t think Orlando really comes into it tbh, those that can afford will still go and those that can’t won’t.

Personally I’d sit and wait to see how the TV series does. I wouldn’t do anything potter related from the get go as I don’t think there’s any point paying money for version of the IP that could very well not be the current/popular version by time this park opens.

 

[Steeb]

I don’t think Orlando really comes into it tbh, those that can afford will still go and those that can’t won’t.

I'm basing this on the 'no clones' rumour which Alicia has reported on previously. Not sure why else they would bother if it didn't come into it.

 

[Altonsky]

I'm basing this on the 'no clones' rumour which Alicia has reported on previously. Not sure why else they would bother if it didn't come into it.

Ah yeah fair! But again those that can afford to go and experience different variations of the same IP will still go, those that can’t won’t.

In my experience it’s rare for Brit’s to go to Orlando and just do one park whether it be Universal or Disney. You usually try to cram as much in as possible because chances are you won’t be going back for a fair few years.

Personally for me Orlando is now extremely costly and Disney just sounds like far too much stress.

 

[tielo]

It's not really a case of "Would Potter appeal to the UK and Europe?". It obviously would.

It's more a case of "are the UK rights worth paying for? would WB allow it? Would it make Orlando less tempting for that market?"

Do you have any idea how much WB/Rowling earn from Universal's theme parks....it's an huge revenue stream. It's a yearly fixed amount per park (no matter how many tickets are sold) and a fee on every item (including food, drinks, souvenirs and on ride photo's).
As I explained before this could help getting more fans to the 2 current Potter experiences in the UK (who also didn't canabalize the Studio Tour). And a huge amount of fans to a "Potter theme park" who don't have the money to go all the way to Orlando or are hasitant to go to a far away destination (more people than you think). And as stated before, if fans like it they will want to visit Orlando as it then will have 3 themed lands to their favorit ip. Also don't forget Potter is what made Universal big and made them a lot of money so yes its worth it for them. I'm also positive that Rowling would love to see DLP getting less visitors when EU theme park fans decide to visit England over France as I think there is little love between them and when you have an obscene amount of money like Rowling those little things become more important (I know, pathetic).

 

[Altonsky]

Maybe they could offer multi offer tickets. Universal here and the studio tour, pay for both you get a discount.

Could even have a bus going between both locations, it’s not far.

A possibility but has anything like that been done before? I mean they’re not direct competitors so maybe it’s possible.

 

[Steeb]

Do you have any idea how much WB/Rowling earn from Universal's theme parks....it's an huge revenue stream. It's a yearly fixed amount per park (no matter how many tickets are sold) and a fee on every item (including food, drinks, souvenirs and on ride photo's).
As I explained before this could help getting more fans to the 2 current Potter experiences in the UK (who also didn't canabalize the Studio Tour). And a huge amount of fans to a "Potter theme park" who don't have the money to go all the way to Orlando or are hasitant to go to a far away destination (more people than you think). And as stated before, if fans like it they will want to visit Orlando as it then will have 3 themed lands to their favorit ip. Also don't forget Potter is what made Universal big and made them a lot of money so yes its worth it for them. I'm also positive that Rowling would love to see DLP getting less visitors when EU theme park fans decide to visit England over France as I think there is little love between them and when you have an obscene amount of money like Rowling those little things become more important (I know, pathetic).

You know I'm not campaigning for Potter not to happen right? I'm just going off what's been rumoured and said elsewhere.

You don't have to agree with Universal's logic here to understand what they are thinking (if those rumours are true), but you also can't will things into existing by trying to convince me about it either. I'm just trying to think realistically based on the information we have