Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

[Ace Of Spades]

I'd imagine that since it's only new footage, it would just take some new projectors, which could be replaced in a short few days.

 

Could be wrong though.

[StarTrekGeek]

This is awesome!

[dragonskeep]

Very good news about Spiderman. It has been needing this make over.

[Jay20016]

It is funny that I still remember the old Hanna Barbara thing from before Jimmy Neutron... will be interesting what they can do with the new material.

 

As for the new Spider-man improvements, that promo shot looks awesome. Makes me wish they'd hurry up with the Transformers ride already just to see what an extra 10+ years of tech can do for this ride system...

[BaMiTsPaT]

I like the despicable me thing because I've grown tired of riding Jimmy Neutron with my family, and the Spiderman news is awesome because I love that ride, and it felt kinda lame after Harry Potter (IMO). Hopefully this makeover can restore it to being the premiere attraction at the park, or at least coming close.

[Spideyfreak]

From what I've heard on various boards, it seems that some of the HD projectors are already installed, and are just playing the old animation in digital format.

[stingrock23]

I was definitely wondering when and how long it will be down. I thought I read it will debut sometime in 2012, so that could mean some kind of down time. Hopefully not until the new year.

[triggernel]

Sorry SoCal, it's going to be 2012 before the new Spidey opens. No idea how long it will be down though.

[Jew]

Theoretically a lot of this can be done behind the scenes/after park hours, but it's really no small undertaking. They have to build a network/servers to send 4k video, install all the projectors and related infrastructure (I'm guessing it will require some changes to the HVAC system to properly cool the new projectors/servers), then sync it all up with the ride. My guess would be a month of downtime to test it all out...but that is just a guess.

[Hilltopper39]

Theoretically a lot of this can be done behind the scenes/after park hours, but it's really no small undertaking. They have to build a network/servers to send 4k video, install all the projectors and related infrastructure (I'm guessing it will require some changes to the HVAC system to properly cool the new projectors/servers), then sync it all up with the ride. My guess would be a month of downtime to test it all out...but that is just a guess.

 

Your probably right, I remember seeing some specifications at my work about 6 months ago for some new HVAC equipment at Universal in the Spiderman Building (there were boilers that my company was looking at but there was also a good amount of other cooling equipment and pumps, piping, fans, etc.). That job could have been completely unrelated to these ride upgrades but then again it could have had everything to do with it too.

[doublestufforeo]

After work yesterday at Islands I went on Spiderman with my friend who works over in HP, and we had a blast just walking 5 minutes onto everything, I heard about the Despicable Me ride earlier in the day, but I heard nothing about Spiderman, so this definitely makes me really excited! Can't wait for this!

 

-Oreo

 

P.S. I'm really excited to see what the hobgoblin section looks like when he says "trick or treat smell my feet, time to blow you off the street," and all that fire blasts in your face!

[PKI Jizzman]

Despicable Me was a great movie

[chargersmichael]

Despicable Me sounds great but Universal...how many 3D things do you have? There are 3 at Universal Studios Florida right now. Spiderman looks amazing though!!! Can't wait for these attractions! Should be an excellent addition.

[jarmor]

3? I know of shrek 4D and the hybrid live action 3D terminator but whats the other?

[BarryH]

^I wonder if he's counting Spider-Man at IOA.

[jarmor]

Even so they are all totally different 3d experiences...

[Snowboard246]

From thewrap.com

 

Comcast intends to buy Blackstone Group’s 50 percent stake in its two Orlando theme parks, TheWrap has learned.

 

Comcast is expected to pay between $1 billion to $1.5 billion to become the full owner of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, according to an individual with knowledge of the deal.

 

The deal must be finalized by June 12 in order to prevent Blackstone from shopping the property elsewhere.

 

The Comcast board has not yet approved the purchase, but is expected to do so, according to the knowledgeable individual.

 

Representatives for Comcast and Blackstone did not respond to requests for comment on Monday night.

 

A filing in March by Blackstone, one of the world's largest private equity firms with assets of $18 billion, revealed that it was shopping its stake in the two Orlando parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

 

Analysts have previously speculated that the Orlando-based theme park could cost NBC-Universal’s new corporate parent on the order of $1.55 billion.

 

Though Comcast has had to make the decision less than six months after taking over the property with its acquisition of NBC Universal, the theme park has been performing exceedingly well.

 

Thanks largely to the success of a new ride in 2010, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, revenues at the theme park increased over 40 percent to $1.1 billion last year, according to public filings.

 

During Comcast’s first quarter controlling NBC Universal, the theme park division grew 16 percent to $95 million.

 

Blackstone bought its stake for $2 billion from the Rank Group in 2000.

 

full link to article:

http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/comcast-will-buy-blackstones-stake-universal-studios-27803

 

ADMIN EDIT: I went ahead and merged this into our existing thread on the topic. Thanks for sharing this with us!

Edited May 31, 2011 by jedimaster1227

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/universal-orlando-sold-to-comcast-20110606,0,4638257.story

 

Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal will buy the Blackstone Group's half of Universal Orlando for just more than $1 billion, the companies announced Monday, in a deal that adds to Comcast's growing media-and-entertainment holdings and ensures the resort won't be put on the auction block.

 

The deal was struck just five months after Philadelphia-based Comcast closed on its $13 billion deal to acquire a majority stake in NBCUniversal from General Electric Co.

 

It comes with Universal Orlando in the midst of the strongest performance in its history, propelled by the wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in June 2010. Attendance at the two-park resort soared 68 percent during the first quarter of this year.

