I absolutely do not understand the conviction that more shows wouldn’t help. Yes, an unpopular show won’t make much of a dent. But if you could come up with another show with the pull of Nightmare, you’re going to eat a fair number of people for 45 minutes or so - not to mention having another timed node with which to pull park traffic in a desirable direction. Another big show combined with a couple smaller ones and some timed or pop-up streetmosphere-type entertainment - ie something more akin to Knotts’ offerings - could make a real dent. Now, that would cost Universal some money, but 1) the event is very, very lucrative, and improving guest satisfaction can make it more so, and 2) I am more concerned with guest experience then with Comcast’s internal accounting. When I see a disappointing blockbuster, my reaction is not, “boy , that really needed a couple more rewrites, but that would have raised the budget and really impacted the third quarter earnings statement, so it wasn’t possible. They should raise ticket prices.”
More then shows, though, I’d like to see something new like a festival center, stuffed full of photo ops, meet and greets, food stands, exhibits, and seating areas, all with the theming level of the tribute store. Or something even better - I have no doubt Universal’s creatives can come up with something really cool if Comcast lets them, they’re a lot better at this then I am.
And some day there will almost certainly be an 11th house, although that’s not my preferred method for dealing with crowds.
