Universal Great Britain - Speculation & Rumors

[EllieB]

As much as I really don't want to start any will-they-won't-they about Harry Potter again, I thought this news from Merlin about Legoland in Germany was interesting.

Wands At The Ready! Harry Potter™ Is Coming To LEGOLAND® Deutschland Resort

www.merlinentertainments.biz

If they wanted to bring that to Windsor too, would that rule out any additional UK theme park rights? Does this mean that Merlin actually have the European HP theme park rights already, or would "Lego HP" be a different legal entity?

 

[Della]

As much as I really don't want to start any will-they-won't-they about Harry Potter again, I thought this news from Merlin about Legoland in Germany was interesting.

Wands At The Ready! Harry Potter™ Is Coming To LEGOLAND® Deutschland Resort

www.merlinentertainments.biz

If they wanted to bring that to Windsor too, would that rule out any additional UK theme park rights? Does this mean that Merlin actually have the European HP theme park rights already, or would "Lego HP" be a different legal entity?

Yeah I saw that, very interesting! Makes sense as HP must be one of the biggest brands/ money earners for Lego, don't want to think about how much money I've spent on HP lego sets for my kids over the years, and they want more this xmas.

Exciting to see "world's first Harry Potter themed accommodation" = Lego Hogwarts! Brilliant. Always wanted to stay at Hogwarts.

Interesting that it's for the German one only, at this stage, but it does sounds like it will come to other resorts too: "We’re incredibly excited to unveil LEGO Harry Potter on an epic scale, as we accelerate the growth of LEGOLAND Resorts and elevate them into world-class destinations. This partnership launches at our Resort in Germany.." as it meantions resortS and destinationS plural.

To how many places they bring it perhaps depends on the popularity (I predict will be huge), and UK theme park negotiations which could be impacted by Universal's plans, but I think there's room for HP rides/areas at both Legoland Windsor and Universal UK, as lego HP is very different aesthetic to movie/tv show HP. If neither get it I'll definitely be off to Germany to stay at Lego Hogwarts!

 

[Portaventura& Frie]

As thanks to Tomfoolery, I believe we might have enough to base a speculation and rumor thread for the sake of this from the stuff they have since claimed on. Via the "Universal Re-Acquiring PortAventura" thread--Tomfoolery has claimed that of NBCUniversal and Comcast planning and developing a brand new destination project in that of the United Kingdom.

Tomfoolery has claimed as it stands that the land has already been bought, and is in the holding name of NVUL. Tomfoolery has additionally claimed as from what he has heard of this project being a full scale Universal park; not in the scope or scale to that of the upcoming Universal Kids Frisco. No other additional bits have been brought up by Tomfoolery outside of what has been addressed in the PortAventura thread.

If true, this would be the second third full attempt for Universal to do a project within that of the United Kingdom; with the first becoming what we now know of The London Resort.

(The NVUL Holding as screenshotted by @Tbad556)

Mod Note: 12.19.23 - Universal has confirmed land purchased in Bedford, UK.

Hey guys, hearing all this buzz about the Netflix/WB merger got me thinking... shouldn't this actually heat up the PortAventura rumors again? With Netflix becoming such a massive content giant, Universal really needs to secure a physical stronghold in Southern Europe to lock down the market.

Also, let’s not forget PortAventura was actually Universal's first-ever park in Europe. Rumor has it that when the execs were forced to pull out years ago, they vowed to come back one day to finish the massive project they originally planned. Seems like the perfect time to settle that unfinished business, doesn't it?

 

[xtpower]

Hey guys, hearing all this buzz about the Netflix/WB merger got me thinking... shouldn't this actually heat up the PortAventura rumors again? With Netflix becoming such a massive content giant, Universal really needs to secure a physical stronghold in Southern Europe to lock down the market.

Also, let’s not forget PortAventura was actually Universal's first-ever park in Europe. Rumor has it that when the execs were forced to pull out years ago, they vowed to come back one day to finish the massive project they originally planned. Seems like the perfect time to settle that unfinished business, doesn't it?

Page Thompson has outright stated that The UK project will be their only major resort in Europe. Also, not sure why they would want to lockdown Southern Europe because of Netflix? They already have a stronghold in Europe with Sky in the UK and soon to be UGB, why would they want a second stronghold in Spain, when they've outright stated they have no intention as such?

