SoCal Harry Potter:
From Screamscape:
???? - Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Under Consideration - (12/17/10) While there is a huge push right now to bring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Universal Hollywood, I’ve also heard from some insiders that not all members of management are hot to jump on the bandwagon. It’s not that they aren’t impressed with the Wizarding World, but more to do with the timeline the Hollywood park would face if they were to approve the project.
Even if a deal is signed, the land designed and budgets approved, your still facing the fact that a West coast version wouldn’t be ready to open until at least 2014 at the earliest. With the final film in the series set to launch a little over 6 months, it would be 3 more years until guests could walk the corridors of Hogwarts. So to these more concerned management members, they have to address the elephant in the room and ask, does Harry Potter have the staying power to stay a hot property for 3 solid years beyond the release of the final film?
In most cases, the answer would be no… something new is always ready to come along, but there is a chance that Harry Potter could become a timeless and endearing entertainment series for the ages, much like Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Back To The Future. Still, the ever enticing profit margin reports from Universal Orlando are proof enough for most Execs that they need to pursue this. After all, you’ve got to take risks in business from time to time…
That all said… one does also have to ask, is Harry Potter’s story all over and done? Are there other tales that JK Rowling may have left in her pen that may take place in the Wizarding World, outside of the goings of Mr. Potter? Even JK Rowling isn’t sure it seems, as she apparently told Oprah not long ago that she could definitely write an eighth or a ninth book but, “I think I am done, but you never know.”
Honestly, IMO, HP does have the staying power to last 3 years (and possibly more).
And even if it didn't, I would still say build it. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has been the greatest success for Universal since 1999, when they added Islands of Adventure, CityWalk, and the resort (the hotels). I really don't see a reason why they can't build it in Hollywood.
As for my idea, now I think it makes sense to put up Forbidden Journey where the Gibson Ampitheater sits, and Flight of the Hippogriff in between that and the Waterworld site. They can put up Hogsmeade after Hippogriff, and a Dragon Challenge clone where Waterworld currently sits.
If USH were to do that, I'd be all for it. =)
Cheetah Hunt Construction:
Well, it seems like track work has shifted to the old wet portion of Rhino Rally, where the drop from the block brake and most of the canyon track has been installed recently. As of today, footers for what seem to be the third launch and the block brake have been poured. Footers have also been poured for the heartline roll. As for the third trench, rebar is going in for the footers, so looks like footer pouring will begin pretty soon in that area.
Foundations are also getting poured for the entrance theming (they started on December 16), as seen in the concept art leaked out in September, and as of today, work has begun on the entrance itself. And another thing I didn't notice was that the old Skyride sign was removed (as of July 6, when they were starting construction in the old monorail station). I actually thought it was still there, until I saw a pic from RCPro's latest update. XD
Another thing I've noticed is that some Rhino Rally props are still in the canyon (such as the big waterfall, the falling water scene, and the old jeep). Could they be reusing them for this new coaster? Hmmm...
This is REALLY starting to excite me... =D
Kentucky Kingdom New Coaster:
It seems that Ed Hart wants a B&M coaster when he reopens the park in 2012, according to one of his recent videos. Here is what Screamscape has to say about it:
Park News - (12/21/10) An interview with Ed Hart about Kentucky Kingdom has been posted to ParkThoughts. The big surprise is that Ed claims that the new coaster he wants for the park will be a B&M, though the exact type was not mentioned. With so many other B&M’s in the Ohio area (Diamondback, Mantis, Raptor) I would almost thing that Ed might want to look into a coaster design not already used in the area.
That knocks out Hypers, Stand-Ups and Inverted designs, and due to height restrictions a Dive Machine is right now as well (unless they go deep underground), so to me that leaves Floorless, Flying and the new Wing Rider style design under construction in Europe right now.
Any of these would be a good idea, but I think a really classy Flyer may be a great idea for the park, and as SeaWorld has shown with Manta, a nice intense Flyer with lots of low to the ground elements can be a fantastic addition. Plus it would blow away Firehawk at nearby Kings Island, which is always a plus.
Other news from Ed Hart included: a dedicated parking lot for the park, with free parking for guests, plus the prices of food will be competitive with outside food vendors in order to keep guests IN the park rather than leaving to eat elsewhere.
I really like the Flying Coaster idea (partially because of my love for Manta and Tatsu, which I've ridden recently at SFMM). Ed also mentions that it would go up in the old entrance area.
I'm really looking forward to how this park will be brought back from the dead. A redone Twisted Twins, a new B&M coaster, a big water park expansion... I'm just wondering what he will do with Greezed Lightning (currently sitting in the park entrance).
Either way, this is getting interesting... =) It's hard to believe that this park, which I thought would be demolished, is coming back from the dead with some great additions.
HP Phase II:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/wizarding-world-of-harry-potter/os-universal-harry-potter-20101215,0,1982334.story
When "60 Minutes" profiled Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg earlier this month, the TV piece included a look at some of Zuckerberg's personal posts online. They showed that the 26-year-old billionaire, whose website has more than 500 million users, had recently been in Orlando — visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
It was yet another jolt of publicity for Universal Orlando, which has been basking in a global spotlight since Wizarding World's formal opening in mid-June. The rides, shops and eateries themed around J.K. Rowling's beloved boy wizard have triggered a renaissance at Universal this year, snapping an extended slump and powering the resort to the strongest performance in its 20-year history.
