Universal Studios Beijing (Now Open)

[GadgetGuru]

It'll be interesting to see if they stick to 3.3B USD when this is all said and done. A lot of Shanghai Disney's issues were because of construction + supplier issues in China.

 

[quinnmac000]

It'll be interesting to see if they stick to 3.3B USD when this is all said and done. A lot of Shanghai Disney's issues were because of construction + supplier issues in China.

Shanghai competes with Beijing often so that also part of the reason Universal is going to Beijing so in the end I think the government may invest more into the park.

Anyways speaking of China, despite what you have read Universal is still part of the Dream Center in Shanghai which goal is to be Broadway despite what other sites are saying. So with Universal having financial interest in China, any additional money made here most likely will be used to invest into USB.

U.S. entertainment giant Comcast is holding firm in a largely backseat role at the Dream Center, a massive location-based entertainment venture being built in Shanghai.

The entertainment, dining and shopping complex has a construction cost of $2.4 billion. It is expected to be completed in 2018 under the control of its existing shareholders who also include China Media Capital, CDB, and Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong group.

An earlier version of this story cited the head of Lan Kwai Fong, Dr Allan Zeman who was interviewed by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and appeared to say that Comcast-owned DreamWorks was pulling out.

“The Dream in Dream Center doesn’t necessarily have to be with DreamWorks. You have the China Dream too. It just so happens that DreamWorks was there when we named it. It’s a good name, so we will keep it,” Zeman told the SCMP.

However, in emails and phone conversations with Variety, Zeman said that DreamWorks Animation had only ever taken a passive, financial role in the Dream Center. Under Comcast ownership, DreamWorks Animation has not changed that role.

Comcast Holding Steady at Shanghai Dream Center | Variety

 

[AlexanderMBush]

From Weibo,

 

[quinnmac000]

From Weibo,

If you are pulling directly from weibo be careful as that site has a lot of spyware. Just for your awareness.

 

[quinnmac000]

"Maybe five years down the road, we'll be opening in Beijing," Michael Cavanagh told market watchers in Boston.
Comcast CFO Michael Cavanagh on Monday talked at an investor conference about Super Nintendo World and other resort attractions eventually landing in Beijing after being launched at Universal Studios Japan in 2020.

"Japan is a great park. We're glad to buy that one in. And in coming years, maybe five years down the road, we'll be opening in Beijing," Cavanagh told the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference during a session that was webcast.

Universal Studios has already unveiled plans for Nintendo-themed and other resort attractions at Universal Studios Japan, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. Cavanagh's comments to investors at the Boston conference went beyond that to talk about Super Mario Bros. and other entertainment properties possibly being brought to life in China as Comcast-owned NBCUniversal turns them into resort attractions.

"Once you spend the money to create and conceptualize something like the attractions you'd put in a Nintendo World, if you're going to have an ability to leverage that across multiple parks, you'd rather own than license out our name," he told the J.P. Morgan conference.

Comcast CFO Touts New Universal Studios Theme Park in Beijing | Hollywood Reporter

 

[Mike S]

"Maybe five years down the road, we'll be opening in Beijing," Michael Cavanagh told market watchers in Boston.
Comcast CFO Michael Cavanagh on Monday talked at an investor conference about Super Nintendo World and other resort attractions eventually landing in Beijing after being launched at Universal Studios Japan in 2020.

"Japan is a great park. We're glad to buy that one in. And in coming years, maybe five years down the road, we'll be opening in Beijing," Cavanagh told the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference during a session that was webcast.

Universal Studios has already unveiled plans for Nintendo-themed and other resort attractions at Universal Studios Japan, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. Cavanagh's comments to investors at the Boston conference went beyond that to talk about Super Mario Bros. and other entertainment properties possibly being brought to life in China as Comcast-owned NBCUniversal turns them into resort attractions.

"Once you spend the money to create and conceptualize something like the attractions you'd put in a Nintendo World, if you're going to have an ability to leverage that across multiple parks, you'd rather own than license out our name," he told the J.P. Morgan conference.

Comcast CFO Touts New Universal Studios Theme Park in Beijing | Hollywood Reporter

Already knew Nintendo was a possibility for USB. Thanks to WDW1974.

 

[GadgetGuru]

Already knew Nintendo but a possibility for USB. Thanks to WDW1974.

That's really interesting. Nintendo isn't really a known quantity in China. I wonder if Comcast knows something about Nintendo's future China plans that nobody else does...

 

[AlexanderMBush]

That's really interesting. Nintendo isn't really a known quantity in China. I wonder if Comcast knows something about Nintendo's future China plans that nobody else does...

It is seeming like that they may have Nintendo games on the Nividia Shield for Chinese outlets.

 

[Mike S]

It is seeming like that they may have Nintendo games on the Nividia Shield for Chinese outlets.

Not new ones though.

 

[zg44]

It'll be interesting to see if they stick to 3.3B USD when this is all said and done. A lot of Shanghai Disney's issues were because of construction + supplier issues in China.

The current cost expectations are up to $7bn+ for just Phase 1 (USB main theme park + 2 hotels + CityWalk) along with another $7bn+ for Phase 2-3 (2nd theme park + 5 hotels + water park).

I'd expect costs to go even higher than that though by the time this is all done; I'd expect around $16-18bn for the whole 3 phase 1000 acre setup.

Note that most of this is being done on credit; they already have credit lines over $7bn in use for this project and the big chinese banks will probably up that to $15-20bn when they get to phase 2-3.

Financing won't be an issue because the Beijing Government wants the first phase done before Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics if possible.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

So thinking about it, how big will Super Nintendo World be? Will it be as large as Osaka and Hollywood, or could they go with a similar size with Orlando and bring Donkey Kong over there? Food for thought.