 

[Portaventura& Frie]

Page Thompson ha declarado abiertamente que el proyecto del Reino Unido será su único gran complejo turístico en Europa. Además, ¿no entiendo por qué querrían confinar el sur de Europa por culpa de Netflix? Ya tienen un bastión en Europa con Sky en el Reino Unido y pronto con UGB, ¿por qué querrían un segundo bastión en España, si han declarado abiertamente que no tienen intención de hacerlo?

Seamos realistas sobre el proyecto del Reino Unido: el clima. Bedford será increíble, pero no puede ser un destino soleado todo el año. Universal necesita una "Florida" a la altura de su "California" europea. PortAventura ofrece una temporada operativa de 12 meses sin riesgo de construcción. No se trata de elegir entre el Reino Unido o España; se trata de la sinergia de controlar tanto el norte como el sur del mercado europeo. ¿Por qué conformarse con la mitad del continente?

 

[Viator]

Do they *need* to "Florida" though? I think your trying to defend and vouch for something that doesn't make financial sense to do, especially as they haven't even fully gone vertical with the sake of Bedford. Until Bedford finishes, and time sets down; unless if they do something on a smaller scale (or god forbid they actually do Qiddya, which, ew), Bedford will be the main Universal park in Europe.

 

[Portaventura& Frie]

¿Pero *necesitan* "Florida"? Creo que intentas defender y avalar algo que no tiene sentido financiero, sobre todo porque ni siquiera han hecho una expansión vertical completa por el bien de Bedford. Hasta que Bedford termine y el tiempo se acabe; infinito si hacen algo a menor escala (o Dios no quiera que hagan Qiddya, que, ¡puaj!), Bedford será el parque principal de Universal.

Piense en el coste de reposición . Para construir lo que PortAventura ya tiene hoy (seis hoteles, Ferrari Land, B&M de primera clase, infraestructura), se gastaría mucho más que el precio de adquisición. Con la inflación actual de la construcción, comprar PA es una ganga. Es un activo llave en mano con flujo de caja inmediato, frente a un proyecto del Reino Unido que no generará ni un céntimo de beneficios hasta 2030. En una guerra con Netflix, se necesitan ingresos inmediatos, no solo inversiones a largo plazo.

 

[Viator]

I genuinely don't think Netflix buying WB is going to be as much of a problem as you think it'll be for Universal.

Also--once again, Bedford still hasn't begun construction yet and your trying to champion something that doesn't make sense when they haven't actually begun the main grading and construction efforts.

 

[xtpower]

Again, if that were truly the case, Page Thompson would not have come out and said this will be their only major resort in Europe. Paris has the same sort of weather as Bedford and you don't see Disney lamenting how 'it's not Florida' and they need to move into Spain. So why do Universal need to move into Spain? This fantasy of needing to lock down Southern Europe?

Frankly this sounds like you're just coming up with 'reasons' why Universal would be desperate to take over Port Aventura so you have easier access to a Universal Park. There is no physical evidence that Universal wants to move into Spain and they've outright stated Bedford is the only resort they want in Europe.

*edit* Also, this whole Netflix is a rival to Universal and as such Universal need money now thing is absurd. Universal aren't building in Bedford for immediate gains, it's a long-term play and there's no reason to assume Port Aventura wouldn't get a complete makeover - which would take almost as long as Bedford.

Honestly, you PAW guys need to move on, Universal have made their decision, they've done their due dligience and everything and they are going with Bedford. Netflix merging with WB would have zero impact on this situation.

 

[Portaventura& Frie]

Sinceramente, no creo que la compra de WB por parte de Netflix vaya a ser un problema tan grande como crees que será para Universal.

Además, una vez más, Bedford aún no ha comenzado la construcción y están tratando de defender algo que no tiene sentido cuando en realidad aún no han comenzado los principales esfuerzos de nivelación y construcción.

Si Universal deja pasar PortAventura, ¿quién se queda con él? Imaginemos que un fondo soberano lo compra y licencia la propiedad intelectual de, digamos, Warner/Netflix. De repente, Universal tiene un competidor enorme en el sur de Europa, impulsado por el contenido de su propio rival. Comprar PA no es solo una cuestión de expansión; es una estrategia defensiva para impedir que otros se afiancen en el Mediterráneo. Es estrategia geopolítica básica.

 

[Viator]

Si Universal deja pasar PortAventura, ¿quién se queda con él? Imaginemos que un fondo soberano lo compra y licencia la propiedad intelectual de, digamos, Warner/Netflix. De repente, Universal tiene un competidor enorme en el sur de Europa, impulsado por el contenido de su propio rival. Comprar PA no es solo una cuestión de expansión; es una estrategia defensiva para impedir que otros se afiancen en el Mediterráneo. Es estrategia geopolítica básica.

