Universal’s third major theme park is racing along in development and construction, with new attractions, shops, dining establishments, and more all taking shape behind construction barriers on Universal Boulevard, just past the current Universal Orlando Resort. Though we already have a pretty good idea of what guests will be able to experience when this brand-new extension of Universal Orlando Resort opens in 2025, some new developments have come to light in recent weeks, that will hopefully get fans even more excited about this new park!
This month has brought quite a few new developments to this project, including an updated name and logo, plus some interesting patent filings that could point to some exciting attraction names, and more information about the location for the upcoming Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion!
1. Universal updates the name of its new park and introduces a new logo
Though Universal’s newest theme park project was previously known as Universal’s Epic Universe, Universal has tweaked the name of this project slightly, and is now referring to it officially as Universal Epic Universe, without the apostrophe s. This is a pretty small change, but we’d expect that all marketing materials and eventually, merchandise, will reflect this updated moniker.
In addition to the updated name, Universal has released a new logo for the park that includes a font that matches the updated logos at Universal Orlando Resort’s other theme parks, and a starry backdrop inside the Epic Universe compass, a nod to a rumored celestial theme that will be featured inside the heart of the park.
2. Potential attraction names revealed by trademark filings
And speaking of names, Universal parent company Comcast has filed several trademarks this month that sound like they could be referring to upcoming attractions in this new theme park, including the following:
- Constellation Carousel
- Starfall Racers
- The Oak and Star Tavern
- Curse of the Werewolf
- Dark Universe
The first two names almost certainly refer to the dueling roller coaster and carousel attractions that will be at the center of the park. The third trademark is almost certainly a restaurant of some kind, and given the name, it seems likely that this is also going to be located in the center of the park.
We move out of this area for the final trademark name, Curse of the Werewolf, which will almost certainly be the Mack family spinning coaster based around the Wolf-Man character that will be located in the Universal Monsters area.
The final trademark is perhaps the most mysterious. It is likely related to the Universal Monsters area of the park, but it is unknown if the name “Dark Universe” refers to an attraction, the whole land, or something else entirely.
3. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion will feature Place Cachée in Paris and the London Ministry of Magic
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is getting its third Orlando expansion at Universal Epic Universe and it looks like park-goers will be able to see some of the sights of Paris when they enter as Twitter user Bioreconstruct has noted the construction of a copy of the Porte Saint-Denis arch in the land in recent construction photos. This likely means that the land will be based on Place Cachée, as seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
The land will also feature an attraction that transports guests to the Ministry of Magic (which is located in London) via Floo powder. Rumors indicate the attraction will be based on the flagship Harry Potter series (and not the Fantastic Beasts spinoff) and will take guests inside the sentencing of the evil Delores Umbridge at the Ministry of Magic. Reportedly, actor Imelda Staunton has signed on to reprise her role for the ride.
Not much else is known about the upcoming ride except that it features a huge show building (the biggest in the entire theme park) and is rumored to be a dark ride that will use a system similar to that of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure.
In addition to the main ride, this land will also have a live-action show inside a theater, and more wand interactivity. Originally, a VR-based ride that would have taken place at the France Ministry of Magic was also supposed to be built in this land, and though the front of the ride show building is still being constructed, the ride itself has been canceled. The space behind the facade will instead be used as an expansion pad for later attractions.
4. A reservation system similar to Walt Disney World’s could be used to manage early demand for the park
When it opens in 2025, Universal’s Epic Universe will be the most ambitious Universal theme park in the world, with new attractions that harness the most cutting-edge technology to deliver experiences that will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. And with that designation, will surely come huge crowd levels.
In an effort to manage potential throngs of guests, Universal Orlando Resort is said to be considering an online reservation system, similar to that in use at Walt Disney World. The resort sent out an online survey that gauged how respondents felt about their neighbor’s heavily-criticized reservation system, which could indicate one way the resort could manage demand during the new park’s opening period.
While a reservation system probably wouldn’t be used long-term, if guest demand during the first few months of operation is overwhelming, it may be Universal’s best option to preserve the guest experience during the park’s early days.
Though we already know a lot about what to expect from this new land, Universal will likely continue to make changes in the months to come and may even surprise us down the line with something that we were not expecting! Which part of Universal’s Epic Universe are you looking forward to the most? And do you have any predictions about the future of this upcoming theme park?
