Universal has made some pretty big announcements this month, revealing the first several houses for Halloween Horror Nights, confirming this year’s retro-themed Summer Tribute Store, and allowing the first guests into the all-new DreamWorks land. However, when it comes to the future of Universal Orlando Resort, there are still a lot of things we don’t know.
If you believe the rumor mill, there is a ton happening behind the scenes that simply hasn’t been announced. From a rumor about a potential Halloween Horror Nights House to potential attraction closures, here are all the rumors swirling around Universal Orlando Resort that we can’t ignore!
1. Ghostbusters will be a big part of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights
Universal Studios Florida is going all-in on Ghostbusters this summer, with the legendary IP heavily featured in this summer’s throwback Tribute store and appearing as part of the new Universal Mega Movie Parade, which will be marching across the park in July.
However, according to well-placed rumors, the Ghostbusters will be sticking around after summertime, with a new house inspired by the franchise appearing as part of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. This wouldn’t be the first time Ghostbusters has been a part of Halloween Horror Nights, but instead of just repeating the house from 2019, the new house could potentially pull in elements from the new “Frozen Empire” film, which was released earlier this year.
Universal has been making Halloween Horror Nights announcements about new houses all week, so if this rumor is actually true, we’ll probably be hearing about it in just a few days!
2. Fast and the Furious: Supercharged will go seasonal this fall before closing forever sometime in the future
Though Fast and Furious: Supercharged typically is a year-round attraction, 2024 will be a little different as the ride will be temporarily closed during Halloween Horror Nights from August 19 through November 3, 2024. Now while this temporary closure could simply be a cost-saving measure, some have hypothesized that this is the beginning of the end for this attraction, which could re-open during the holiday season and stay open for part of 2025 before closing forever while Universal re-imagines something else for this space.
Interestingly, there have been no rumors about what could replace this attraction, but perhaps Universal is looking to finally be rid of what many theme park fans consider to be the worst theme park ride in history, and will worry about a replacement at a later date.
3. The Simpsons Ride (and Springfield as a whole) are on borrowed time
And speaking of closings, looking several years into the future, many are predicting that the Springfield area of Universal Studios Florida, which currently houses The Simpsons Ride, Kang and Kodos’ Twirl ‘n Hurl, and a number of shops and restaurants, will be closing forever in the next few years.
Last year it was reported that Universal was looking to potentially phase out The Simpsons Ride at both Universal Studios Florida as well as Universal Studios Hollywood by letting their contract to use the Simpsons license expire in 2028. And while that is still quite a long way off, rumors suggest that plans have accelerated to bring something new to the area, with a closure potentially happening early next year following the busy Halloween Horror Nights and holiday period.
So what could be replacing Springfriend? While nothing is confirmed, Universal is reportedly considering building a Pokémon-themed area here, with a cloned version of the dark ride that is currently planned to replace the now-closed Spider-Man ride Universal Studios Japan anchoring the land, as well as interactive areas where guests can catch their own Pokémon.
While it will definitely be some time before we hear more about this rumor, Universal potentially moving up the timeline for this change is very interesting, and might help disperse Epic Universe crowds during its first few years, if true.