With respect--this sounds like someone with the fear that in the current state of PortAventura, that you want someone who has intentions and desires elsewhere; to disregard and abandon that of what they would be aiming to do in order to "Save" a place that doesn't need to be saved by Universal.

Also--Warner Bros. and Netflix haven't exactly been keen to fully go in and operate a modern theme park environment.

The closest we've seen is in the extent of full on licensing with that of working with Village Roadshow on licensing IP's for WB Gold Coast (in the terms of a dedicated theme park) & WB Abu Dhabi (which is also a licensed park), the SFCorp licensing (which I think is about to meet it's end), and the one-off's. As for Netflix, they are primarily focusing on FEC entertainment with the "Netflix House" branded experiences, and will likely not go further than that in a way that invites.

The fact the Bloomberg article for NBCUniversal came out when it did, makes me genuinely believe that there is nothing to actually worry about in the terms of WB/Netflix being a problem for Universal. Honestly--part of me wonders if the DC branded experiences starts with Bedford, and then trickles down immediately to the domestics. Allow Bedford to be the first to see UC-developed DC experiences.

 

[xtpower]

Si Universal deja pasar PortAventura, ¿quién se queda con él? Imaginemos que un fondo soberano lo compra y licencia la propiedad intelectual de, digamos, Warner/Netflix. De repente, Universal tiene un competidor enorme en el sur de Europa, impulsado por el contenido de su propio rival. Comprar PA no es solo una cuestión de expansión; es una estrategia defensiva para impedir que otros se afiancen en el Mediterráneo. Es estrategia geopolítica básica.

What on earth? Port Aventura does not have any IP that would make Universal worried, it's all licensed. Also, what gave you the idea that Netflix would join the Theme Park game? The takeover hasn't even been finalised yet and you're already imagining them taking over PAW and rivaling Universal.

 

[Portaventura& Frie]

¿Qué demonios? Port Aventura no tiene ninguna propiedad intelectual que pueda preocupar a Universal; todo está licenciado. Además, ¿qué te hizo pensar que Netflix se uniría al negocio de los parques temáticos? La adquisición ni siquiera se ha cerrado y ya te imaginas que se harán con PAW y rivalizarán con Universal.

¿Licencias? PortAventura World cuenta con una de las licencias más emblemáticas de Universal: El Pájaro Loco.

¿Qué demonios? Port Aventura no tiene ninguna propiedad intelectual que pueda preocupar a Universal; todo está licenciado. Además, ¿qué te hizo pensar que Netflix se uniría al negocio de los parques temáticos? La adquisición ni siquiera se ha cerrado y ya te imaginas que se harán con PAW y rivalizarán con Universal.

Universal tiene una mina de oro en propiedad intelectual (Nintendo, Dreamworks, Illumination, Classic Monsters) y se está quedando sin espacio. Una sola puerta en el Reino Unido no basta para albergarlo todo. PortAventura tiene territorios enormes (Polinesia, China) que son básicamente lienzos en blanco listos para una rápida renovación. Es la forma más rápida de introducir propiedad intelectual como Jurassic World o Kung Fu Panda en Europa sin tener que excavar agujeros durante cinco años.

 

[Viator]

¿Licencias? PortAventura World cuenta con una de las licencias más emblemáticas de Universal: El Pájaro Loco.

Your basing the popularity of a IP in the specific region your in, to somehow equate it to that Universal must come to save this park. With respect--that's not how this works.

Universal tiene una mina de oro en propiedad intelectual (Nintendo, Dreamworks, Illumination, Classic Monsters) y se está quedando sin espacio. Una sola puerta en el Reino Unido no basta para albergarlo todo. PortAventura tiene territorios enormes (Polinesia, China) que son básicamente lienzos en blanco listos para una rápida renovación. Es la forma más rápida de introducir propiedad intelectual como Jurassic World o Kung Fu Panda en Europa sin tener que excavar agujeros durante cinco años.

You severely underestimate the value of a ground up, fully established and self-made Universal park, in a country where that type of experience has never actually been given the chance to see the full weight-scale of a Universal park.

Your desires for PortAventura, feel nothing more than that of a "hope" for Universal to spring life into a park that truthfully doesn't need the Universal IP to make it worthwhile. It needs to be invested instead, in the elements that isn't defined by that of it's ability to have IP

 

[Portaventura& Frie]

Basas la popularidad de una IP en la región específica donde vives, para de alguna manera compararla con la necesidad de que Universal venga a salvar este parque. Con todo respeto, esto no funciona así.