 

[quinnmac000]

So thinking about it, how big will Super Nintendo World be? Will it be as large as Osaka and Hollywood, or could they go with a similar size with Orlando and bring Donkey Kong over there? Food for thought.

There didn't say if Nintendo was coming to Beijing yet. It was asked last week to Miyamoto and he said there was no plans at the time.

 

[zg44]

So thinking about it, how big will Super Nintendo World be? Will it be as large as Osaka and Hollywood, or could they go with a similar size with Orlando and bring Donkey Kong over there? Food for thought.

That's not included in the starting setup for the main park I'd guess. That'll probably be an expansion for the USB main park in 2023-2024 if they do it.

Like how Disneyland Shanghai just started Toy Story Land at that park after completing their Phase 1.

I'd guess it's probably 50-75% or so larger than the other largest (Japan/Hollywood/Orlando version), after all the main park will have several dozen acres of open space around it for expansion like Super Nintendo World and the like (unlike the Japan/Hollywood/Orlando parks that are relatively locked on space).

 

[uiwansonic88]

My understanding is Nintendo is not planned for Beijing in any capacity.

The similarities between the Trolls movie and the twitter Nintendo art makes me wonder if parts of the movie were arranged so that they could be used as the basis for aspects of an area similar to a Nintendo area in Beijing or elsewhere, as a backup plan in case Nintendo somehow doesn't allow them to build Nintendo areas after Japan, a backup plan in case the area in Japan goes poorly, a bargaining chip for negotiating with Nintendo, or as a demonstration to Nintendo of the ability to make a movie that looks similar to one of the recent Yoshi games or one of the Kirby yarn games.

Some similarities:
The horse-like Troll could be like Yoshi
The troll named Biggy could be like Donkey Kong
The things that look like tufts of hair with feet could be like Toads or Goombas
The prince Bergen rides a tricycle that drifts through a castle-like building at the beginning of the movie which could be like a go-kart
Two Bergens eat pizza at a roller rink
The trolls live in a forest which could be like the Donkey Kong playground area
The trolls movie has felt-like materials, matted cloth, and braided materials that seem reminiscent of some Yoshi games and Kirby's Epic Yarn
Poppy floats through the air during the end credits of the movie kind of like how Mario can fly

 

[Paulio]

The similarities between the Trolls movie and the twitter Nintendo art makes me wonder if parts of the movie were arranged so that they could be used as the basis for aspects of an area similar to a Nintendo area in Beijing or elsewhere, as a backup plan in case Nintendo somehow doesn't allow them to build Nintendo areas after Japan, a backup plan in case the area in Japan goes poorly, a bargaining chip for negotiating with Nintendo, or as a demonstration to Nintendo of the ability to make a movie that looks similar to one of the recent Yoshi games or one of the Kirby yarn games.

Some similarities:
The horse-like Troll could be like Yoshi
The troll named Biggy could be like Donkey Kong
The things that look like tufts of hair with feet could be like Toads or Goombas
The prince Bergen rides a tricycle that drifts through a castle-like building at the beginning of the movie which could be like a go-kart
Two Bergens eat pizza at a roller rink
The trolls live in a forest which could be like the Donkey Kong playground area
The trolls movie has felt-like materials, matted cloth, and braided materials that seem reminiscent of some Yoshi games and Kirby's Epic Yarn
Poppy floats through the air during the end credits of the movie kind of like how Mario can fly

The problem in China is that Nintendo doesn't generate as much interests in the country, as in Japan and the United States. Most of the gaming in China are dominated by puzzle-related things and PC-related games, since console games were banned from the country in 2000, which has since lifted in July 2015. So even if the Japan's areas fail, Nintendo will not come to China at anytime and it will take forever for the Chinese to accept it into their culture.

 

[Mike S]

The problem in China is that Nintendo doesn't generate as much interests in the country, as in Japan and the United States. Most of the gaming in China are dominated by puzzle-related things and PC-related games, since console games were banned from the country in 2000, which has since lifted in July 2015. So even if the Japan's areas fail, Nintendo will not come to China at anytime and it will take forever for the Chinese to accept it into their culture.

Nintendo has already released stuff there under the name iQue. Also, do you really think the gamers there haven't pirated Nintendo games? Piracy is a big problem in China anyway.

 

[Mad Dog]

Nintendo has already released stuff there under the name iQue. Also, do you really think the gamers there haven't pirated Nintendo games? Piracy is a big problem in China anyway.

Rumor has it that the most popular song in China is, "Yo ho, Yo ho, It's a Pirate's Life for Me"....:thumbsup: or was it "Dead Men Tell No Tales"?....Ooops, they both work in China's corrupt Totalitarian Communist society.

 

[Paulio]

Nintendo has already released stuff there under the name iQue. Also, do you really think the gamers there haven't pirated Nintendo games? Piracy is a big problem in China anyway.

Even so, the general public in China aren't interested in Nintendo, as they have for puzzle and PC-related games like Overwatch and Call of Duty. And Pirated games aren't what everyone is used to except for the minority of pirated players. So expect Nintendo World not be coming to Beijing anytime soon.

 

[captainmoch]

Even so, the general public in China aren't interested in Nintendo, as they have for puzzle and PC-related games like Overwatch and Call of Duty. And Pirated games aren't what everyone is used to except for the minority of pirated players. So expect Nintendo World not be coming to Beijing anytime soon.

Crap... now I want an Overwatch attraction at Universal. :look:

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Crap... now I want an Overwatch attraction at Universal. :look:

Screw an attraction, just get me a movie before an attraction. :tongue:opcorn: