Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Opens May 22 2025

[Timothy_Q]

Not popular enough for a rebooted cinema franchise.

You're confusing popularity of a character with the quality of a movie.
The Dark Universe failed because Universal didn't understand the characters they were using and the movies sucked

More people know Dracula, Frankenstein and the Mummy than they did Star Lord, Ant Man and Black Panther before the mcu

 

[MisterPenguin]

You're confusing popularity of a character with the quality of a movie.
The Dark Universe failed because Universal didn't understand the characters they were using and the movies sucked

More people know Dracula, Frankenstein and the Mummy than they did Star Lord, Ant Man and Black Panther before the mcu

So what makes you think Universal understands the characters enough now to make them headline attractions?

 

[Timothy_Q]

So what makes you think Universal understands the characters enough now to make them headline attractions?

The fact that they seem to be leaning on the vibe and design of the original movies is a good indication.

Which is the opposite of what the 2 Dark Universe movies did.

But there's no way of knowing for sure until we see more official info about the land

 

[JT3000]

So what makes you think Universal understands the characters enough now to make them headline attractions?

Universal Pictures =/= Universal Creative

 

[Tom Morrow]

So what makes you think Universal understands the characters enough now to make them headline attractions?

The Universal Monsters house at HHN is really good.

 

[lebeau]

So what makes you think Universal understands the characters enough now to make them headline attractions?

Universal Pictures =/= Universal Creative

Right. These are two very different things. Dark Universe failed for a whole host of reasons. But the most obvious was that it was a hastily compiled answer to the MCU which was a bad idea poorly executed. The Mummy specifically failed because they turned it into a Tom Cruise movie and he basically imagined it as Mummy: Impossible. None of the people involved in that train wreck will be working on Epic Universe.

Also, theme parks and movies are very different things. There are areas of overlap, but what works in a movie doesn't always work in a theme park and vice versa.

I would argue that part of what makes the Universal monsters such a good fit for a theme park is that you're not tied to some recent movie which will be irrelevant 5 or 10 years from now. They are the closest thing Universal has to an evergreen property without licensing an IP from someone else.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Which is the opposite of what the 2 Dark Universe movies did.

There were 2 Dark Universe movies? I thought after the Mummy the stopped. Was there one before or after?

 

[Timothy_Q]

There were 2 Dark Universe movies? I thought after the Mummy the stopped. Was there one before or after?

Dracula Untold was initially meant to launch the franchise, but was quietly removed from the universe after its disastrous reception. Then they started again with The Mummy

 

[lazyboy97o]

There were 2 Dark Universe movies? I thought after the Mummy the stopped. Was there one before or after?

Dracula Untold was reworked a bit late in the process to be the first movie.

 

[Timothy_Q]

Dracula Untold was reworked a bit late in the process to be the first movie.

Point being, neither of those 2 movies understood the source material

 

[lebeau]

Point being, neither of those 2 movies understood the source material

In fairness, if I was tasked with rebooting the monsters as a movie franchise I would be at a total loss. The original monsters stopped being scary in the 1950's. They are super cool, but they no longer work as they were originally intended. Not in movies anyway. If you're going to do a modern take on Dracula or Frankenstein, you're going to have to reinvent it in some way. You have to find a new take.

But that's not true for a theme park. On a five-minute ride through a spooky castle castle, it's enough just to enjoy the classic character designs and creepy recreations of iconic movies from vintage horror flicks. It's a whole different dynamic than making a two-hour movie that has to tell a familiar story in a way that will intrigue modern audiences. At Epic Universe, Universal can stick to the look and feel of the movies most of us are familiar with even if we have never actually sat down and watched them. You can't just recycle that stuff in a new movie.

 

[Timothy_Q]

In fairness, if I was tasked with rebooting the monsters as a movie franchise I would be at a total loss. The original monsters stopped being scary in the 1950's. They are super cool, but they no longer work as they were originally intended. Not in movies anyway. If you're going to do a modern take on Dracula or Frankenstein, you're going to have to reinvent it in some way. You have to find a new take.

Fully agreed.

The new take they tried with the 2 Dark Universe movies obviously didn't work tho.
Just look at reviews, box office, and the fact most people don't even know those movies exist.

Like I said, bad movies aren't a representation of the popularity of its characters.

Otherwise the failure of the DCEU movies would mean Superman and Batman aren't popular franchises

 

[JT3000]

Being only 20 years old, The Mummy has already proven that a modern take on these films can work. Granted, it's no cinematic masterpiece, nor is it very faithful to the original, but it was extremely popular nonetheless. I even hear it got its own ride already!

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

A Monsters land centered around Frankenstein's monster is going to be amazing regardless of relevance. Avatar is not relevant anymore but it makes for a great land and ride.

 

[JoeCamel]

A Monsters land centered around Frankenstein's monster is going to be amazing regardless of relevance. Avatar is not relevant anymore but it makes for a great land and ride.

Well great is a little steep IMO. The ride is good (rides?) but nothing exceptional. It is a worthy addition to the AK but I wouldn't go as far as a great land. They would have to add back what was cut to get there.

 

[lebeau]

Well great is a little steep IMO. The ride is good (rides?) but nothing exceptional. It is a worthy addition to the AK but I wouldn't go as far as a great land. They would have to add back what was cut to get there.

You have to grade Disney on a curve.

 

[OG Runner]

Gentlemen, in the most polite manner I can, I must protest. The Avatar area is unique and immersive. Flight of Passage is a high tier ride.
The other ride is a basic dark ride. I feel it is much better than "nothing exceptional", even grading on a curve.

 

[RustySpork]

Gentlemen, in the most polite manner I can, I must protest. The Avatar area is unique and immersive. Flight of Passage is a high tier ride.
The other ride is a basic dark ride. I feel it is much better than "nothing exceptional", even grading on a curve.

I'll agree with you about Flight of Passage, but It's an Alien World is nothing exceptional.

 

[OG Runner]

I'll agree with you about Flight of Passage, but It's an Alien World is nothing exceptional.

Go through it at night. It really is pretty cool.

 

[RustySpork]

Go through it at night. It really is pretty cool.

What makes you think I haven't been on NRJ at night (Pandora's version of It's a Small World)? Pandora itself doesn't become more interesting at night just because the blacklights turn on. I know several people personally who have gotten physically ill (headache, nausea) from Pandora while we were there at night.