Subestimas enormemente el valor de un parque de Universal completamente creado y construido desde cero, en un país donde ese tipo de experiencia nunca ha tenido la oportunidad de ver la escala completa de un parque de Universal.

Tus deseos para PortAventura no son más que la esperanza de que Universal dé vida a un parque que, sinceramente, no necesita la propiedad intelectual de Universal para que valga la pena. En cambio, necesita invertir en elementos que no se definen por su capacidad de tener propiedad intelectual.

Están mirando hojas de cálculo, pero ignorando la psicología corporativa. Observen el liderazgo actual de Universal Creative y UDX. Muchos de ellos se iniciaron en la expansión de PortAventura a finales de los 90 y principios de los 2000. Construyeron el Templo del Fuego (aún uno de los mejores recorridos del mundo) y los hoteles del resort.

Recuerden: Universal no vendió PortAventura en 2004 porque fuera un parque malo. Se vieron obligados a venderlo para obtener liquidez rápida durante la debacle financiera de Vivendi. Fue una venta de liquidación, no una salida estratégica.

Para los altos mandos, PortAventura es "el que se escapó". Recomprarlo no es solo un negocio; es prácticamente una reivindicación personal para recuperar un resort que lleva el ADN Universal en sus cimientos. Saben perfectamente lo bien que está la estructura de ese parque porque ellos la construyeron.

 

[Viator]

With respect and perhaps this is me considering a past instance, but the way your wording it kind of reminds me of a user (who is banned) by that of UER. Down to you highlighting "The One that got away".

The GE/Vivendi period brought with it a lot of headaches and a lot of problems, but I would argue Port Aventura managed to get into a better place once they began to position themselves as a true "Thrill" park with high class scale and scope.

Your basing your guided beliefs, and your guided thoughts, on the prospect of something that people here like how @Mad Dog brought up on a thread you created to push this narrative, that Universal needs PortAventura. When in reality, what PortAventura needs, is to improve upon itself in things that is not based upon that of a IP.

 

[xtpower]

Están mirando hojas de cálculo, pero ignorando la psicología corporativa. Observen el liderazgo actual de Universal Creative y UDX. Muchos de ellos se iniciaron en la expansión de PortAventura a finales de los 90 y principios de los 2000. Construyeron el Templo del Fuego (aún uno de los mejores recorridos del mundo) y los hoteles del resort.

Recuerden: Universal no vendió PortAventura en 2004 porque fuera un parque malo. Se vieron obligados a venderlo para obtener liquidez rápida durante la debacle financiera de Vivendi. Fue una venta de liquidación, no una salida estratégica.

Para los altos mandos, PortAventura es "el que se escapó". Recomprarlo no es solo un negocio; es prácticamente una reivindicación personal para recuperar un resort que lleva el ADN Universal en sus cimientos. Saben perfectamente lo bien que está la estructura de ese parque porque ellos la construyeron.

Please stop. If they felt like Port Aventura had to be bought no matter what, they would've bought it and not looked into acquiring land elsewhere.

Your whole argument falls apart when you look at the fact that UDX had a great opportunity to purchase PAW and they did not. Instead they went and got land in the UK and are intending to build a ground-up bespoke Destination Park. Once that happened all of your 'they started in PAW' and 'it was the one that got away' assertions mean nothing.

 

[Alicia]

Isn't there a separate discussion thread for this?

PortAventura World Discussion Here

 

[Portaventura& Frie]

¿No hay un hilo de discusión separado para esto?

Discusión sobre PortAventura World aquí

Alicia, te seguimos desde hace tiempo. Te consideramos una persona muy informada sobre temas relacionados con Universal y con mucho sentido común. ¿No te parece que tendría mucho sentido que Universal quisiera competir al máximo con Disney en Europa con un parque en el Reino Unido (norte de Europa, que no forma parte de la Unión Europea) y otro en el sur con buen clima todo el año (y que sí forma parte de la Unión Europea)?

 

[Alicia]

Alicia, te seguimos desde hace tiempo. Te consideramos una persona muy informada sobre temas relacionados con Universal y con mucho sentido común. ¿No te parece que tendría mucho sentido que Universal quisiera competir al máximo con Disney en Europa con un parque en el Reino Unido (norte de Europa, que no forma parte de la Unión Europea) y otro en el sur con buen clima todo el año (y que sí forma parte de la Unión Europea)?

Yea, maybe sure.

But they said UK was their only project in the region, for now. And we have another forum discussion for PortAventura already, as this discussion is for UK speculation only.