There's really only 3 properties that work with the existing San Francisco area without major demo.
- Back to the Future - as mentioned
- Jaws - similar to BTTF, it'd just need signage and some adjustments to paint to transform into Amity
- Godzilla - set in SF, maybe add some more Japanese culture into the area near Lombards and transform it into an Japanese restaurant
General, scattered thoughts lol. These are all awesome ideas conceptually. I guess my only concern is if they don't change the existing infrastructure of the ride - which it doesn't seem like they will - that we're going to ultimately run into the same problems of F&F but with a new theme. A slow moving vehicle doesn't make any more sense for a lot of these IPs either, particularly BTTF.
Back to the Future would need to be somewhat fast/somewhat thrilling. If you're in a car traveling through time, it can't go slow like the current ride vehicles in F&F. I guess an advantage here would be screens of time travel can make it "seem" like it's going faster and wouldn't feel as out of place thematically as the screens in F&F, but it still feels like just trying to force it to work in the existing space instead of actually gutting it and making a ride system that the IP deserves. So, I feel like this would present the same issues we are seeing in F&F (fast vehicle in movies, slow vehicle in ride) just with a new theme?
I really love the idea of Godzilla, I've BEEN saying Godzilla would be awesome in the parks. I feel like this ride could get away with not necessarily going fast because there isn't a specific "fast" vehicle related to the Godzilla franchise unlike BTTF and F&F. But imagine if they re-themed the ride vehicle to a Japanese speed train (and not just re-theme but I mean gut out the entire track and make it an actually FAST vehicle, so that we don't end up with "The Slow and UnFurious" 2.0.) that would be awesome. However, I'll agree that this IP could work better with the existing infrastructure of the ride system than others like BTTF for example, because again, the IP isn't related to a "fast" vehicle so there's more wiggle room to make it work.
Obviously, I would love to see Jaws back. I know that might just be a dream...but I'd love to see a classic back. They know it tests well based off the popularity of the classics merch but I know popularity of merch doesn't necessarily indicate/predict popularity of an attraction. I guess my two concerns here are a) water and b) the vehicle should be a boat not a tram they have. I know the Jaws part of the Hollywood tram tour uses the tram but I feel like it's a waste of the IP if you have Jaws not on a boat. Also, water. I know there was water in Earthquake/Disaster, although it wasn't just like...stagnant water...but a rush of water. Would it be feasible/possible to have water in that space? I don't think projection mapping of water would do the trick either...it wouldn't feel natural...and would just feel like a waste of trying to force this IP to work in a space that isn't really built for it.
I think two other IPs that could work in that space would be Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters. It would be cool to bring Beetlejuice back considering the ride building of F&F took over what used to be where the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue was. The new movie has a transit system featured - "The Soul Train" -so that's an easy re-theme that also, wouldn't necessarily need to go fast, so the existing ride system could work for it. Re: Ghostbusters, I know there were rumors about Ghostbusters going into where Rip Ride Rockit currently is...but I think we're all thinking that's where the new/actually Fast and Furious ride/coaster will be going? So, with that said, I think a Ghostbusters dark ride could also work here where F&F Supercharged currently is, also because, this IP wouldn't necessarily have to involve high speeds. Alt: a Ghostbusters dark ride where you capture ghosts with proton pack guns could work as a retheme for MIB. But I'll try to stay on topic here...