Universal Studios Hollywood

[BigAl]

Noticed a bit of news on Screamscape this morning but also noticed that we don't have a topic for the Hollywood Universal, so here it is!

And here's that little bit of news...

2015 - Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Confirmed - (10/16/12) We’ve heard the rumor before, but the latest whisper from the backlot is that Live Nation’s lease to use the Gibson Amphitheater will come to an end sometime in 2013. At this point the Gibson Amphitheater will be demolished to make way for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There are rumored talks about possibly building a new modern venue elsewhere on a section of Universal’s backlot property. (I’m guessing perhaps sometwhere out in the field beyond the far back parking structure and flat lot.)
While we’re talking about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we know we can expect to see the “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” ride, Butterbeer carts, some kind of themed restaurant and the Olivander’s Wand Shop, but I’ve been hearing rumors about a second attraction to be included as well. It sounds like we may see a copy of the Flight of the Hippogriff family coaster also added as well, complete with Hagrid’s Hut and Buckbeak.

I absolutely adore the one in Orlando and this sounds great too. Pity they're after another Flight of the Hippogriff coaster. As much as it was a great kiddie coaster, the throughput wasn't anywhere near what it needed to be which meant that it often had the largest queue of all the rides in Islands of Adventure. The IP is popular and the restrictions are minimal, so lots of people swarm the ride and the queue becomes a ridiculous 90 minutes+ for a well-themed Vekoma Junior coaster. Not good when there's no cover or fans around the ride either!

 

[Alastair]

Not good when there's no cover or fans around the ride either!

The immense and incredible theming makes up for no fans. In any case, the fans that are in queues are pretty much useless anyway - they just blow mist out which looks good but doesn't feel of anything or cool you down at all.

 

[BigAl]

The one's at Busch Gardens are certainly naff, but Universal fans are great. Especially the giant ones in the queue for Forbidden Journey. Although we're kind of creeping off into Orlando territory now.

 

[Alastair]

The one's at Busch Gardens are certainly naff, but Universal fans are great. Especially the giant ones in the queue for Forbidden Journey. Although we're kind of creeping off into Orlando territory now.

The ones in the Hulk queue are also useless, too high up to have any effect.

But on topic, it would be great to see a clone of WWoHP in Hollywood - it's a fantastic IP to have, and if they do it even half as well as they have in Orlando, it should be a great addition to a popular holiday destination that IMO needs more theme parks.

 

[Moley]

At least they haven't got to ruin a brilliant coaster (or two) this time.

 

[BigAl]

From Screamscape today:

General Park News - (11/19/12) Universal Studios Hollywood has confirmed on their website that Jurassic Park: The Ride is undergoing some rehab work and will be closed on weekdays (Monday – Friday) from November 26 through to December 14th.

 

[BigAl]

Woops! Double post! :-[

Inside Universal has gone into a bit of detail regarding Universal Hollywood's interest in purchasing the nearby golf course and using it for expansion:

December 2, 2012 – Rumors have recently emerged that Universal Studios Hollywood, or perhaps more specifically Comcast, are both planning to purchase the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank in an effort to expand the production studio and theme park.

While rumors have long been rampant about the possible acquisition of the golf course formerly owned by Bob Hope, recent rumors have been spurred by NBCUniversal’s planned Universal Vision alongside news about Harry Potter’s introduction into the park. What follows is an effort to examine the validity of these rumors.


Why it could happen:
“Simply put, Universal Studios Hollywood needs more land.”
Over the past decade or so, the theme park has resorted to dismantling or refurbishing existing structures to house new attractions or shows. An outright purchase like this would allow an obvious pathway for future theme park and studio development. Existing structures could stay in place, and the theme park could create another StarWay-esque expansion plan to allow guests to access another separate area of the park – à la the expansion of the Lower Lot. Alternatively, the studio could opt to demolish the surrounding soundstages located on the Lower Lot and move them into the newly acquired golf course, while expanding the theme park area into former studio space. Either way, it’s more land for the studio and theme park.


