WWoHP California?

jonnyc

jonnyc

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Didn't know where to post this, so feel free to move if necessary.

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/121/1213711p1.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204397704577070691060558140.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ent...-potter-theme-park-coming-to-los-angeles.html

Looks like Harry Potter is making its way over to Universal Studios in California. Although it does look like it isn't going to open till 2015. An official announcement should be on the way, but let the speculation begin as to what the land is going to contain...
 
J

Jakester

Well-Known Member
It is going to be a replica of what we have in orlando currently.
Only thing that may be different within the land is the roller coaster (they could build another dueling coaster)
 
Pioneer Hall

Pioneer Hall

Well-Known Member
I'm somewhat surprised to see this happening due to the different natures of the parks. I really thought that they would have kept this as an east coast thing and done what they could to get people to the resort where they could have higher guest spending. I hope for Universal's sake that this doesn't dilute the product offering and cause profits to drop off.
 
C

COProgressFan

Well-Known Member
DisneyInsider said:
I'm somewhat surprised to see this happening due to the different natures of the parks. I really thought that they would have kept this as an east coast thing and done what they could to get people to the resort where they could have higher guest spending. I hope for Universal's sake that this doesn't dilute the product offering and cause profits to drop off.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised as well, for the reasons you mention. Keeping it in FL exclusively would draw guests from all over as the one place you could experience the Wizarding World.
 
cheezbat

cheezbat

Well-Known Member
While it's nice for the Hollywooders, it really does disappoint me. They already have a better Jurassic Park ride, their own Revenge of the Mummy ride, an awesome Studio Tour featuring King Kong 360 3-D, as well as the Waterworld stunt show and soon Transformers. With this, I would definitely pick their Studios park over ours here.

It's time to beef up the Studios in Florida, as well as get that Potter expansion at Islands moving already!
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
It's also interesting that Universal Studios Hollywood (the proper name) would announce this big Potterland project even before their new Transformers E Ticket ride opens this summer.

Transformers will be huge for the Hollywood park this summer, and is rumored to show up in Orlando around the same time Potterland opens in Hollywood. Just interesting timing.

The other issue for Potterland at Universal Studios Hollywood is, where does it go? They could put it in the Waterworld area, or even the big Universal Amphitheater complex, but that is up on the Upper Lot near the very front of the park and will be a crowding problem. If they put it down in the Lower Lot, you would be riding the Starway down the hill and looking down on Hogwart's, which would just look weird and ruin the scale I think.

Trying to find a place for Hogwart's facade and a big show building here won't be easy. And it will be expensive, too.

Universal Studios Hollywood - Upper and Lower Lots in Hollywood Hills

universal-studios-aerial by thethemeparkguy.com, on Flickr
 
NemoRocks78

NemoRocks78

Seized
I'm somewhat torn on this. The Orlando side of me wishes it'd stay exclusive to Islands, but I think we all know that wasn't going to last. The California side of me is hyped to the max and can't wait to be able to visit Hogwarts without a five hour flight, rental car, and hotel stay. :lol:

As for location… the way I see it, they're losing one side of the Upper Lot - either the Wee Britain (hello, AD fans!)/Terminator side, or the Waterworld/Ampitheatre side, which could even include Shrek. There's nowhere for it on the Lower Lot unless they're gonna close down some soundstages. I'm pretty sure there's often been talk of closing and/or relocating the Ampitheatre, and Waterworld's great but terribly outdated, so I'd put my money on the east side of the Upper Lot. We'll see how it goes, though.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
About five years ago General Electric laid out their new master plan for the NBC Universal City property that Universal Studios Hollywood uses. You can see where they have designated the expansion pads for the theme park in purple, and those areas are all on the Upper Lot as we'd mentioned in this thread.

Here's the master plan for Universal City. The theme park expansion pads are in pink.

universalevolution.jpg


It looks like fans of that old Waterworld Show should probably head up the Hollywood Freeway and pull off at the Universal City offramp sooner rather than later. :lookaroun
 
AswaySuller

AswaySuller

Well-Known Member
Jakester said:
It is going to be a replica of what we have in orlando currently.
Only thing that may be different within the land is the roller coaster (they could build another dueling coaster)
Click to expand...

