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

[celluloid]

Most of Disney’s 21st century animatronics are complicated to a fault.

“We’ve made the Yeti lunge with the same force as a Boeing 747 actuator!”

Yeah, and how’d that work out for you?

Now it does not even have to be that complicated for maintenance to be an issue...due to same management though.

Half of Rise of the Resistance, Hopper in Its Tough to be a Bug, Country Bears, Monorails etc..

 

[TalkingHead]

Dark Universe is basically another version of Hogsmeade.

A KUKA dark ride in a castle*, a short family coaster outside and Ye Olde European village for shopping and dining.

I feel like they played it safe because the IP may have been seen as the riskiest of the 4 picked by upper management.

*that sounds familiar to the Van Helsing ride proposed before Potter

Does make you wonder if this will be a Spider-man/Transformers situation.

 

[celluloid]

Does make you wonder if this will be a Spider-man/Transformers situation.

The ride vehicle sits differently on the Kuka Arm, where Spiderman and Transformers are the exact same ride vehicles.

Then you also have the fact that there are no Carousel screen sets at three different points of the ride.

 

[TalkingHead]

The ride vehicle sits differently on the Kuka Arm, where Spiderman and Transformers are the exact same ride vehicles.

Then you also have the fact that there are no Carousel screen sets at three different points of the ride.

Any idea of the ride time? Does this ride have any anticipated screen portion?

 

[celluloid]

Any idea of the ride time? Does this ride have any anticipated screen portion?

Duration similar or longer to Forbidden Journey, there will be more practical scenery, animatronics and sets to take in.
It won't be a screen portion in the same vein as Forbidden Journey or past motion ride vehicle dark rides. Loading Platform was planned to be a round style turntable and the vehicles within the lab.

 

[TalkToEthan]

The ride vehicle sits differently on the Kuka Arm, where Spiderman and Transformers are the exact same ride vehicles.

I like the 4 person bench ……uniquely going to school works well for the Hogwart motif but perhaps riding in a coffin would be a bit too macabre for me. I hope monster Kuka ride vehicle will not be a coffin.

 

[celluloid]

I like the 4 person bench ……uniquely going to school works well for the Hogwart motif but perhaps riding in a coffin would be a bit too macabre for me. I hope monster Kuka ride vehicle will not be a coffin.

The headrest will have some touches of a tow pincher coffin, but the actual idea is it is a Dr. Victoria Frankenstein creation. Gears and very Victorian Punk(little different than Steam Punk but many will see it as that) Restraints are more accomodating for guest sight as it is not based on blocking you from vehicles and screen before and after you.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Well it was what Hogsmeade was originally supposed to be, so kind of true.

Ironically less intense than Forbidden Journey physically though, and I think a much more interesting aesthetic.

Evening entertainment is going to be superior though.

Let’s hope they stay open after dark. They don’t have the best track record of running evening entertainment all that often.

 

[celluloid]

Let’s hope they stay open after dark. They don’t have the best track record of running evening entertainment all that often.

That is a thing in recent years. This park is going to be designed and is in a spot where it can have night time entertainment.

Studios will have their show soon.

Epic is opening with one.

So those days are indeed coming back.

Back to the 90s!

 

[ToTBellHop]

That is a thing in recent years. This park is going to be designed and is in a spot where it can have night time entertainment.

Studios will have their show soon.

Epic is opening with one.

So those days are indeed coming back.

Back to the 90s!

I’ll believe it when I see it. Studios had a nighttime show. They only ran it during peak weeks. They literally have a modest light show on Hogwarts that was off all fall, ran for Christmas, and is off again. It’s inexcusable. It’s a freakin projection show with a little pyro. Disney runs such shows in addition to actual fireworks all year. 366 nights per year. I don’t believe for a second that Universal will magically become reformed next year.

 

[lewisc]

I'll speculate express passes offered to guests staying.at the 3 original hotels won't be extended to include EU

Something will be offered to Helios guests at EU. It could be.an earlier opening, could be just enough to ride one or maybe two before other guests enter. We can dream and hope express passes.

 

[celluloid]

I’ll believe it when I see it. Studios had a nighttime show. They only ran it during peak weeks. They literally have a modest light show on Hogwarts that was off all fall, ran for Christmas, and is off again. It’s inexcusable. It’s a freakin projection show with a little pyro. Disney runs such shows in addition to actual fireworks all year. 366 nights per year. I don’t believe for a second that Universal will magically become reformed next year.

Animal Kingdom sure does not. It has had a couple of night time shows flop and given up on in recent years with their entire goal of opening later.

Universal changes their shows more frequently and recently, before storm damage, was doing the current tech on the lagoon for HHN.


In the 90s. Dynamite Night Epic Stunt Spectacular had the park open late almost nightly. Until ten PM. This was before Citywalk made Universal money.

Universal Studios runs nightly included entertainment all of the time. It may not always be a firework/lagoon based show, but Mardi Gras goes on for an entire shoulder season to spring break with included live entertainment including a rethemed parade with its staples every year. Then Summer hours again.


