The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hollywood

[Miss Betty Juice]

I don't think it's too much for Potter considering there's barely anything left of the area that used to be the carnival games. I see it making sense

Think about what it would jut across into. Would make Shrek dead-end. Would block the flow of traffic that they just fought to open up. Would make people have to walk around the long way to go to the tour and cut all the way over to animal actors. Don't think that's a very good idea. 

 

[Red Carpet]

I expect Harry Potter to take up this yellow area.

Think about what it would jut across into. Would make Shrek dead-end. Would block the flow of traffic that they just fought to open up. Would make people have to walk around the long way to go to the tour and cut all the way over to animal actors. Don't think that's a very good idea.

It is possible that they could make a path that cuts through part of it to help with traffic flow. I put a red line where I think might be a logical spot for it.

 

[...]

I don't know. This is an extremely rough estimate of what I think Harry Potter will consume. It eliminates the old Studio Tour bathrooms (to be replaced by the new bathroom expansion), Studio Souvenirs, Flintstones Carnival and BBQ. The fact is, if the park does not want to give up Shrek 4D (I don't even. Just I won't go into that) or Waterworld (so much potential FLAT land), then the park is going to have to go under a serious layout change (the new information about SS, Cantina, and Doc's all going away seems to suggest this) if they want to fit in Forbidden Journey, Hogsmeade and Hippogriff all with easy navigation within the land itself. If only Curious George and Gibson are going to be used, the land will have a seriously hard time being more impressive than Jurassic Park's "land". Just a thought.

I expect Harry Potter to take up this yellow area.

It is possible that they could make a path that cuts through part of it to help with traffic flow. I put a red line where I think might be a logical spot for it.

Depends on where the path is, but the whole point of WWoHP is to make an immersive land. If you do it like "Cross Street" in Cars Land, then it's a great idea. In this case, I would place a forested path between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade that winds around the village from Shrek to Studio Tour (not likely to happen in real life). The best case scenario would've been to use both Gibson and WW to provide a land that is tucked away from the rest of the park.

 

[Red Carpet]

Here is something interesting from Screamscape.

   I’ve got a quick update regarding a possible future Fast & Furious attraction. For starters, it is true that the Mummy tunnel may indeed close down for good. It is almost as old as the backlot tour itself, and I remember going through it myself when I was a very small child… back when it was Avalanche themed and the tour guides would tell the story about how Lee Majors kept falling down while trying to run through it for an episode of the Six Million Dollar Man. Yep… it’s old school alright. These days the tunnel overheats something fierce and is unable to run on most hot summer days any longer, so it may be time to say goodbye.
    As for the Fast & Furious attraction, while our second source could not confirm this project yet, they did say that it would likely have to go elsewhere. The current location of the Mummy tunnel will come into play as needed space for a possible Phase 2 expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. While this Phase 2 wouldn’t likely open until about 2020, Universal isn’t going to waste money putting anything new down where it may have to be removed a few years later for a Hogwarts Express railway.
    So if a new F&F attraction comes to Hollywood, it will have to be built elsewhere.

 

[...]

Here is something interesting from Screamscape:

This is something that I'm almost banking on once Potter opens. Most likely, if it's a smash success, Phase 2 will probably go (logistically best place and I'm probably going to be devoured for saying this) in Falls Lake/War of the Worlds area. Hogwarts Express will then most likely either depart from WWoHP part 1 and then make its way to the backlot for Phase 2 (Vision Plan does not account for Falls Lake being developed in any way for the Studio so that's why I think this). 

 

[Allen The Actor]

Here is something interesting from Screamscape.

Most of the correct info Lance posted I gave him. The stuff about Phase 2 is so unrealistic though. Lance likes taking things and running wild with certain rumors, no matter how unrealistic they are. I don't see us getting anything from Phase 2. We're having a hard enough time getting phase 1....