“Comcast is able and willing”
While Universal’s former owner has always centered decisions based on frugal minded thinking, Comcast appears to be able and willing to invest money into the parks. A recent New York Times article recently highlighted the mutual respect and understanding Comcast and Universal executives appeared to hold with one another in expanding the role of theme parks within NBCUniversal.

As noted by Brooks Barnes:

“Comcast gained control of the Universal parks last year when it paid $13.75 billion to General Electric for 51 percent of NBCUniversal. Comcast quickly doubled down on the business, spending $1 billion to buy a stake in Universal Orlando owned by the Blackstone Group. G.E. and Blackstone were both more interested in wringing cash from the parks than expanding them; selling them entirely was regularly on the table.

But Comcast is different. “We’re really feeling the love,” said Mr. Williams, Universal’s chief.

Comcast has increased spending on the parks — by how much it won’t say — and is betting on strong international growth. Universal announced a deal in April to open a park in Moscow by the end of the decade. The company, which opened a park in Singapore two years ago, also has resorts in the works in South Korea and Dubai; it is pursuing a deal in China.”


Stories like these appear to further the notion that Comcast – unlike General Electric – appears to understand the entertainment market and the bold risks associated with reigning in record-setting profits – a bit like Universal’s adventurous expansion plans in the early 1990s. An expansion idea like this would buckle the status quo associated with Universal’s limited land and allow the park to compete more easily with its rivals – most notably, Disneyland Resort.


“Harry Potter”
Finally, Harry Potter. Pretty self explanatory if you ask me. Harry Potter, once finished, will easily be the largest component in the park. People could make the argument that an expansion of this magnitude is needed in order to offset the huge Potter themeing that would be introduced. So in other words, a good balance between Universal and Harry Potter would be needed, and an expansion of this magnitude would be able to offer that.


Why it won’t happen:
“Logistics and Budget”
By now, we’re all probably well aware of the constantly changing nature of Universal Vision – a (if completed) $1.6-billion dollar expansion of the movie studio and theme park (LATimes.com). Assuming a plan like this would fall under Universal Vision, let’s look at the overall budget. Though definitely not chump change, $1.6 billion dollars would not be able to even begin to cover the logistics and expansion needed to rearrange the backlot and theme park should this acquisition go through. Suffice to say, we’re talking another major expansion that would exceed the budget of Universal Vision and Harry Potter – quite possibly, combined.

…and don’t get us started on the necessarily approvals and new infrastructure that the city of Burbank would need to enact. Remember, California is not a state known for its rapid development.


“Declining Hollywood Production”
It’s no surprise that productions are no longer filming in Los Angeles, and that Hollywood as a whole has been struggling to offer incentives for film-makers and television-producers to return back to their native Californian homes (LATimes.com). With a large move like this, Comcast would need to be able to justify the large expenses associated with moving or deconstructing a large portion of their backlot to its shareholders. Given the current landscape of filming, that’s going to be difficult endeavor. Comcast may be adventurous, but they aren’t crazy. Investing in backlots at this point does not make financial sense – plain and simple.


“Sound”
It’s also no surprise that the theme park consistently battles sound levels from the park. Sound level limitations are the reason why Universal Studios Hollywood can’t have an outdoor roller coaster, use fireworks at night or have unlimited runs of the Terror Tram during Halloween Horror Nights. And just recently, WaterWorld now needs to employ the use of obtrusive sound walls in an effort to appease its surrounding neighbors, as seen below:

So with that issue fresh in our minds, let’s take a look at a map of the proposed land acquisition below:

Given the proximity between the residential neighborhood and the actual golf course, how exactly is Universal going to appease its new neighbors? More importantly, will Universal face considerable opposition from the surrounding community? After all, there’s a stark contrast between having a golf course and a movie studio as your neighbor.


