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Universal Orlando Resort (USF, IOA, Epic) Discussion Thread

P. 625: Harry Potter Ministry of Magic revealed!

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Well, it looks like one of the Comcast execs slipped up today and accidentally announced Kong for Universal Orlando!

http://attractionsmagazine.com/the-rumor-queue-comcast-kongfirms-the-return-of-the-king-kong-to-universal/

 

In a fourth quarter earnings conference call, Comcast CFO Michael J. Angelakis stated the following:

 

“As we continue to invest in attractions, including Harry Potter and Fast and Furious in Hollywood and a King Kong attraction in Orlando, investments in our theme park are driving strong returns.”

 

What are your thoughts on the idea that a once-lost attraction at the resort is now coming back for a re-boot? Wonder if there might be any chance for a Jaws return in the future?

 

Here's my take on the whole rebooting attractions thing...

 

I think that, for starters, the original Kong didn't ever lose popularity, it was just an unreliable and expensive ride that was eating up money and suffering severe downtime. So while its removal was justified, there was still at least some demand for Kong, which helped motivate the construction of this new Kong ride. But I think the biggest motivating factor was Kong 360's success in Hollywood. Had the original King Kong encounter on the tram tour not burned down and was never replaced, I dont think Orlando Kong would exist. Kong 360 was an easy fix with a guaranteed ROI because it existed as a component to the ever-changing tram tour rather than as a standalone attraction, but I think Hollywood got a lot more attention for it than they had expected. Basically, a quick fix t replace a classic scene on a major attraction ended up proving the popularity and relevance of an older franchise. Thats why Orlando's jumping on it IMO.

 

Will we ever get another Jaws? Only if the demand can be proven. But there are few instances where it's possible to prove a market without breaking the bank first. Maybe if the Jaws scene on the tram tour gets an update and it proves successful then we could see a revival over here. But other than a scenario like that, I personally don't see it. The only other instance I can think of for an old ride coming back is if a remake of an old movie comes out and proves popular (for example, a popular Ghostbusters remake inspiring the return of a Ghostbusters show).

 

Whatever the reason for it, though, this is a very interesting move by the park and one that took me and a lot of others by surprise I think.

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I love Diagon Alley and everything about it...but I do miss Jaws. I know it seemed to lose its popularity and it was a costly attraction, it was probably one of the most unique experiences out there. I really miss that ride. I wish there was a way to have both Diagon Alley and Jaws. If they did a Jaws return...I'm all for it!!!

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^ At least Universal Japan proved that Jaws and Potter could co-exist in the same park! While I realize it's sort of an "apples to oranges" comparison, it's at least nice to see that Jaws was not on the chopping block when it came time to look for places to put the Potter area within the park.

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I love Diagon Alley and everything about it...but I do miss Jaws. I know it seemed to lose its popularity and it was a costly attraction, it was probably one of the most unique experiences out there. I really miss that ride. I wish there was a way to have both Diagon Alley and Jaws. If they did a Jaws return...I'm all for it!!!

 

Jaws has come back for his revenge four times, so never say never. We need a "Jaws Meets Sharknado" attraction.

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^Only if you can slide into the waiting mouth of a hungry shark like this...

 

You can do that on an alpine slide in Australia.

 

 

Is there nothing sharks can't improve?

Edited by cfc
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Dates announced for Halloween Horror Nights 25:

hhn25_logo.jpg.55a23223b594f71bc663aa6cf977f853.jpg

ORLANDO, Fla. (March 5, 2015) – By day, guests at Universal Orlando Resort are propelled into some of pop culture’s most iconic and beloved stories – laughing as they experience cutting-edge attractions and screaming as they brave plummeting roller coasters.

 

But there’s another, darker side to Universal Orlando.

 

On select nights in September and October, guests sprint away in paralyzing fear. They scream uncontrollably. Their nightmares come to life at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.

 

Now, guests can be among the first to book a vacation package that combines the excitement of Universal Orlando’s two world-class theme parks by day and heart-pumping horror of Halloween Horror Nights by night.

 

Consistently ranked the nation’s best, Halloween Horror Nights is the ultimate Halloween event, attracting guests from around the world. From the moment guests step inside the event’s gates, they become a victim inside their own horror film. The streets of Universal Studios Florida are transformed into highly-themed scare zones, brought to life with elaborate scenery and teams of menacing “scare-actors” that lunge from the shadows and tactically hunt guests as prey.

 

Multiple haunted houses are erected throughout the theme park, rivaling the most detailed and terrifying of movie sets. Once inside, guests shriek their way through an unpredictable, multi-sensory labyrinth based on anything from iconic slasher films to hit horror video games to haunting original stories created by Universal’s Entertainment team.

 

This fall, Halloween Horror Nights will mark its milestone 25th year as the biggest, longest and most intense in event history. It will run for a record-breaking 30 nights, including the following event dates:

 

· Sept. 18-19, 24-25, 26-27

· Oct. 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 21-25, 28-31

· Nov. 1

 

Details about the newly-announced Halloween Horror Nights 25 Hotel & Ticket Package are available below. Additional details about the event will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit http://www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Orlando.

 

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Seriously cannot wait for HHN25!

 

Never been before - or in fact to the US either - but will be there for either the 3rd or 4th weekend!

 

Going on my own for the night, so look out for the English man screaming! Haha!

Edited by browny572
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Adam, just catching up on the thread. Great stuff on the Potter and Mardis Gras posts!

 

The Potter event looked awesome for fans of the series. I'm a huge Sir Michael Gambon fan, not really because of Potter or any of his classic work. No, not that at all. It's all about having a Top Gear test track corner named after him, of course.

 

I'm also hoping that bringing back Kong will mean a return of Jaws in some way in the future. Is it wrong to hope that Kong won't be yet another simulator ride, though? I'm hoping that they go a bit Kong-frontation old school instead of another 3D simulator ride.

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^Only if you can slide into the waiting mouth of a hungry shark like this...

 

Yeah. That was my idea a few pages back.

 

Now, what were their names again?

 

Bruce is the Great White, named after the mechanical shark "Bruce" from Jaws. The other two are Anchor and Chum.

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Well, it looks like one of the Comcast execs slipped up today and accidentally announced Kong for Universal Orlando!

http://attractionsmagazine.com/the-rumor-queue-comcast-kongfirms-the-return-of-the-king-kong-to-universal/

 

In a fourth quarter earnings conference call, Comcast CFO Michael J. Angelakis stated the following:

 

“As we continue to invest in attractions, including Harry Potter and Fast and Furious in Hollywood and a King Kong attraction in Orlando, investments in our theme park are driving strong returns.”

 

What are your thoughts on the idea that a once-lost attraction at the resort is now coming back for a re-boot? Wonder if there might be any chance for a Jaws return in the future?

I would much rather see a new Jurassic Park ride to tie in with the new film coming out this summer.

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Generally speaking, most movie based attractions come out after the movie. Usually its depending on how successful the movie is or how people resonate with it. From what I "hear", some jurassic park attractions are on the waiting table. I heard they were green lit before Kong took their place. Now its just a wait and see game...

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