As for the layout of the land, we can call keep guessing, but it will be a while before we know for sure. As for layouts that seem sort of unrealistic, you never know. USH is changing fast. Anything is possible at this point on terms of layout. We dont know exactly what our Hogsmeade will be like either. But remember, it DOES take up a lot of space. You got multiple shops, walkways, restaurant, etc. All that will take up a LOT of space. And you never know, maybe they're trying to make the land more space and crowd efficient?

 

[Jon Fu]

And you never know, maybe they're trying to make the land more space and crowd efficient?

That's probably their biggest priority at this point. Hollywood would have the advantage of building on top of the flaws inherited from Florida's original concept. I'd be very surprised if Hollywood ends up with a smaller version of Phase 1 currently at Islands of Adventure. 

Then again, I'm sure they have a master plan that's all figured out. We'll just have to wait and see. 

 

[Allen The Actor]

Yeah, all we can do is wait and see. But to this day, the one in Florida has all sorts of capacity and crowd control issues and space issues. Usually complete chaos...and that's with the land being in a larger park, with an additional coaster we're not getting, with more rides, another park next door, etc. And we don't have ANY of that. So imagine how nuts it'll be HERE. They HAVE to make it more efficient....

 

[Jon Fu]

Usually complete chaos...and that's with the land being in a larger park, with an additional coaster we're not getting, with more rides, another park next door, etc. And we don't have ANY of that. So imagine how nuts it'll be HERE. They HAVE to make it more efficient....

I made the same argument as you a few weeks back, but I think I overestimated the Florida crowd. It's really strange what Potter did in terms of crowd flow for Islands of Adventure. From what I've heard, they actually concentrated in that specific land all day. The other islands weren't affected as severely as I had originally thought. 

 

[Allen The Actor]

I guess it's because it has the biggest draw and so many people come SPECIFICALLY for that and ONLY for that. Which annoys me (I hate when Universal practically advertised it as a separate theme park. Media and guests alike were and still are confused)

Which again, makes me scared to think what our park will look like. Especially with more locals. I can see so many people saying "I'm tired of the rest of the park, I'm here for Potter". They're definitely going to have to use a Fast Pass like system to enter the land...

 

[...]

I made the same argument as you a few weeks back, but I think I overestimated the Florida crowd. It's really strange what Potter did in terms of crowd flow for Islands of Adventure. From what I've heard, they actually concentrated in that specific land all day. The other islands weren't affected as severely as I had originally thought. 

From visiting four separate days already, I can tell you that Potter is where most IOA guests pack into. All the talk of how impacted USH is going to be (I personally think) is a little overblown because most locals will camp in Potter all day and basically live in Hogsmeade and ride Forbidden Journey. It's already seen in DCA. What ride has the longest wait? Radiator Springs Racers. What is the most crowded land? Cars Land. The rest of the park has seen some good attendance and some increased wait times but not the horrible amount of impact that is being foretold. If the park just opens up some of the walkways and upgrades facilities prior to opening, everything should be fine.

 

[JaySalahi]

Most of the correct info Lance posted I gave him. The stuff about Phase 2 is so unrealistic though. Lance likes taking things and running wild with certain rumors, no matter how unrealistic they are. I don't see us getting anything from Phase 2. We're having a hard enough time getting phase 1....

While I agree screamscape isn't the most reliable... I think phase 2 is inevitable. 

I mean when Attendance jumps to DCA numbers or higher when Phase one opens, why would they not build a second potter ride. In reality the Universal Backlot and soundstages are used less and less every year. 

 

[...]

While I agree screamscape isn't the most reliable... I think phase 2 is inevitable. 

I mean when Attendance jumps to DCA numbers or higher when Phase one opens, why would they not build a second potter ride. In reality the Universal Backlot and soundstages are used less and less every year. 

