Universal Horror Unleashed - Chicago, IL

[Viator]

Universal Horror Unleashed has been officially announced for Chicago, Illinois. Opening 2027; the new property will give Chicago 400 jobs.

 

[rageofthegods]

Huh??

I mean I'm excited but whoa!

 

[MikePat]

Let's go!

Chicago makes a lot of sense as the next city after Vegas to get one of these in America. It is one of the top U.S. markets for haunted attractions, with a massive, well-established haunt scene, probably one of the largest in the country after Los Angeles. The city's large population, strong support for seasonal entertainment, and deep talent pool in theater, film, and technical production makes it an ideal location for a year-round concept like Horror Unleashed.

 

[GAcoaster]

I figured they might wait until the first proves successful.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

Wasn’t DisneyQuest’s second location also Chicago?

 

[MikePat]

Wasn’t DisneyQuest’s second location also Chicago?

Yup........

 

[Viator]

I figured they might wait until the first proves successful.

Makes me think a second NA park for Kids isn't out of the question for popping around sooner than later.

Let's go!

Chicago makes a lot of sense as the next city after Vegas to get one of these in America. It is one of the top U.S. markets for haunted attractions, with a massive, well-established haunt scene, probably one of the largest in the country after Los Angeles. The city's large population, strong support for seasonal entertainment, and deep talent pool in theater, film, and technical production makes it an ideal location for a year-round concept like Horror Unleashed.

The more I think of it the more sense it genuinely does bring. Especially as I imagine unlike DisneyQuest Chicago, they're probably gonna bring the big guns for IP representation on this one to attract peoples interest.

Five Nights @ Freddy's and Chucky feel like prime candidates to pull people into this one.

 

[rageofthegods]

Child's Play 1 is a Chicago movie, isn't it? And I know they don't own that one but I'm pretty sure other parts of the franchise take place there.

 

[krazyhorrorkid]

Oh boy oh boy,
Jumping the gun here a little bit aren’t we guys?

What could possibly go wrong.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Well...I for one am excited and Happy Universal is doing stuff

I wish they could move in park this quickly, lol

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Cool news, wasn’t expecting this before the Vegas one opened!

 

[velocicoasterswife]

From announcement to opening, Vegas took just under two years. Are we thinking a similar timeline here?

EDIT: Didn't see the "2027" in the original post. Asked and answered!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

From announcement to opening, Vegas took just under two years. Are we thinking a similar timeline here?

Press release to news sites says 2027.

Universal bringing a new year-round experience to Chicago

Universal is bringing a new, year-round immersive experience to Chicago, the city announced -- and this one will have a whole new kind of thrill.

www.nbcchicago.com

Address is 700 W Chicago Ave, it’s across from a casino.

 

[Viator]

Child's Play 1 is a Chicago movie, isn't it? And I know they don't own that one but I'm pretty sure other parts of the franchise take place there.

They have good ties right now with MGM and Amazon too to where I imagine they could have references to the original alongside the rest of the catalogue.

__
Looking at the location, and I think I am in love with it. Feel like they have a lot of opportunity honing in on Chicago's past with this one; and I can see them going more in line with the sake of something like Dead Mans Pier mixed with Case Files for what's inside the building beyond just the walkthroughs.

 

[velocicoasterswife]

Wow, 700 W Chicago is in the city proper. There aren't even a lot of seasonal haunts that operate in transit-accessible places. This is gonna do huge local business.

 

[Clive]

Let's pump the brakes on this Chucky conversation. Just because Universal has worked with Amazon/MGM on other properties does not mean they're going to just let them use Child's Play 1. I mean, they probably would if Universal paid them a large sum of money, but why would Universal do that when they have control of the rest of the franchise?

More broadly, I admire the big swing and confidence here, but I worry this is going to be another Disney Quest.

 

[Viator]

Let's pump the brakes on this Chucky conversation. Just because Universal has worked with Amazon/MGM on other properties does not mean they're going to just let them use Child's Play 1. I mean, they probably would if Universal paid them a large sum of money, but why would Universal do that when they have control of the rest of the franchise?

Oh you misunderstand me. I am referring to having Chucky regardless of Childs Play 1 being accessible or not. I should've specified that, because of how the original film has it's Chicago ties on it's sleeve with vet characters as part of it.

That one's on me.

More broadly, I admire the big swing and confidence here, but I worry this is going to be another Disney Quest.

The more I think of it; the more I think it's actually going to be primed to do really well if they are going all-out on IP for this one. In contrast to Vegas already being tourist-driven; I think Chicago is going to need to roll up it's sleeves and not hold back on what they can offer; especially with it primed to be right up on the waterfront canals.

 

[velocicoasterswife]

Let's pump the brakes on this Chucky conversation. Just because Universal has worked with Amazon/MGM on other properties does not mean they're going to just let them use Child's Play 1. I mean, they probably would if Universal paid them a large sum of money, but why would Universal do that when they have control of the rest of the franchise?

More broadly, I admire the big swing and confidence here, but I worry this is going to be another Disney Quest.

I think Disney Quest (love it as I do) made a little less sense for a market like Chicago. There are definitely lots of kids and families here but the culture is mostly defined by young adults - the HHN crowd. Same general situation in Vegas, it's always been primed for a theme park but it's also always been hard to put a theme park there because 20-somethings flock there. That being said, Chicago's going to need to be able to cater to the local market quickly while Vegas has a little bit of a headstart with a tourist population.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

The worry is not the right clientele, but if it can support year-round operations. It’s still an open question as to if the Vegas location will be able to, and with the Chicago winter, this location will probably be DEAD through at least November-March.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

More broadly, I admire the big swing and confidence here, but I worry this is going to be another Disney Quest.

I echo the same concern, however the two business are very different. Disney Quest failed because the pace of technology was too quick for Disney to match. My main concern with Unleashed is if they see any sort of business during the non-traditional Haunt season. Maybe they can generate enough business during Sept-Oct to justify shorter operating hours during Jan-Mar (or outright temporary closure)?

The biggest benefit of having multiple locations is that they can rotate houses through each location if they wanted to. For example, Chicago can open up with a Friday the 13th house inside of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and eventually switch houses in a matter of a few months.

I am surprised by them being this bullish of the concept, would have assumed they'd wait until later this year to decide how popular Vegas is.