State of USH - What's Next?

[Freak]

Do we know for sure what year Universal is legally required to close Simpson’s? And do we expect them to start work on the replacement before the exact deadline?

Sidenote, walked through Paris today for the first time in awhile. Definitely primed for some sort of expansion, addition or overhaul, as cool as it is.

Contract ends in 2028. Not sure if that means they have to hard stop at 12AM Jan 1st 2028 but that’s probably what it means.

The only problem with Paris is that there’s not enough space for really anything. The only places you could probably put something there are too important to give up. They’re not giving up those Parisian Courtyard restrooms or that VIP lounge.

Sure, you could work around those facilities, but now there’s no space to work with except for maybe a small museum.

 

[highdefrex]

The only problem with Paris is that there’s not enough space for really anything. The only places you could probably put something there are too important to give up. They’re not giving up those Parisian Courtyard restrooms or that VIP lounge.

They could just build a huge slide down the mountainside. Something super dangerous and terrifying!

 

[KlownzNskullZ]

Contract ends in 2028. Not sure if that means they have to hard stop at 12AM Jan 1st 2028 but that’s probably what it means.

The only problem with Paris is that there’s not enough space for really anything. The only places you could probably put something there are too important to give up. They’re not giving up those Parisian Courtyard restrooms or that VIP lounge.

Sure, you could work around those facilities, but now there’s no space to work with except for maybe a small museum.

they wouldn’t even be able to work around them. There’s Mel’s kitchen, and a lot of back of house stuff behind the facades there.

 

[Clive]

they wouldn’t even be able to work around them. There’s Mel’s kitchen, and a lot of back of house stuff behind the facades there.

Yep. Security office, food/bev/merch storage, and character dressing areas. Using Parisian would require massive infrastructure moves for not a lot of actual usable attraction space. Maybe if Villain Con had been a bigger hit...

 

[TheUniC6]

Maybe if Villain Con had been a bigger hit...

Well according to Tomfoolery there were at least once plans to port VCMB to USJ replacing Backdraft. But then again the minions are huge in Japan. As for Parisian at USH, maybe do a moving walkway attraction with a different IP that improves upon the flaws of VCMB.

 

[Freak]

Well according to Tomfoolery there were at least once plans to port VCMB to USJ replacing Backdraft. But then again the minions are huge in Japan. As for Parisian at USH, maybe do a moving walkway attraction with a different IP that improves upon the flaws of VCMB.

I’d rather they just leave Parisian courtyard as is if the only alternative is a stupid moving walkway attraction. At least with keeping it as is we get to maintain a pleasant looking area of the park and an HHN venue.

 

[KlownzNskullZ]

I’d rather they just leave Parisian courtyard as is if the only alternative is a stupid moving walkway attraction. At least with keeping it as is we get to maintain a pleasant looking area of the park and an HHN venue.

the only way the upper lot expands is by replacing old attractions at this point. Every other building you see has a use.

 

[Freak]

the only way the upper lot expands is by replacing old attractions at this point. Every other building you see has a use.

You can also build on the current studio tour plot and move the tour downstairs. But yeah, they’ve essentially maxed out that upper lot space.

 

[SnideRemarksDept]

And that's why I think a hotel would help the prospect of nightlife, because odds are they'd have to completely redo the security to ensure hotel safety is at the forefront with the proximity of the park.

Having that ability to get ahead of the curve before you enter the property could be a boon that forces Universal to bring in more entertainment and nightlife options; because it will be an investment of the GP's time to stay for x amount of time. Escapology is a great start, but we need more options than that.

I've been waiting for them to revamp security on CW for a long time. Unfortunately, there's just not enough room to daisy-chain the parking structures together like they have it in Orlando. Which means that instead of one security checkpoint at the entrance of the park that only runs during park hours, they'd need to staff potentially as many as twelve security checkpoints (assuming that they don't close or combine any of the current entrances to CityWalk) that would have to be staffed for much longer periods, possibly 24/7 to account for nightlife and for park employees.

There are certainly ways that it can be done (re-routing walkways and funneling people into a few, centralized points), and the hotel at the entrance to the park is going to allow for some reorganizing, but it's going to be a big lift when it finally happens. I think it's one of those chicken-and-egg decisions that ties up projects like this for ages, where the bean-counters don't want to green-light the project unless there's a demand for it, but the lack of security on CityWalk is part of what's preventing them from re-establishing the things that would create the demand.

