State of USH - What's Next?

[Wesker69]

This is why I said USH needs to get a solid plan for the park (with room for modifications) instead of just randomly dropping new things here/there

PETS & Nintendo of prime examples of adding without really planning correctly with a park like this.

Deviating from Springfield/Lower Lot for a sec....

Would've done:
I'm excited for the new coaster, but in a perfect world, we could've kept Animal Actors & put PETS next to it on the left (relocating First Aid & removing the French St Cafe & part of Moulin Rouge). Then imported "Sing Live" to where PETS is in place of Globe Theatre. Parisian Courtyard could become whatever other Illumination IP Universal has to complete that area (Lorax, Grinch, Abominable, etc).

On a completely different IP related note, it'd be nice if we could get a Scooby-Doo Attraction or two for the Upper Lot.

Rather than Illumination, they should just have Scooby-Doo take over TWD Attraction, Parisian Courtyard & French St.

In hindsight, they probably should've put DreamWorks Theatre on the Parisian Courtyard side of the Upper Lot since they have way more options with DreamWorks for rides/attractions than Illumination

**not fully awake yet, but hope that made sense lol

 

[Ron101]

I’ll believe the expansion plans when I see construction. Been burned way too many times with this park. I’m sure all of us remeber not too long when Diagon was supposed to be announced for the lower lot but instead, at the LAST minute, we got a new CityWalk logo instead lol.

 

[Viator]

I’ll believe the expansion plans when I see construction. Been burned way too many times with this park. I’m sure all of us remeber not too long when Diagon was supposed to be announced for the lower lot but instead, at the LAST minute, we got a new CityWalk logo instead lol.

 

[chris.g]

I don’t think Diagon is coming to Hollywood.

 

[Viator]

I don’t think Diagon is coming to Hollywood.

If Diagon ever was to of come to Hollywood, it would've been if Hogsmeade was a success (And that USH didn't do all the dumb and stupid choices that they made in the leadup to it for AP's, ontop of it being a lesser version of something from Orlando [even if it has the better FJ]).

Universal at it's core with Hollywood is a limited park. While you have Potter being a large merch seller, you can't really go further with the concept unless if it was something small (like say, Great Hall) due to the limited positioning. With the exclusion of Mario which only has one ride and a reduced land, and Illumination if they ever decide to tackle Parisian; they should be diversifying and having different IP's complement and benefit eachother.

 

[saint.piss]

Never say never lol. I'm not really against any of the expansion options. I just know seeing Diagon Alley/MoM in Hollywood would be pretty cool. Dark Universe would be a better option but like I've said before, I'll take whatever

 

[Viator]

Never say never lol. I'm not really against any of the expansion options. I just know seeing Diagon Alley/MoM in Hollywood would be pretty cool. Dark Universe would be a better option but like I've said before, I'll take whatever

And I will agree never say never--but I think Universal on a managemental level would want to be more pick/choose to what makes sense logically.



Meanwhile from @ethanuniversal--to bring this up in consideration; it seems they are going to relocate the Mill building behind that of T-Pad and the soundstage cluster. While ordinarily this might not be worth much of importance, it could be worth keeping an eye as they might be able to tear down both the old mill and the old post production facilities, for a potential re-route of James Stewart dr.

If they were to re-route the road a bit, that might open up land size for the park to expand when they do the soundstage cluster in. Potentially giving them a 7 acre plot of land depending on their choices.

 

[mccgavin]

I do think there's a very high chance we could see Universal Monsters as a future expansion to USH, but I don't think it would be a copy of Dark Universe as it exists at Epic Universe.

While different in a lot of ways, I feel like there is too much thematic overlap between Hogsmeade and Darkmoor with their aesthetic, both taking place in the streets of an old, small village. They both also have their rides take place inside a castle, and utilize the same ride system.

I think they'd have to take a different approach if they ever bring the IP here.

 

[chris.g]

I do think there's a very high chance we could see Universal Monsters as a future expansion to USH, but I don't think it would be a copy of Dark Universe as it exists at Epic Universe.

While different in a lot of ways, I feel like there is too much thematic overlap between Hogsmeade and Darkmoor with their aesthetic, both taking place in the streets of an old, small village. They both also have their rides take place inside a castle, and utilize the same ride system.

I think they'd have to take a different approach if they ever bring the IP here.

*ahem*

As I posted in "The Future of Springfield/ The Simpsons" thread...

My instinct is we get a Hollywood version of a land that’s in Epic Universe to replace Springfield/ Simpsons….

 

[Jake S]

I think they'd have to take a different approach if they ever bring the IP here.

That's okay, just give us the Creature boat ride and we'll be fine!

 

[Wesker69]

That's okay, just give us the Creature boat ride and we'll be fine!

New use for Park Lake
(just gotta clear out the bodies/car Norman dumped there)

 

[Pacific]

Hope we get a curveball IP choice for one of these potential expansion plots.

 

[Viator]

New use for Park Lake
(just gotta clear out the bodies/car Norman dumped there)

On the bright side, it's not like you'll find a body in the back of the trunk of a car.

 

[Wesker69]

Hope we get a curveball IP choice

 

[Horror Lover]

A different take on Dark Universe would be fun for USH.. maybe instead of a Forbidden Journey-type ride, we could get a Classic Monsters ride that uses the Gringott's coaster system? (Knocking out two birds with one stone)

 

[Wesker69]

For the record... Monsters Unchained is in Frankenstein Manor, which technically is NOT a castle.

Also, if Magic Kingdom can have Cinderella, Beast, & Prince Eric's castle within a short distance from each other, there is no reason a Castle Frankenstein or Dracula couldn't coexist with Hogwarts since they look nothing remotely alike.

As for the ride system, in a park that has literally 4 different types of simulators (DM, Simpsons, Transformers & DreamWorks), 3 of which on the Upper Lot, I don't think next-gen Kuka would be an issue except for being excessively high maintenance. Not to mention it doesn't rely on the carousel of progress screens.

With that being said, a different type of ride system wouldn't be terrible, but not sure about Gringotts. Or a coaster in general.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I'm still not convinced Falls Lake is going to be immediately used for park expansion. Even if you relocate the Studio Tour to the lower lot (which I do think could happen eventually), there's a massive distance between the current park's real estate and the purported expansion site.

As someone who was very gung-ho about Falls Lake expansion a few weeks ago, but who is not averse to eating a spot of crow once in a while, I second this. I think it will happen, but it's kind of like their DisneylandForward, there's a lot of existing infrastructure that has to be relocated first.

Path of least resistance is to just build Gringotts, but knowing what we know now, is that really the best move for the park by the late 2020s?

At this point, it's been long enough that USH can get it's own version of Gringotts, just like AK is getting it's own IJA.

 

[chris.g]

We'll probably get Monster's Unchained as a reskinned Gringott's and Universal will call it a day

 

[Wesker69]

like AK is getting it's own IJA.

To be fair.... they've always had indy since day one of opening in 1998...

Instead of the "Temple of the Forbidden Eye" it was "Indiana Jones & the Countdown to Extinction"