In a new video ahead of the grand opening of Epic Universe, Karen Irwin, President & COO of Universal Orlando pitches their three theme parks, water park, entertainment district, and hotels as a destination resort. She also reveals that Universal is already looking down the road, beyond Epic Universe at what’s next in 2026 and beyond.
This is the latest in a line of recent appearances aimed at both generating excitement about Universal Orlando, and cementing it as an equal to Walt Disney World worthy of vacation time, and not just a diversion. We’ll cover that over the course of this post, but let’s start with Irwin’s quote about Universal Orlando’s future expansion plans:
“There are already so many things in the works now. We have a slate of new attractions that were already in development on for every one of our parks. We’re already planning the next thing at Epic!”
This follows a recent piece in the New York Times, “Universal’s Theme Parks, Long in Disney’s Shadow, Expand at Dizzying Pace.” The article is essentially what the headline suggests, spelling out how Universal is going after Disney with new parks in Florida and Texas. plus expansion elsewhere and new attractions at its existing gates.
The short version of the story is that when Mark Woodbury became Universal’s theme park chief in 2022, he saw an even bigger opportunity to lift Universal out of Disney’s shadow after the theme parks had become a surprise growth engine for NBCUniversal. “How do we become the destination of choice in each of the markets that we operate in and in all of the markets that we choose to expand into?” he said during an interview with NYT.
This is not hyperbole. Universal is in the midst of unprecedented expansion, even before Epic Universe. The company opened another fully-fledged theme park, Universal Studios Beijing, just a few years ago. In addition to Epic Universe, the Florida complex has debuted several hotels and new attractions in recent years.
Then there’s the upcoming Universal Kids Resort in Texas, new permanent Halloween Horror Nights-style experience in Las Vegas, and recently-opened Super Nintendo Worlds in California and Osaka, Japan. Universal also has plans for “Wicked” attractions, expansion in Hollywood, and a major park for Britain, too.
“We’re going to roll these out across the country and the world,” Woodbury told the NYT when describing the cheaper regional concepts slated for Las Vegas and Texas. With regard to Epic Universe, he hopes to reverse a longstanding business dynamic with Walt Disney World. Woodbury wants families to view the Universal Orlando Resort as a weeklong destination and not just a one- or two-day add-on to a Disney vacation. “We want people to think of us first,” he said.
The clear takeaway from recent media is that NBCUniversal has high expectations for Epic Universe, sees ample opportunities for further growth of its theme park business, and will continue to move aggressively to capture more market share from Disney (something that has already happened in the last decade).
Turning to commentary, this sentiment doesn’t surprise me in the least. Universal leadership expressing this now also doesn’t mean it’ll happen. So much hinges Epic Universe and how well it’s received upon opening. Specifically, whether its first couple of seasons exceed investor expectations or fall short. Not whether fans like it or if Universal executives do a public victory lap, both of which are givens.
In many ways, the debut of Epic Universe reminds me of the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Obviously, the scale and scope are bigger–but so too are the stakes. Regardless of statements at the time by The Bobs, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge fell short of internal expectations. There’s a reason why we never heard another word about Galaxy’s Edge coming to Paris, as it was shelved before COVID.
If you can remember that far back, you might recall rumors that other projects for Walt Disney World were already on thin ice–or nixed entirely–pre-COVID. Obviously, the closures exacerbated everything and resulted in a lot more cancellations, but it’s not really the point to relitigate the impact of COVID on Disney’s expansion. It’s that what Universal is planning today could end up being very different based on how the first year goes with Epic Universe. I’m not suggesting a preemptive cutback–I’m saying that the range of outcomes is still unknown. Ambitions could be scaled down…or ramped up. Both are possible!
Whether it actually occurs or not–and regardless of ambition levels–expansion and reimaginings need to happen at Universal Orlando.