Do we know for sure what year Universal is legally required to close Simpson’s? And do we expect them to start work on the replacement before the exact deadline?

Sidenote, walked through Paris today for the first time in awhile. Definitely primed for some sort of expansion, addition or overhaul, as cool as it is.

As others have said, the contract is currently set to expire in 2028. That doesn't just mean shuttering the ride, though. It means removing basically any trace of The Simpsons from the park. No character likenesses, no themed facades, no merchandise, no references to The Simpsons at all. So the ride and land would have to close prior to the contract expiration to ensure that they're able to get everything wiped clean before the expiration date. It is possible that they could seek and be granted an extension on the contract, but I don't see a world in which Disney wouldn't extort every penny they could out of Universal over it. And, who knows? Maybe Universal would be willing to pay that extra cash to make sure they have something there during the 2028 Olympics and then clear it out afterwards. But my guess, and this is purely speculation, is that Simpsons will close for good in early 2027, pretty much as soon as 2026 Christmas season ends. Hollywood Drift is set to open in early 2026, then almost a full year of those crowds, with Simpsons closing once it gets quiet again.

 

[KlownzNskullZ]

I've been waiting for them to revamp security on CW for a long time. Unfortunately, there's just not enough room to daisy-chain the parking structures together like they have it in Orlando. Which means that instead of one security checkpoint at the entrance of the park that only runs during park hours, they'd need to staff potentially as many as twelve security checkpoints (assuming that they don't close or combine any of the current entrances to CityWalk) that would have to be staffed for much longer periods, possibly 24/7 to account for nightlife and for park employees.
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There are certainly ways that it can be done (re-routing walkways and funneling people into a few, centralized points), and the hotel at the entrance to the park is going to allow for some reorganizing, but it's going to be a big lift when it finally happens. I think it's one of those chicken-and-egg decisions that ties up projects like this for ages, where the bean-counters don't want to green-light the project unless there's a demand for it, but the lack of security on CityWalk is part of what's preventing them from re-establishing the things that would create the demand.


As others have said, the contract is currently set to expire in 2028. That doesn't just mean shuttering the ride, though. It means removing basically any trace of The Simpsons from the park. No character likenesses, no themed facades, no merchandise, no references to The Simpsons at all. So the ride and land would have to close prior to the contract expiration to ensure that they're able to get everything wiped clean before the expiration date. It is possible that they could seek and be granted an extension on the contract, but I don't see a world in which Disney wouldn't extort every penny they could out of Universal over it. And, who knows? Maybe Universal would be willing to pay that extra cash to make sure they have something there during the 2028 Olympics and then clear it out afterwards. But my guess, and this is purely speculation, is that Simpsons will close for good in early 2027, pretty much as soon as 2026 Christmas season ends. Hollywood Drift is set to open in early 2026, then almost a full year of those crowds, with Simpsons closing once it gets quiet again.

remember when an attraction closes people lose their hours/jobs. Hopefully they have a plan on where the Simpson team will end up.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

IFly is going to be torn down for a security related project.

 

[TheUniC6]

As others have said, the contract is currently set to expire in 2028. That doesn't just mean shuttering the ride, though. It means removing basically any trace of The Simpsons from the park. No character likenesses, no themed facades, no merchandise, no references to The Simpsons at all. So the ride and land would have to close prior to the contract expiration to ensure that they're able to get everything wiped clean before the expiration date. It is possible that they could seek and be granted an extension on the contract, but I don't see a world in which Disney wouldn't extort every penny they could out of Universal over it. And, who knows? Maybe Universal would be willing to pay that extra cash to make sure they have something there during the 2028 Olympics and then clear it out afterwards. But my guess, and this is purely speculation, is that Simpsons will close for good in early 2027, pretty much as soon as 2026 Christmas season ends. Hollywood Drift is set to open in early 2026, then almost a full year of those crowds, with Simpsons closing once it gets quiet again.

I would wager a bet Simpsons could also go down after Hollywood Drift comes online in early 2026. The Simpsons plot is seemingly the only place Universal could fit a big new attraction in time for LA2028. As of note, the broadcast center for the olympics will be at USH so having a new attraction to debut for 2028 should be at the top of the priority list.