Soundstages are extensively used. Backlot sets (other than Metropolitan) are (IMO) just not practical anymore. I personally think the backlot is there mostly for the tour and the "Hollywood Glamor". Falls Lake is such a great location for Phase 2 for its geographically isolated location from Phase I, flat land (severely underrated in this park), mostly indoors attractions (sound concerns for neighbors), condensed layout (space saver). It just all depends on the success of Phase I in 2016.

 

[Jon Fu]

Which again, makes me scared to think what our park will look like. Especially with more locals. I can see so many people saying "I'm tired of the rest of the park, I'm here for Potter". They're definitely going to have to use a Fast Pass like system to enter the land...

To give some perspective, Universal Studios Hollywood received almost 5.9 million people last year. In comparison, Universal Studios Florida received about 6.2. Considering the land space and the topography that the operations crew in Hollywood have to deal with on a daily basis, that's damn impressive. 

Believe me Allen, I think Universal is well aware of the potential for crowding. They're taking proactive measures now to appease the crowd situation that may occur in the future. 

 

[...]

If anything, this summer showed them what a successful attraction (after a year) can do on those narrow little walkways.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Soundstages are extensively used. Backlot sets (other than Metropolitan) are (IMO) just not practical anymore. I personally think the backlot is there mostly for the tour and the "Hollywood Glamor". Falls Lake is such a great location for Phase 2 for its geographically isolated location from Phase I, flat land (severely underrated in this park), mostly indoors attractions (sound concerns for neighbors), condensed layout (space saver). It just all depends on the success of Phase I in 2016.

Success of Phase 1 is guaranteed, no questions asked. 100%. And while i see your point and I'd LOVE for the theme park to expand it's boundaries, part of the NBCUniversal Expansion plan is to bring back production TO Hollywood. Which, as an actor, I hope they accomplish successfully. So I'd personally rather have a thriving backlot and movie studio than have more space for the theme park. Dead serious.

 

[...]

Success of Phase 1 is guaranteed, no questions asked. 100%. And while i see your point and I'd LOVE for the theme park to expand it's boundaries, part of the NBCUniversal Expansion plan is to bring back production TO Hollywood. Which, as an actor, I hope they accomplish successfully. So I'd personally rather have a thriving backlot and movie studio than have more space for the theme park. Dead serious.

Given that Falls Lake is not seen as expansion space for the Studio in the Vision Plan (Even though the plan is not 100% set in stone as we've seen with UP and now the SS/Cantina complex). There shouldn't be so many issues with the park taking over production space on the lot. 

 

[Allen The Actor]

To give some perspective, Universal Studios Hollywood received almost 5.9 million people last year. In comparison, Universal Studios Florida received about 6.2. Considering the land space and the topography that the operations crew in Hollywood have to deal with on a daily basis, that's damn impressive.

Believe me Allen, I think Universal is well aware of the potential for crowding. They're taking proactive measures now to appease the crowd situation that may occur in the future.

You know, excellent point! Considering its size, USH does extremely well attendance wise. It'll be interesting to see if by chance USH and USF will be neck and neck attendance wise!

And I know Universal will be proactive regarding dealing with crowding. Universal Plaza is a fantastic real life example. I'm still (understandably) nervous though But excited of course.

 

[Red Carpet]

A few years ago Universal was wanting to put residential units where Falls Lake is. It shows that they are willing to give up that area if there is a financial incentive.

 

[...]

A few year ago Universal was willing to put residential units where Falls Lake is. It shows that they are willing to give up that area if there is a financial incentive.

Exactly. What can be done on Falls Lake will probably be done easier in a soundstage. I have a feeling that Corporate is just waiting for Potter 1 and the response from USF's Phase II (this could also just be my wishful thinking so I'll just digress).

Back to Phase I discussion, expect Potter to look very different footprint wise than the Orlando version. USJ is only a clone of IOA because of the unlimited plot of flat land that they are using and IOA itself was basically a glorified retheme in an already existing space (Merlin Woods). Due to the footprint at USH, expect the FJ show building and Hogsmeade to be configured differently (hopefully including all of the elements of IOA).