"It has definitely exceeded our expectations," said Alice Norsworthy, Universal's executive vice president for marketing and sales.
But now, as it concludes 2010 and prepares for a new year, Universal faces a new challenge: keeping Potter's magic alive. Already, resort executives are wrestling with questions such as when to expand Wizarding World and how to keep business balanced between Islands and Universal Studios Florida — the park without Potter.
Experts say how Universal answers such questions will ultimately determine whether it is able to hold on to the gains it has made this year.
"The challenge will be to create a continuous buzz," said Abe Pizam, dean of the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management. "It's difficult to maintain the high level of [initial] interest. You have to create buzz on a regular basis."
36% attendance jump
It is difficult to overstate how dramatic Universal's turnaround has been. Last Christmas, Orlando's No. 2 theme-park resort was limping to the end of a year in which attendance tumbled by 1.3 million people to 9.3 million — its first year with fewer than 10 million visitors since Islands of Adventure opened in 1999.
This year's yuletide is far merrier. Attendance for the third quarter — which began days after Wizarding World formally opened June 18 — skyrocketed 36 percent, as Universal drew an extra 1 million people in just three months. It has continued to climb through the fall.
"I can't remember the last time anyone saw a 36 percent increase in attendance," said Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, a Cincinnati consultancy.
Wizarding World's effect has been even more pronounced in areas beyond attendance. Universal's merchandise revenue more than doubled to $48.7 million, fueled by sales of magic wands and other Potter souvenirs. Food-and-beverage sales jumped 59 percent to $43.4 million on the popularity of butterbeer. And non-theme-park revenue rose 61 percent to $48.2 million, thanks primarily to sales of vacation packages through Universal's travel unit that offered early entry to Wizarding World.
The resort's CityWalk nightlife district has benefitted, as well. When " Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" arrived in theaters last month, Universal scheduled midnight shows on all 20 screens in CityWalk's movie megaplex. The resort said every showing sold out.
Universal has had to make adjustments on the fly to manage the crowds. The resort has at times distributed to guests receipts with return times just to enter the Wizarding World section of Islands of Adventure. Inside, it halted sales of liquor over the summer so workers in the "Hog's Head" tavern could more quickly fill mugs of butterbeer.
It has faced some complaints. Some fans, for instance, have criticized the small size of Wizarding World's shops, where long lines routinely spill outside. And some experts say the limited capacity has likely cost Universal sales as frustrated guests forgo purchases.
"The undersizing was a major issue," Speigel said. "It cost them money."
But Universal executives, who call the shops "retail theater," said they were designed to look just as they are described in the Potter books and appear in Potter movies. The authenticity, they say, is what has made Wizarding World so popular in the first place.
"That's how crowded it is; that's how chaotic it is [in the books and movies]. I think that is what helps to create the demand," said John Sprouls, Universal's chief executive officer. "I don't think we have any concerns about leaving revenue on the table."
Add to Universal Studios?
Few, if any, experts expect the frenzy to subside in the immediate future.
John Puchalla, an analyst with Moody's Investors Service, predicts Universal's attendance will continue climbing by 15 percent or more through the first half of 2011. He expects it will turn slightly negative in the second half of the year — but only because Universal will be facing tough comparisons against this year's grand-opening crowds.
"We believe the attendance lift generated from the June 2010 opening of [Wizarding World] will continue for the next several years," Puchalla wrote in a research note last month.
Still, amid all the attention being paid to Potter and Islands of Adventure, Universal is taking steps to prop up Universal Studios, which is the resort's original theme park and was, until Wizarding World opened, its busiest. The resort's lowest-priced annual passes for 2011 prohibit entry to Islands of Adventure over the summer — but permit admission to Universal Studios.
Executives have also begun discussing how and when to add to Wizarding World. Among the debates: whether to add something more to Universal Studios first.
Puchalla expects Universal to spend about $80 million on construction in 2011. Though that would be significantly less than the $105 million a year it averaged from 2007 to 2010 — when it built Wizarding World in Islands and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and The Simpsons Ride in Universal Studios — it would still be about twice the annual capital spending that Universal averaged during the middle part of the decade.
Although they won't discuss specific plans, Universal executives say additions to Wizarding World will happen at some point. The resort's licensing contract with Warner Bros. requires it to incorporate elements from the final Potter films, the last of which will open in theaters in July.
"We intend to very gladly live up to all those commitments," Sprouls said.
I wonder what USF will do if they were to expand before Potter... hopefully the end of Fear Factor. >=D And maybe they will expand to that plot of land behind the Simpsons Ride (Back to the Future-themed MACK LSM anyone?).
As for one of the last sentence... I wonder if that will involve a Gringotts-themed indoor coaster, with a dragon animatronic? Hopefully so. =D And maybe a Ministry of Magic walkthrough in Poseidon Fury's place (of course, WAY better than what is currently there)? Oh yeah... *drools*
Either way, all this is making me smile... with a BIG grin! =D
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