Future Universal Projects and Parks

[shiekra38]

Disneyhead I cant see them having a solid 10 year plan because of coming and going IP'S. I think they have a plan as to what they can remove and what areas they should build up.

The question i have is what kind of theme park they will build after they finish expansions (Rumored MSHI, Suess, Kong, Jurassic, Twister, earthquake, kidzone, F&F, toon lagoon, star trek, MoM). They still have a ton of areas to maximize.

Question would be, are they going to use same characters in a third park or will they try something new and maybe even have original concepts. Other IPs I could realistically see.

DC (dont criticize, just saying it may be possible)
LOTR
Halo
Warcraft

But then what would be the general theme of the area?

Themes they could use

- mythological areas
- Planets of outerspace with different land terrians
- a middle earth park (Warcraft, LOTR, Game of thrones (??))

i just cant think of a solid theme. Anyone have their own ideas?

While I don't think they have an intricately detailed plan down to the water fountain and restroom locations...I do think they have an overall look at expansion..heck, early IOA concept art called to have just cartoons (Looney Toons, DC, etc)..we see how that turned out...the cool thing is that they can adapt and change as IPs become popular..in a few years who knows what Illumination and Universal Pictures will have that's popular..

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Ministry of Magic is a project and not just a survey question.

Anyway my theory is anything we know now wad in development prior to and during Diagon Alley. I think many ate keeping projects close to the vest still.

 

[Teebin]

Ministry of Magic is a project and not just a survey question.

Calling it a "project" implies that it has a project number or name. Are you aware of it having a number or name? I haven't heard a peep about it except designer's musings.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Calling it a "project" implies that it has a project number or name. Are you aware of it having a number or name? I haven't heard a peep about it except designer's musings.

Let me put it this way, it was compared to the Smurfs, which was a simple comparison question on a survey. It isn't that.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Let me put it this way, it was compared to the Smurfs, which was a simple comparison question on a survey. It isn't that.

Nice try, but the original quote was:

And come on, you know the difference between blue sky and actual concepts. A Ministry of Magic show, along with lots of other BS projects (Smurfs, anyone?) all have sketches, plans, write-ups, etc. Twister's replacement made it much further along than that.

Nowhere does that say that the two are on the same playing field, just that there are many concepts that don't make it past the design phase. And yet, Twister's replacement has. That's the whole point of the conversation at hand. The fact is, a Ministry of Magic show is not an official project and the 30 Rock/Jimmy Fallon one is, or at the very least seriously was at some point.

 

[Brian G.]

Before we the horse is beaten anymore, we could all agree Phase 3 is a project, no?

 

[Kevin38]

I was surfing and found on variety's website an announcement that NBC/Universal picked up Star Trek
on closer examination it is dated 1966 . They were not NBC/Universal then ?

The talk on here about IP's made me think of them.Universal has to know Disney is going to announce
Star Wars next year.Are they holding something back to counter or will they just try to use more guests coming to Orlando for Star Wars and try to get them to also go to Harry Potter.

Next IP Sci-fi Related ? Don't they own Sci-Fy Channel?
Would they design Sci-fi Show/series and Theme park Ride at the same time?

 

[natespf]

I was surfing and found on variety's website an announcement that NBC/Universal picked up Star Trek
on closer examination it is dated 1966 . They were not NBC/Universal then ?

The talk on here about IP's made me think of them.Universal has to know Disney is going to announce
Star Wars next year.Are they holding something back to counter or will they just try to use more guests coming to Orlando for Star Wars and try to get them to also go to Harry Potter.

Next IP Sci-fi Related ? Don't they own Sci-Fy Channel?
Would they design Sci-fi Show/series and Theme park Ride at the same time?

The Original Series aired on NBC starting in 1966, though it was distributed by CBS. But the NBC/Universal merger happened much more recently. I can only speculate but sometimes if there is a newer article about a company that has changed names they'll use the newer name.

No offense to any fans but none of SyFy's owned brands are strong enough to go head to head with Star Wars. They'll need Star Trek to be able to compete in that realm. It's a matter of go big or go home, as it would not be worth it otherwise.

 

[Mad Dog]

The Original Series aired on NBC starting in 1966, though it was distributed by CBS. But the NBC/Universal merger happened much more recently. I can only speculate but sometimes if there is a newer article about a company that has changed names they'll use the newer name.

No offense to any fans but none of SyFy's owned brands are strong enough to go head to head with Star Wars. They'll need Star Trek to be able to compete in that realm. It's a matter of go big or go home, as it would not be worth it otherwise.

You make some strong points. Star Wars is a behemoth IP if done right. Only something like Star Trek or Lord of the Rings could come close to competing. But Universal does have one big advantage, they make some awesome innovative attractions.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I don't think Star Trek can compete with Star Wars. Yes, it's been around longer but it is a much more niche franchise than Star Wars, which has made its way into pop culture much more successfully. The last Star Trek film to come out underperformed in the US, and on its opening day earned less than half of what its predecessor earned on its opening day. And this is despite great critical reviews and presumably solid word of mouth. To me, Star Trek is way too "sci-fi", and to be honest, the cult following it attracts gives it something of a negative stigma. I just don't think that Star Trek is a hype machine and it's really nowhere near as big a phenomenon as Star Wars is.

