I’ve been hearing the rumors, to the point I believe it’s at least getting discussed, but have not independently confirmed anything yet.
That said, I think it’s going to be daytime ops for two big reasons. First, nighttime ops requires additional staff to run the actual park, PLUS house performers and management. With all of the cuts Universal has made, hiring theme park ops and house staff in three weeks is a massive hiring initiative that I don’t think they want to attempt it because all those people are now just on the books with likely nothing to do in November. Daytime house, however, means you only have to contact entertainment roles (that weren’t “laid off” in the first place), who know it’s a seasonal gig.
Second, they’ve already announced HHN is canceled. Any sort of nighttime event with haunted houses, regardless of how it’s marketed, is going to be perceived as HHN by the layman. Either way, it creates a bad look—either Universal is indecisive or manipulative. Daytime ops, however, doesn’t carry that same risk. It is, even on its face, something very different in a very different time. If the houses run Wednesday through Sunday, Universal is successfully pulling more people into the park on weekdays. That’s what this needs to be focused on.