I’ve yet to experience it, so obviously I cannot speak to the “need” for more attractions at Epic Universe. On paper, the ride roster does look on the light side to me, but that’s fairly typical of new theme parks post-Euro Disneyland. The only recent exception to this has been Shanghai Disneyland, which was an anomaly.
Otherwise, the same criticism could be levied at Hong Kong Disneyland, Animal Kingdom, Disney California Adventure, and even the beloved Tokyo DisneySea at opening. Heck, you could make the same critique about Animal Kingdom today, over two decades after it opened. Epic Universe does have plenty of expansion pads between its worlds, and I suspect at least one of those will be put to use before 2030. Honestly, I’m more curious as to whether they’ll have to address crowd flow constraints first.
Expansion at Epic Universe strikes me as a good ‘problem’ to have. If that’s fast-tracked, it’ll presumably be that the park is such a smash success that it needs more to help absorb crowds and increase capacity. It’ll be due to overwhelming demand and concerns about Universal leaving money on the table, not the other way around. Kind of like what we’re currently seeing at Magic Kingdom, but with a new park instead of a 50+ year old one.
On the other hand, redevelopment at the two existing gates, especially Universal Studios Florida, is imperative. It needs to happen, and as soon as possible.
Whenever fans hype up Epic Universe and claim that it’s going to be what puts Universal Orlando over the top to claim Walt Disney World’s throne, or whatever, I can’t help but wonder when they last visited Universal Studios Florida. To describe several of its lands as in need of refreshes would be an understatement. It makes Tomorrowland at Disneyland look like a pretty good land. Dino-Rama would be right at home in USF. (Okay okay, perhaps that’s going too far.)
Universal Studios Florida has received a couple of placemaking projects in recent years, neither of which are anything special. Incremental improvements accomplished quickly and cheaply, so at least there’s that. Islands of Adventure is generally in better shape with a better ride roster and superior placemaking, but similar (albeit much more restrained) criticisms could be levied at that park, too.
The “problem” that Universal Orlando is going to have is that, the better Epic Universe is, the worse the two existing theme parks will look by comparison. The current plan is to push pricey vacation packages to “force” people to visit Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, but that’ll only work for so long.
Eventually, organic demand is going to do its thing. And it’s safe to say that, when that does happen, attendance at Universal Studios Florida and (to a lesser extent) Islands of Adventure will drop for a couple of years. There will be some cannibalization of attendance, which is to be expected.
How bad it’ll be probably depends on the quality disparity between Epic Universe and the existing gates, word of mouth among tourists who visit Universal Orlando for the first time in the next couple of years, what Universal Orlando does in the meantime to help entice guests to USF and IoA, and what Walt Disney World does to capture those same tourists’ time and dollars.
We already know that Rip Ride Rockit is being replaced. It’s also our understanding that Universal Orlando intends upon returning to its cadence of an annual new major opening. This is consistent with recent precedent prior to Epic Universe, and with what executives have suggested on earnings calls and in interviews. It’s also what Walt Disney World will be doing once again starting in 2027. There’s every reason to believe the competitors will adopt a similar approach. Epic Universe will be the marketable draw in Central Florida for a couple of years, but Universal obviously doesn’t want their pipeline running dry as Disney starts bringing new attractions and lands online.
There are rumors that Springfield is next on the chopping block, to be replaced by a Pokémon-themed area. Without knowing anything or having any insider connections, my guess is that Universal Orlando will move as quickly as possible to build new Nintendo attractions in each of the existing parks. Nintendo is going to be the marquee draw that gets families booking trips to Orlando, so Universal might as well borrow a page from its own Harry Potter playbook and spread Nintendo out among all 3 gates. That’s a lot more effective of a way to entice tourists to visit all three parks than forcing them to buy packages. Gotta catch ’em all!
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the ambitious plans for additions at Universal Orlando? Expect it’ll be full steam ahead on expansion and redevelopment at Epic Universe, Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment about the need for new attractions and refreshed areas at the two existing gates? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!