IF Disney is to create a major Star Wars expansion, it's probably best for Universal to just sit back and ride the wave of their recent additions rather than try to directly compete. I mean, let's be honest, a tourist flying across the country is going to want to go to Star Wars at Disney World rather than Star Trek at Universal. Lord of the Rings is probably the only comparable franchise in terms of popularity (aside from Harry Potter).

The last Star Trek did do very well overseas, however, particularly in Asia. If the oversea rights could be secured, I'll bet that Universal would want to dabble in some Star Trek attractions over there, and then maybe clone them pending their success after the Star Wars hype has died and the R&D has been taken care of already.

 

[Cheezbat]

While Star Wars is a bigger franchise, Star Trek is also a very popular franchise with nearly 50 years of history. If done right, they could make a fantastic attraction/land as well as make some good money off of merchandising.

I think both Lord of the Rings and Star Trek should be seriously considered by Universal.

 

[Cole]

I think universal should just get anything disney doesn't have at this point and by the looks of it that's what they're gonna do. Universal is gonna become a nerds paradise by the end of this decade

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

The Sony leak revealed that the next Jump Street movie will be a reboot of MIB, could the ride be getting a revamp if it's successful?


http://badassdigest.com/2014/12/10/23-jump-street-is-going-to-be-a-men-in-black-reboot/

 

[quinnmac000]

I will say Uni needs to plan for at least one non masculine IP something to cater to moms/daughters...I mean they kept it pretty good and being gender neutral but most of the IPs are typical geared towards males.

 

[HalfGlass]

I will say Uni needs to plan for at least one non masculine IP something to cater to moms/daughters...I mean they kept it pretty good and being gender neutral but most of the IPs are typical geared towards males.

Considering Universal veers towards action or animation, that's going to be a tough feat.

 

[Disneyhead]

I will say Uni needs to plan for at least one non masculine IP something to cater to moms/daughters...I mean they kept it pretty good and being gender neutral but most of the IPs are typical geared towards males.

Maybe

 

[martymcflyy85]

It won't be the same without Will Smith.

 

[natespf]

That is one of the fundamental differences between the major parks. Universal tends to go with the more masculine appeal IPs, while Disney is O&O of brands with more feminine appeal. They both have non-gender specific attractions, like Shrek and Seuss at UOR. And Disney has made attempts to push for the male demographic, like Star Wars. I was drawing a blank for some reason for something less masculine that would still fit into Universal and not seem too far out of place, so thanks for pointing that out again Disneyhead :thumbs:

 

[OrlandoGuy]

The thing about Universal is that they're going for a demographic that doesn't care about the masculinity of the IP's. A 5-year-old girl is obviously going to want to see princesses at Disney World but a 15-year-old will most likely take the roller coasters and thrill rides at Universal regardless of their theming...the older kids are just too old to care.

And even so, Harry Potter is a HUGE feminine IP. I think I know more girls into Harry Potter than guys. And that's their biggest draw, so I'd say it's pretty even.

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While Star Wars is a bigger franchise, Star Trek is also a very popular franchise with nearly 50 years of history. If done right, they could make a fantastic attraction/land as well as make some good money off of merchandising.

I think both Lord of the Rings and Star Trek should be seriously considered by Universal.

History =/= longevity, though. Star Wars has proven to be timeless. Star Trek has a more specific following today, rather than a mass appeal, and that's evident in its latest US box office receipts. It may have been huge in the past but that just isn't the case anymore today. Even the reboots have failed to regain that success back. Even Fast & Furious would make more sense than Star Trek.

 

[UniversalCityFL]

It's wrong to think that either company needs to do something to appeal to a broader audience. Both Disney and Universal are positioned exactly where they need to be. Disney is magic and fantasy. Universal is action and adventure. There are exceptions at each to help round out your day, but generally that's the game plan.

Back to the topic of future projects, parks specifically, I would like to see Universal do something to evolve the theme park experience. And by "theme park experience", I mean going through a turnstile and then waiting in line for rides. I think that whole process is ready for a rethink.

I would envision some type of boutique (read: smaller) park experience where you are 110% immersed, and possibly have a mission to accomplish. So, Diagon Alley theming, but a mini-park, where everyone you encounter is a character and there are a limited number of guests in the park (no more than 5,000). I have no idea what this is. Maybe a Jurassic World, or a Hunger Games, or some type of haunted experience, or something. I know a while back the idea for a LOST island was tossed about, where you were on an actual island at Disney World and had to figure a way out -- something like that. MYST in real life, if you will. It doesn't even have to be around an existing IP, it can be an experience of its own. This experience would not be for everybody, it would come at a premium price, and it would be highly in demand (waiting list!). The experience could even start weeks before your vacation, as you begin receiving stuff in the mail (e.g. a message in a bottle asking for help) at your home, gradually enveloping you into the story. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.