Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe is an upcoming theme park under construction in Orlando, Florida. Announced in August 2019,[1] the park will be the fourth theme park at Universal Orlando Resort, including the themed water park Volcano Bay. Construction was delayed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed in March 2021.[2][3] The park is scheduled to open in Summer 2025.

Universal Epic Universe
Concept art
LocationUniversal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida, United States
Coordinates28.4422°N 81.449°W / 28.4422; -81.449
StatusUnder construction
OpensSummer 2025
OwnerNBCUniversal
(Comcast)
Operated byUniversal Destinations & Experiences
Websiteuniversalorlando.com
Universal Orlando
Theme parks
Resort hotels
  • Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
  • Hard Rock Hotel
  • Loews Royal Pacific Resort
  • Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
  • Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort
  • Universal's Aventura Hotel
  • Universal's Endless Summer Resort
Entertainment district

History

On August 1, 2019, NBCUniversal announced that it was building a fourth theme park named "Universal's Epic Universe" as part of the Universal Orlando Resort.[4] Without releasing details, Tom Williams, then chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Parks and Resorts, said Epic Universe would be the company's "most immersive and innovative theme park." Comcast and NBCUniversal officials said it would create an additional 14,000 jobs, including professional, technical, culinary and other specialized positions.[1] A possible opening date for the park was not immediately announced.[5] In October 2019, Universal announced that the park would open in 2023.[6]

Concept art released by Universal during the official announcement in August 2019 left details purposefully vague.[1] Many IPs were rumored to appear in the park, including lands dedicated to How to Train Your Dragon, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Universal Classic Monsters, and the Nintendo franchises Super Mario and Donkey Kong. In January 2020, the presence of Super Nintendo World in the park was confirmed by multiple Comcast executives.[7][8] Epic Universe's version of Super Nintendo World was officially announced in February 2023, with CEO Mark Woodbury calling it the "worst-kept secret in history".[9]

The project was delayed indefinitely in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on March 3, 2021, Comcast announced the immediate restart of construction.[2] On January 27, 2022, Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, stated during an earnings call that the park would be opening in Summer 2025.[10] This was hinted at by the resort's official Twitter shortly thereafter.[11] On May 5, 2022, Universal offered 13 acres (5.3 ha) of land near the site where Epic Universe is being built for a Brightline rail route commuter station.[12]

On March 8, 2023, Universal Parks and Resorts CEO Mark Woodbury announced that they would be rebranding the division to "Universal Destinations and Experiences". With this change also came the announcement that the name of the upcoming park in Orlando would be adjusted slightly from Universal's Epic Universe to Universal Epic Universe.[13][14] A modified logo was unveiled, which removed the apostrophe and letter "s" from the design.[15]

Areas and attractions

Epic Universe will use a hub-and-spoke format, consisting of four themed lands branching off of a central hub, with each land featuring a uniquely-themed gateway.[16] The themed lands will be, in clockwise order from entry, Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe (themed to Universal Classic Monsters), an expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed after Paris as it is portrayed in the Wizarding World franchise, and a land themed to the Isle of Berk from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.[17]

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World will be themed to various Nintendo-owned franchises, with a primary focus on the Mario franchise. Its entrance from the Central Hub will be themed as a Warp Pipe. Like the version of the land constructed in Universal Studios Japan, it will feature Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, an augmented reality racing simulator based on the Mario Kart series, as well as Yoshi's Adventure, an omnimover attraction themed to the character Yoshi from the Mario franchise. The land's layout will be less compact than its Japanese equivalent, however, with the courtyard area being more spread out. The land will also feature an additional section themed to the Donkey Kong franchise which will include a new type of roller coaster patented as the "Boom Coaster". The coaster will run over a false track while being attached to a hidden track underneath, allowing designers to implement gaps in the false track to create the illusion that the trains are jumping gaps.[18][19]

Location

The Universal Epic Universe theme park campus is located a few miles south-east from the existing Universal Orlando Resort, within a larger 750-acre (300 ha) site south of Sand Lake Road and east of Universal Boulevard.[1]

References
  1. "Universal Orlando Resort Announces Ambitious New Theme Park" (Press release). Universal Orlando Resort. August 1, 2019.
  2. "Universal's Epic Universe is Back". blog.universal.com. March 3, 2021.
  3. Russon, Gabrielle; Hudak, Stephen (April 30, 2020). "Universal Orlando's new Epic Universe theme park will be delayed because of coronavirus pandemic". Orlando Sentinel.
  4. Russon, Gabrielle; Bevil, Dewayne (August 1, 2019). "Universal's Epic Universe theme park is coming to Orlando, ramping up war with Disney". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. Andrew, Scottie; Ries, Brian (August 1, 2019). "Universal Orlando announces new Epic Universe theme park". CNN Travel.
  6. "Comcast Confirms 2023 Opening for Universal's Epic Universe". Orlando ParkStop. October 24, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  7. "Super Nintendo World Confirmed for New Universal Theme Park". January 24, 2020.
  8. "Super Nintendo World will be part of new Universal theme park". WESH. January 31, 2020.
  9. Tapp, Tom (February 16, 2023). "Super Nintendo World Confirmed For Universal Orlando Resort, Called "The Worst-Kept Secret In History"". Deadline. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. "Comcast Says Epic Universe to Open in 2025, Theme Park Business in Orlando Better than Before Pandemic". Orlando ParkStop. January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  11. "Universal Orlando Resort Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  12. "Universal executives pledge to donate land to support SunRail/Brightline corridor". WESH.com. May 5, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  13. "4 Exciting New Things We've Learned About Universal Epic Universe". Theme Park Tourist. March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  14. "Name change: Universal Parks & Resorts becoming Universal Destinations & Experiences". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  15. Orlando, Gotta Go (March 8, 2023). "New Logo revealed for the upcoming Epic Universe Theme Park at Universal Orlando Resort". Gotta Go Orlando. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  16. Stella, Alicia (April 30, 2020). "New Permits Reveal Full Layout for Epic Universe". Theme Park Stop. Theme Park Stop LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  17. Stella, Alicia (March 22, 2023). "Epic Universe Update: Trademarked Ride Names, Construction Progress, and New Permits". Theme Park Stop. Theme Park Stop LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  18. Stella, Alicia (January 2, 2023). "Everything We Know About Epic Universe: Super Nintendo Word". Theme Park Stop. Theme Park Stop LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  19. United States patent US20160288000A1, Keith Michael McVeen, Eric Parr, Thierry Coup, Eric A. Vance, "Boom Coaster", published 2016-10-06, issued 2019-06-11, assigned to Universal City Studios LLC
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