Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!

[Jon81uk]

The Walking Dead
Universal literally did this and kept it for a few years. Good for seasonal or horror events. Not something families want to spend a full day in. Also, not as relevant anymore.

Also for The WalkInc Dead, Thorpe Park in the UK has used it for a crappy overlay to an indoor rolllercoaster, this was also not relevant when it opened as the show was long past its peak.

Sonic the Hedgehog
Recognizable, colorful, family friendly. But it’s shallow. You get Sonic, and that’s about it.

Alton Towers in the UK had Sonic branding on a rollercoaster for a few years.

 

[DonniePeverley]

Acting like Nintendo is not one of the top 3 biggest IP Brands in the world, and could easily be replaced with something else is the actual utter nonsense. And go figure, most people's photo's that are shared when coming home from Epic is of SNW. Coincidence? NO. Just because the wait times are very long, and the MK ride confused you does not mean the area isn't a smashing success in terms of $$, and attendance for Universal.

There is literally no IP or brand that could perform better than Nintendo in a theme park sense except for DISNEY, and Harry Potter. It's that big!

No one is saying Nintendo is not a huge IP, but to suggest there are no other IP's around that Universal could use is nonsense.

As soon as Nintendo wanted a say on the imagineering aspect of the ride they should have walked away. No issues with advice or wishes, but ultimately you have to let the creative team do their thing.

Universal should have known they already goofed up with Fast N Furious, a racing attraction that lent itself to speed. To repeat it again is bewildering.

 

[DonniePeverley]

There is literally no IP or brand that could perform better than Nintendo in a theme park sense except for DISNEY, and Harry Potter. It's that big!

If you are a big Nintendo fan then sure.

But ultimately .... there are IP's that are just as big if not bigger than Nintendo. Go see the list above .... Lord of the Rings and the books for one.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

If you are a big Nintendo fan then sure.

But ultimately .... there are IP's that are just as big if not bigger than Nintendo. Go see the list above .... Lord of the Rings and the books for one.

Most of the list is not just as big or bigger than Nintendo.

If you think Smurfs is more popular than Nintendo currently, you are in a minority to see the list considering the 2025 movie lost 80 million dollars. Also the 2025 Smurfs movie didn't actually make a lot of money at the box office. Also the Smurfs peak was in the 80s.

Rocky and Rambo are not bigger than Nintendo. Rocky and Rambo are considered iconic box office Characters. Also Rocky is not designed to be in a theme park. Rambo is not meant to be a theme park land.

Also John Wick is no way just big as IP than Nintendo. Also if you think John Wick is made to a theme park land, I think you might the only one who thinks that. Criminal underwood movies and criminal underwood franchises are not designed to be in theme parks. Trust me, I've seen the first John Wick movie. Its an adult movie in my view.

 

[UNCgolf]

It's kind of a silly argument because Nintendo isn't really an IP. It's like calling Paramount (or even Disney) an IP. Which technically they all are, but not really in this particular context.

The current Nintendo lands are mainly one IP (Mario), although Donkey Kong is kind of a separate thing despite being connected.

Just because people like one Nintendo IP (or multiple) doesn't mean they like ALL Nintendo IP; there are plenty of people who, e.g., love Mario Kart but couldn't care less about Zelda.

 

[mkt]

No one is saying Nintendo is not a huge IP, but to suggest there are no other IP's around that Universal could use is nonsense.

There are no available IPs with the impact and audience of Nintendo.

Lord of the Rings and the books for one.

There's already rumors surrounding them.

 

[BrianLo]

There were no brands worth pursuing that were as untapped as Nintendo in the theme park space.

The highest grossing media franchise is Pokemon. Well above Mickey and Friends - and they haven’t even gotten to that yet. Mario and Friends are around 6th/7th on most lists.

Of course Disney owns 2-5 (Mickey, Pooh, Princesses, Star Wars) and 9 (MCU), which is why they are so generally well positioned.

One Piece and LoTR strike me as two of the last things that have gone reasonably transmedia now to pick up.

 

[BrianLo]

This is more up to date;

 

[coffeefan]

It's kind of a silly argument because Nintendo isn't really an IP. It's like calling Paramount (or even Disney) an IP. Which technically they all are, but not really in this particular context.

The current Nintendo lands are mainly one IP (Mario), although Donkey Kong is kind of a separate thing despite being connected.

Just because people like one Nintendo IP (or multiple) doesn't mean they like ALL Nintendo IP; there are plenty of people who, e.g., love Mario Kart but couldn't care less about Zelda.

That’s true, but I believe the core Nintendo brands have a strong engagement overlap among the fandom, even stronger than Disney. At least that was the case back when I kept up with the video game industry more closely.

 

[coffeefan]

This is more up to date;

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I'm surprised Jurassic Park did not chart on that list. It's such a prominent IP in theme parks and movies, but I suppose it doesn't have much success outside those areas.

 

[MisterPenguin]

This is more up to date;

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All of Disney's franchises (except Star Wars) should be all in one category surpassing Pokeman. That's because they all are connect to be one universe connected by Christmas and Santa. Thus, it's the number one franchise.

 

[Agent H]

All of Disney's franchises (except Star Wars) should be all in one category surpassing Pokeman. That's because they all are connect to be one universe connected by Christmas and Santa. Thus, it's the number one franchise.