How sure are you of this?
Only "Dragon's Challenge" and "Flight of the hippogriff" were obviously previously built attractions that I assumed universal didn't want to just throw in the trash.

I know they've been re-themed but they still kind of seem like filler to me....
They're not particularly popular.....
Would there really be a need to bring those two attractions?

Surely the village, HPATFJ and space for a future ETicket would suffice?
Or maybe some new smaller rides.... duplicating a (half assed) re-hash (which the other two rides are IMO) seems kinda dumb to me.
 
J

JT3000

Well-Known Member
Half-assed rehash? You might be able to call Dragons that. Not Hippogriff. It's one of the best themed junior coasters you'll find anywhere. Sure, it may not be the type of attraction you set out to clone, but it wouldn't be a terrible idea either. Besides, considering the average size of Universal's E-tickets these days, wanting two of them might be pushing it. Especially on borrowed land.
 
novawildcat18

novawildcat18

Well-Known Member
There is a press conference today supposedly announcing WWoHP in California. I believe that is covering it but I know for sure that it starts at 11 AM PST (2 PM EST). I am excited to hear what they have planned! I hope it's not an exact clone or else I have no reason to visit.
 
sponono88

sponono88

Well-Known Member
And another article from the Washington Post, with details on the possible location of the new attraction:

Executives did not immediately detail their plans for the Hollywood park, but Meyer said there was enough room to expand.

“We’re not landlocked,” Meyer said. “We’re (on) 400 acres on this lot and 200 of them are still not developed.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said he was told that a live concert venue, Gibson Amphitheatre, would be scrapped to make way for the attraction. He said it would open around 2014, but officials did not give a date.

The widely expected announcement happened in typically dressed-up Hollywood style, complete with staff wearing scarves representing the various houses of the fictional wizard’s school, Hogwarts, beneath a theater marquee that said, “Hogwarts is coming to Hollywood.”
Click to expand...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...ando-success/2011/12/06/gIQAeM15ZO_story.html
 
M

Mouse Wizard

Member
They have some nice big, real hills and mountains they should definitely take advantage of when the y build out here.

The fact this would make Disney want to build something big in response is, hell, a good enough reason for Universal to bring Potter out here in my book!
 
c-one

c-one

Well-Known Member
Wow. Gibson Amphitheatre hosts some very big shows and, presumably, rakes in a ton of cash. Guess they're expecting a huge ROI on Potter. But will there be a Hogwarts Express from the Upper Lot to the Lower Lot? :lookaroun
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
There has been no attraction concept art released yet, has there?
The inclusion of the three grandfathered coasters makes for an interesting question.
My guess is that phase 1 of Hollywood Potter will only include Forbidden Journey and the merchandise, food, and live entertainment elements from the Orlando version.

Just tossing out a crazy idea here, but how cool would it be if the Hollywood Dragon Challenge were a triple coaster attraction of different types? Have B&M build interlocking (but not "dueling") inverted, floorless, and wingrider coasters in one huge coaster complex. They could all share a unified station and queue area.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Zev Yaroslovsky, as is typical of LA politicians, is a total idiot career politician who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. But this time, his blatant idiocy is of relevant use to at least us here.

So now we know the Gibson Amphitheater at the front of the park is the prime land for Potterland or at least the entrance area, and that we're looking at a 2.5 year timetable to get this open in time for the Summer '14 season. Thanks, Zev; now if you could only get the sidewalks repaired and the creeps booted out of LAX. :rolleyes:

And if they are talking about using some of the 200 open acres of Universal City that General Electric management had originally slated for housing, then that opens up additional possibilities. Which makes sense since the housing market in SoCal has totally collapsed since GE released the Universal City 2030 master plan back in 2006. Housing isn't the gold mine it was back in '06, so it would make sense to re-purpose some of that land to theme park and studio use.

It's all very interesting.
 

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