Conclusion: could it happen?
I’m going to be transparent on this: our staff collaborated for quite a while before choosing not to publish this rumor. Given what we know, this has long been a favorite rumor among Universal and theme park fans, with various stories circulating on the web ranging from Bob Hope swearing that he would never sell the golf club to Universal to other anecdotes that have since faded into the sunset.

However, given the recent news published by Screamscape, we’ve decided to tackle this rumor head on. To sum things up, we don’t see this happening to the park in the very near future. Recent mumbles have said that Spring 2013 could be the nearest date such an announcement could take place, which left us – quite frankly – scratching our heads.

Unless Universal has already acquired the land (which is very unlikely given the regulatory approval needed by the community and the city government), why announce your intentions to purchase a large parcel of land if a negotiated price has not yet been set? Would this plan fall under Harry Potter or Universal Vision? Why expand the studio given the current environment of weak demand? What about the issue of sound? Logistics? The community and city? Again, this rumor smacks of oddities that can’t be logically explained, which is the reason why we’ve held back the way we did until Screamscape decided to push on through given their deep sources.

That’s not to say a deal of this magnitude can’t be pulled off, it just – to us – seems very unlikely. The obstacles we’ve outlined above simply appear to be too insurmountable for NBCUniversal/Comcast/Universal Studios Hollywood to overcome. However, in spite of this, we’d love to be proven wrong. If an expansion like this does indeed go through, it would easily be the largest and most monumental expansion the park and the studio has seen in decades. But then again, who exactly knows. Let us know what you think in the comments.

 

[BigAl]

From Screamscape:

General Park News - (1/3/13) With Terminator 2: 3-D now closed, Universal Studios Hollywood confirmed to their staff a few new developments that were starting as of Jan. 1st in the park. T2:3D is closed for a “new attraction” (ahem… Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem), but the notice also mentioned the old Wild West show site would be prepared for “future development” and that the Coak Soak area was also closed for good “to prepare for an exciting new attraction”. The later of which is probably part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter project area.

Edit: (10/01/2013)...

West Coaster has some images of the deconstruction of Terminator for everyone here. The bar at the bottom will bring up more photos once you've finished having a look on the first page.

 

[BigAl]

Universal Studios Hollywood expansion, anyone?

Los Angeles City Council – Approves Universal Studios Hollywood $1.6 billion expansion plan

Universal Studios Hollywood just got extremely closer to executing their $1.6 billion expansion plan at the theme park and adjacent studio lots.

Today, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a development agreement with Universal to fully execute their over-six-year-in-the-planning expansion, The NBCUniversial Evolution Plan, a multiphase project encompassing studio space, offices, retail, and hotel space. This would add to the not long ago approval by the Los Angeles Planning Commission.

Roughly 1.7 million square feet, which is just over 39 acres, is called to be added to the existing locations centered at Universal Studios. Disney’s California Adventure Park, when first opened, left a 55-acre footprint. It was only when Cars Land opened did the theme park increase another 12-acres, for a total of 67 acres. So Universal is looking to expand something just over half the size of Disney’s California Adventure when it first opened.

But speculations and what exactly they plan to build is still unclear. 1.45 million square feet is said to be set aside for studio facilities while only 327,000 square feet of entertainment space, which includes theme park attractions, will be set aside. It’s hard to tell what exactly this means, knowing that Universal spreads their attractions wildly through existing studio lots. By all intensive purposes, this could just be the language that both city council members and Universal folks use to smooth over operational lingo or just a long line of shortcomings (compared to Universal Studios Orlando) of lackluster amusement park attractions.

What we do know is that Universal does plan for Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This new themed expansion is expected to open by 2016. Also, Universal has agreed to allocate $100 million to improve existing freeway lanes, side streets, and signage that will all help congestion and tourism for the next two decades. Very similar to the process of Disney’s Anaheim location.

I can see the advertisement boards now:

Universal’s California NBCUniversal Evolution Plan Park Adventure Land. “Now with a little more to do and still sour taste that we took the E.T. Adventure ride away!”

Source.



See the full sized map here.