Oh all of Disney franchises(including Star Wars) are connected by a lot more than just Santa…(pulls down conspiracy theory board)

 

[UNCgolf]

I've pointed this out before, but those kind of general lists of franchise revenue are only about half the picture at best, especially when discussing something like potential theme park draw. There are far too many other variables beyond sheer revenue numbers (some of which are hard to quantify).

That should be self-evident considering Winnie the Pooh is third on that list. I'm not sure anyone thinks Winnie the Pooh is a bigger draw right now than a number of the things below it (including many things not listed). And then there's Anpanman, which is essentially a non-entity in the United States. You could list hundreds, if not thousands, of individual IPs that would make more sense than Anpanman for a US park.

Even ones that definitely are a draw, like Mario, aren't necessarily a bigger draw than some things below them. This is probably still true right now, but if you go back a decade HP was a much bigger get for a theme park land than Mario.

 

[BrianLo]

I've pointed this out before, but those kind of general lists of franchise revenue are only about half the picture at best, especially when discussing something like potential theme park draw. There are far too many other variables beyond sheer revenue numbers (some of which are hard to quantify).

That should be self-evident considering Winnie the Pooh is third on that list. I'm not sure anyone thinks Winnie the Pooh is a bigger draw right now than a number of the things below it (including many things not listed). And then there's Anpanman, which is essentially a non-entity in the United States. You could list hundreds, if not thousands, of individual IPs that would make more sense than Anpanman for a US park.

Even ones that definitely are a draw, like Mario, aren't necessarily a bigger draw than some things below them. This is probably still true right now, but if you go back a decade HP was a much bigger get for a theme park land than Mario.

Of course, that wasn’t what I meant to imply by any stretch. There needs to be a bit of normalization against the given market.

Some of these franchises are stronger for English audiences (Star Wars) and others are quite niche to the Japanese audience.

Pooh does have a surprising amount of reach amongst the Asian parks, but obviously is a franchise for littles. There’s also a reason Pooh is the one of the few things to feature at all six resorts. I don’t think it sends the domestic Disney adult hearts a flutter, but it’s also a lot closer to “Mickey”.

Making a lot of money in a transmedia fashion doesn’t mean something also translates well to a theme park setting. But that said, Nintendo has access to Disney-brand like properties in a way no other IP holder really does.

What this does ultimately get a good pulse of is merch potential.

 

[JT3000]

All of Disney's franchises (except Star Wars) should be all in one category surpassing Pokeman. That's because they all are connect to be one universe connected by Christmas and Santa. Thus, it's the number one franchise.

 

[Purduevian]

I made my way to EPIC! Talked with a worker near the end of the day and they said it was an incredibly light day and only 16,000 guests were in the park:

Tier List
S: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, PB&J - Pork, Bacon, and Jam
A:Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, Macaroons from Paris
B: Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Stardust Racers, Warm Shaved Beef Sandwich, Gobber's Mead
C:Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Chocolate Frogs, Daisyroot Draught
D:The Untrainable Dragon (Toothless didn't fly for my show)
F: Yoshi’s Adventure, Reaper's Reserve

Couldn't ride due to being broken down: Curse of the Werewolf, Le Cirque Arcanus, Mine-Cart Madness
Didn't ride due to lines/interest level: Dragon Racer’s Rally, Fyre Drill, Constellation Carousel

 

[Poseidon Quest]

That should be self-evident considering Winnie the Pooh is third on that list. I'm not sure anyone thinks Winnie the Pooh is a bigger draw right now than a number of the things below it (including many things not listed).

Yeah, that's a weird one. I've always heard that Winnie the Pooh does great numbers because people buy merch for babies or when decorating nurseries. Definitely not a huge draw of a franchise, but weirdly, has a broader appeal for a reason completely unrelated to the media.

 

[TalkingHead]

Are any new entertainment offerings being introduced this summer-fall?

And any predictions about when an attraction would open? Sorta surprised they haven’t fast tracked a C/D ticket.

 

[UNCgolf]

Of course, that wasn’t what I meant to imply by any stretch. There needs to be a bit of normalization against the given market.

Some of these franchises are stronger for English audiences (Star Wars) and others are quite niche to the Japanese audience.

Pooh does have a surprising amount of reach amongst the Asian parks, but obviously is a franchise for littles. There’s also a reason Pooh is the one of the few things to feature at all six resorts. I don’t think it sends the domestic Disney adult hearts a flutter, but it’s also a lot closer to “Mickey”.

Making a lot of money in a transmedia fashion doesn’t mean something also translates well to a theme park setting. But that said, Nintendo has access to Disney-brand like properties in a way no other IP holder really does.

What this does ultimately get a good pulse of is merch potential.

Oh sure, I didn't think you were implying that.

But I do think some people get blinded by those numbers and assume bigger total revenue automatically equals better.

Yeah, that's a weird one. I've always heard that Winnie the Pooh does great numbers because people buy merch for babies or when decorating nurseries. Definitely not a huge draw of a franchise, but weirdly, has a broader appeal for a reason completely unrelated to the media.

It's also been around for 100 years, which helps.

Middle Earth has been around for almost 90, but it was just books (albeit popular ones) until this century. There were no LOTR toys etc. to pump up the revenue through merchandise sales.

 

[parksandtravel]

Oh sure, I didn't think you were implying that.

But I do think some people get blinded by those numbers and assume bigger total revenue automatically equals better.

Nobody implied that at all... It's a collection of highest grossing media franchises, a starting point for discussion but not the end.