 

"The acquisition consolidates our ownership and confirms our long-term commitment to Universal Orlando and the theme-park business," Steve Burke, the former Comcast chief operating officer who is now chief executive officer of NBCUniversal, said in a prepared statement. "Universal Orlando is a consistent and significant driver of operating and free cash flow and is performing extremely well. It has a superb management team and exciting growth opportunities. This purchase of the Blackstone interest is attractively valued and represents strong financial returns for NBCUniversal."

 

The sale values Universal at just less than $3.2 billion, including debt. That works out to nearly seven times the resort's earnings during the past year before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, also known as EBITDA.

 

It is nearly 14 times Universal's EBITDA for the 12 months just before Wizarding World opened.

 

With the $1.025 billion price tag, Blackstone is more than tripling its original investment in the resort. The private-equity firm has owned its stake since 2000; the other half of Universal has flipped through four owners over the same period, including Seagrams, Vivendi, General Electric and Comcast.

 

"We are proud of the extraordinary growth and success that Universal Orlando experienced during our 11 years of ownership," Michael Chae, a senior managing director with Blackstone, said in a prepared statement. "Throughout this period we have been committed to investing for long-term growth in partnership with the company's management and NBCUniversal, and we are gratified with the results of this strategy."

 

Blackstone also owns Orlando-based SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, which it purchased from Anheusber-Busch InBev in 2009 for approximately $2.5 billion.

 

NBCUniversal will pay for the Universal Orlando purchase through a combination of cash on hand; borrowings under an existing line of revolving credit; and a one-year, $400 million loan from another Comcast affiliate. The sale is expected to close July 1.

 

The sale was set in motion in March when Blackstone offered to sell its half to NBCUniversal, triggering a right-of-first-refusal provision in the two companies' ownership deal.

 

Comcast, as NBCUniversal's new owner, had until June 12 to buy Blackstone out, or else Blackstone would have been free to shop the entire resort to third-party buyers. If Blackstone were able to find a rich enough bid, Comcast would have been compelled to go along with the sale.

 

The deal averts some potential headaches for Universal Orlando. Many of the resort's most valuable licensing agreements — including its deal with Warner Bros. Entertainment to use Harry Potter — include change-of-control provisions under which Universal could have lost those rights if it were sold to a new owner. Those provisions won't be triggered by a sale to NBCUniversal.

 

Comcast and NBCUniversal, through their Universal Parks & Resorts unit, also have theme parks in Southern California, Japan and Singapore. They also plan to build additional parks in South Korea and Dubai.

[beatle11]

Blackstone made a ton on their original investment. I guess they got what they wanted.

[CoryPa77]

My understanding is that many people feel these are some of the best children (or adults in some cases) books in many, many years. I think the books have the potential to be read for generations of kids to come, so I don't believe it's on the level of a Jurassic Park - I think it's way past that.

 

Haven't some schools even started having kids read these books as assignments? To me this is like a modern day, Tom Sawyer.

 

I've been over there about 7-8 times since it opened last summer and the place is always extremely packed, especially the Potterland area. I'm not really much of a Potter fan so, for me, it doesn't add a lot. Although the Butter Beer is great!

[Mr. Starr]

My understanding is that many people feel these are some of the best children (or adults in some cases) books in many, many years. I think the books have the potential to be read for generations of kids to come, so I don't believe it's on the level of a Jurassic Park - I think it's way past that.

 

Haven't some schools even started having kids read these books as assignments? To me this is like a modern day, Tom Sawyer.

 

I think that things will change as time goes on, because as of now you can't really consider the Potter books "classics", as they are still fairly new and the last movie has yet to be even released. I agree that they will live on through future generations, but I think it's kind of silly to have kids reading and writing assignments based on the Potter books rather than older books that have been better understood.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

It's the only time I've ever seen a 60 minute wait to get into a gift shop.

 

A GIFT SHOP.

[cleusk]

Has anyone heard a thing lately to confirm or deny the rumors about the possible expansion of the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter?

[doublestufforeo]

Sorry for bringing back a topic from the dead, but they've done ground breaking on the mini golf course today and cleared away the trees and such next to the Cineplex, it doesn't extend into Valet at all, but it pretty much touches the lot then comes back it pretty much touches the Cineplex for the land they cleared, but was in a totally different spot then I thought it'd be, but it's dead to your right when you get off the last moving walk way. I'd have taken photos but I was in my uniform and I can't pull out my phone when I'm in uniform, I had my work shirt off tonight and walked by to try and snag some photos but it was too dark, so I'll try the next time I'm up there for play, which is pretty often, but if anyone else goes up before I do if you're interested in some pictures of dirt, feel free to take them.

[doublestufforeo]

Has anyone heard a thing lately to confirm or deny the rumors about the possible expansion of the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter?

 

I hear a lot from fellow employees working there that they are to be expanding it, but again it is still rumor, and I don't like it when guests come up and ask about that and some of the people I work with are just like "yeah, it's totally going to expand." Until it gets officially confirmed by the company I keep my mouth shut, though I do look forward to it happening, but if it doesn't it's going to be an extreme let down to all the people who have heard so, and I can tell you almost everyone where I work assumes so. =/

 

 

Doublestuff "Just wait for it to be confirmed officially by the company, otherwise you might as well be getting your info from the dippin' dots guy" Oreo

 

 

EDIT: Though for those of you interested there is a youtube page for a new J.K. Rowling announcement in six days, and "the owls have started arriving." Whether she's announcing a new book, area for WWOHP, or her "e-books," or just her retirement it's still interesting and could have some impact on the park over at WWOHP.

 

 

LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/jkrowlingannounces/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=warner_bros&utm_campaign=tease&utm_content=1x1&utm_term=tease-warner_bros-1x1-us