 

[BigAl]

Screamscape has news of a possible small scale Springfield expansion happening soon at Universal Hollywood:

2014/2015 - Springfield / Simpsons Area - Rumor - (3/14/13) I had been wondering if Universal would opt to pull the trigger on a little project I had in mind for the park. Not that I shared this idea with anyone… but it was simply my own observation and mental prediction that Universal might be planning a little something special for the Hollywood park other than the PotterVerse and Despicable Me.
The good news is that I’ve now been told that my thoughts were right and Universal Creative is busy working on plans to bring a small piece of Springfield to the food options close to the Simpsons ride, just as they are doing in Orlando right now. Well… as we assume they are doing in Orlando right now, they still have not make any kind of announcement despite the fact that they have clearly built a replica of Moe’s Tavern.

 

[Sam]

Two bits of news from Screamscape on this park...

2016 - Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Confirmed - (6/17/13) Behind the Thrills has an interesting story this week about what the Hollywood version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter may be like. So far we know Dragons Challenge will not make it to Hollywood, but a version of the Flight of the Hippogriff kiddie coaster will, along with the iconic Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Of course a smaller version of Hogsmeade will arrive, complete with same shops, Butterbeer and an Ollivander’s Wand Shop. Their latest rumors suggest that the Hogwarts Castle structure will be even bigger than the one in Orlando and Japan, because there will be even more inside of it… in this case a possible new indoor dining experience themed to the Great Hall as well as an interactive show themed as a Defense Against the Dark Arts class session.
Oh… and for the record, don’t think that they are done with the Wizarding World once this phase opens in 2016. While obviously nothing will be decided and made official for years to come, there is a loose plan to possible create an expansion. Since land space is a major issue at the Hollywood park, they may take a nod from what is being built at Orlando right now, and look into building a Hogwarts Express ride that guests can ride out into a section of the backlot where another Diagon Alley would be built, complete with a copy of the Gringott’s Bank coaster ride. Don’t look for Phase 2 to happen until at least 2020 however… and only if the Harry Potter money machine is still alive and well for them by then.

General Park News - (6/17/13) Something is afoot at Universal Studios Hollywood in the new Universal Plaza area, replacing the former Wild West Stuntshow stadium. Remember that beefy steel structure going up? It’s grown quite a bit… and is apparently going to become some kind of iconic structure once they are finished with it. Our friends at InsideUniversal.net have sent in a new picture of it going up. Any ideas what this will end up being?

Image in question...

 

[BigAl]

Just found an old documentary on the making of the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios in Hollywood that has recently been uploaded to Youtube. Thought I'd share it on here as it's quite interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD3O3OSMRYA#

 

[Danny]

News has broken that a man has fatally shot himself in the park.

I can only hope that there was a very small amount of people to witness such a harrowing incident.

 

[CGM]

As horrific as that story is and as sad it is that someone decided to do this in such a public setting, it could have been much worse. The real question here is how on earth did he manage to get a gun into the park? I haven't been to the US since 1999 but from what I remember, security at US parks was extremely strict even before 9/11. They certainly had routine metal detector checks for all guests at Paramount's Great America and Six Flags Marine World (as they were then).

 

[Maelstrom]

cant remember metal detectors when i visited 18 months ago. They had them at Magic Mountain but just bag check at Universal, Disney and Knotts.

 

[Alastair]

Yep, no metal detectors at any of the parks except SFMM. The proliferation of guns in the US would lead to too many problems is my guess. It is usually policy to not allow weapons in the park, but I imagine a lot of people carry them in on them anyway.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Frankly, any country that worships firearms deserves everything it gets.

 

[Rob]

You don't really ever think that fellow theme park guests could well be carrying guns around with them. And when you do it is quite a scary thought.

 

[Alastair]

Just saw this regarding the current "constant construction" state of Universal Hollywood on Theme Park Insider:

What a great idea!

 

[AstroDan]

When does WWHP open? I'm hoping to visit California in 2016!