At any rate, you are conflating some rolling fog, change of soundtrack and roaming entertainment planned for Dark Universe, to Disney night time shows. that are grandfathered in before people lived there and large land distance night time shows that hold an entire park for more hours.

 

[tomast]

First of all, it's not a "Chinese restaurant." It's pan-Asian with Japanese, Thai, and Chinese cuisine. ("Pan Asian" is in the name.)

The Constellation Carousel had a rabbit in it. I presume that's from the Chinese 'Zodiac.'

Victorians were interesting in all things Chinese.

The Victorian World: China

Discover the Victorian era first-hand in this huge topical archive of articles from Victorian periodicals! It's your #1 destination for everything you want to know about the Victorian era, including recipes, fashions, crafts, history, royalty, pets, Victorian images and clip art, and much, much...

www.victorianvoices.net

So maybe the park is taking a global view of the cosmos and is simply not being Eurocentric.

Although, you'd never know that considering the four lands: Eastern Europe, UK/France, Nordic Europe. And then there's Nintendo. Which one would think it would represent Asia... but... it'sa Italian!

And the Celestial Park (hub) keeps referencing ancient Greek and Latin...

I like the Victorian-Punk theme with a touch of Greek mythology that we can see in the main entrance, in the Celestial Park, and in the attractions, especially in the portals themselves.

Helios is the sun god in Greek mythology, why would it have a neon blue chinese restaurant? How can it fit the rest of the Celestial Park?

I Know it's said to be a pan asian but it takes heavy inspiration on Chinese restaurants, but with blue paint instead of red.

 

[Rich Brownn]

How is Disney as an ISP?

You are comparing Comcast's side hustles to Disney's bread and butter.

Huh?

 

[Rich Brownn]

No, you need to review your figures. 53% of Comcasts revenue is traditional cable TV. They realize that and are trying to diversify but timing may not be on thier side. Same thing can be said about lots of Disney content and it's traditional distribution methods.

Broadband	$6,177		$5,861		5.4	%					$24,469		$22,979		6.5	%
	Video	5,100		5,403		(5.6	%)					21,314		22,079		(3.5	%)
	Voice	716		825		(13.2	%)					3,010		3,417		(11.9	%)
	Wireless	883		709		24.7	%					3,071		2,380		29.0	%
	Business Services	2,444		2,337		4.6	%					9,700		8,933		8.6	%
	Advertising	892		818		9.1	%					3,067		2,820		8.8	%
	Other	424		454		(6.5	%)					1,687		1,719		(1.9	%)
	Cable Communications

Video does not comprise 53% of the revenue - in fact Broadband made more than video in 2022 per their annual report

 

[networkpro]

WHAT IS BIG?
(1) Cable Communications:	$65 Bil	53%
(2) NBCUniversal Media:	$20 Bil	16%
(3) NBCUniversal Studio And Theme Park:	$20 Bil	16%
(4) Sky:	$17 Bil	14%
TOTAL Revenues in FY2023:	$122 Bil	100%

WHAT HAS CHANGED?
Over FY2020-23
Change in Cable Communications:	$7.0 Bil
+ Change in NBCUniversal Media:	$3.0 Bil
+ Change in NBCUniversal Studio And Theme Park:	$9.4 Bil
+ Change in Sky:	$-1.2 Bil
TOTAL Change FY2020-23:	$18 Bil
+ Comcast Revenues in FY2020	$104 Bil
= TOTAL Revenues in FY2023	$122 Bil

 

[celluloid]

Huh?

I was pointing out similarly to you, that Universal under Comcast's, main company profit is in being an Internet Service Provider.

 

[phillip9698]

No, you need to review your figures. 53% of Comcasts revenue is traditional cable TV. They realize that and are trying to diversify but timing may not be on thier side. Same thing can be said about lots of Disney content and it's traditional distribution methods.

Revenue isnt really relevant, whats the total profit by each unit?

Im not an expert in Comcasts profit margins but if its true that broadband is 90% profit and cable is hovering around 30%, things may not be as bad as they seem on the surface.

 

[MrPromey]

WHAT IS BIG?
(1) Cable Communications:	$65 Bil	53%
(2) NBCUniversal Media:	$20 Bil	16%
(3) NBCUniversal Studio And Theme Park:	$20 Bil	16%
(4) Sky:	$17 Bil	14%
TOTAL Revenues in FY2023:	$122 Bil	100%

WHAT HAS CHANGED?
Over FY2020-23
Change in Cable Communications:	$7.0 Bil
+ Change in NBCUniversal Media:	$3.0 Bil
+ Change in NBCUniversal Studio And Theme Park:	$9.4 Bil
+ Change in Sky:	$-1.2 Bil
TOTAL Change FY2020-23:	$18 Bil
+ Comcast Revenues in FY2020	$104 Bil
= TOTAL Revenues in FY2023	$122 Bil

You understand that broadband and phone (though mostly broadband) are the majority chunk of that $65 billion in Cable Communications, right?

 

[networkpro]

You understand that broadband and phone (though mostly broadband) are the majority chunk of that $65 billion in Cable Communications, right?

Yes, and I also work in the 'last mile' industry.