Universal Studios going to lean hard into nostalgia?

[ragerunner]

So Universal Studios has been leaning into nostalgia pretty hard recently. From Jaws 50th, the nighttime show, the parade, tribute store, fan fest nights (Hollywood), and merchandise.

Are we about to see them take it to another level? Could we see a new lineup of updated nostalgic rides.

A Ghostbusters coaster (pretty high chance at this point), an updated version of Back to the Future in the Simpsons land and maybe an indoor boat ride themed to Jaws in the current fast and furious building.

Do these franchises have the strength to carry the park with major investments in them?

 

[bdubsCEO]

I wouldn’t even call it “nostalgia” as much as it is leaning into their huge catalog of timeless movies that are beloved by every generation. I’d even consider something like the ‘99 Mummy part of that list. But yeah, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they want this to be a big part of their brand identity and park strategy.

At least at USH, there’s as much or more merchandise for these evergreen movies than there is for newer stuff. Obviously there’s plenty of room for both new and old stuff, but I’m really hoping they lean even harder into this.

Isn’t Supercharged all but confirmed to be replaced by Hill Valley and a completely new BTTF ride? I think a few weeks ago one of the “holy grail” leakers said that’s the plan. Honestly I can’t see Jaws coming back, it could work as a POTC style indoor ride but Jaws largely takes place during the day on the open sea and I feel like it would be really hard to recreate that indoors.

 

[UNIrd]

I think it's also the fact that we're in a different time and Universal spent a lot of their time removing classics to replace it with what's popular. These theme park attractions are a huge investment and expected to stand the test of time. And let's face it: thanks to the power of nostalgia, what they removed still sells plenty of merch, if not more than what's currently in place.

But also, some of these properties never stopped being relevant. And thanks to streaming, Back To The Future, Jaws, and Ghostbusters films can just as easily be a mainstay on the Top 10 of Netflix as other new releases.

So I love that Universal is trying to help make room for these IPs back in the parks again. The way they design for lands now and not standalone attractions, a Universal Creative building USF today would easily include a Hill Valley and Amity in their lineup.

 

[Legacy]

Except for Jaws and BTTF, name a Universal franchise that has NOT had a new entries in the last thirty years worthy of a theme park attraction. If we’re talking Universal nostalgia… let’s get nostalgic.

The idea of “Universal nostalgia” applies to such a small number of attractions and IPs. Compared to Disney, which literally has dozens of legacy IPs that have been waiting for attractions for years, Universal simply doesn’t. People complained about Bourne coming because it was too “old.” HTTYD had the same complaints for Epic.

The F&F IP replacement isn’t “confirmed” to be any IP yet. People want it to be BTTF. But I think that’s because people just miss BTTF and Universal fans (IMO) largely struggle to see the potential in anything other than what they’ve already seen.

Fans miss BTTF and they miss Jaws. And that’s fine. The issue is that new versions will never live up to the high quality of nostalgia itself. Further, I don’t think bringing them back as “new” attractions is the answer. If anything, bringing back IPs that were already attractions showcases a limitation to what Universal actually has they can use.

 

[belloq87]

Except for Jaws and BTTF, name a Universal franchise that has NOT had a new entries in the last thirty years worthy of a theme park attraction. If we’re talking Universal nostalgia… let’s get nostalgic.

The idea of “Universal nostalgia” applies to such a small number of attractions and IPs. Compared to Disney, which literally has dozens of legacy IPs that have been waiting for attractions for years, Universal simply doesn’t. People complained about Bourne coming because it was too “old.” HTTYD had the same complaints for Epic.

The F&F IP replacement isn’t “confirmed” to be any IP yet. People want it to be BTTF. But I think that’s because people just miss BTTF and Universal fans (IMO) largely struggle to see the potential in anything other than what they’ve already seen.

Fans miss BTTF and they miss Jaws. And that’s fine. The issue is that new versions will never live up to the high quality of nostalgia itself. Further, I don’t think bringing them back as “new” attractions is the answer. If anything, bringing back IPs that were already attractions showcases a limitation to what Universal actually has they can use.

My counterpoint to this would be that JAWS and BACK TO THE FUTURE are at the very top of the list of the best films (certainly of the crowd-pleasing variety) that Universal has ever made*, and the flagship park bearing the studio's name should probably heavily feature two of its greatest cinematic accomplishments.

And if the Universal IP cupboard is verging on bare without the "nostalgic" properties, I don't see that as an argument for not using them.

* I'd go even further with JAWS, and would contend it belongs in the debate about the best movie of all time, period.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

My counterpoint to this would be that JAWS and BACK TO THE FUTURE are at the very top of the list of the best films (certainly of the crowd-pleasing variety) that Universal has ever made*, and the flagship park bearing the studio's name should probably heavily feature two of its greatest cinematic accomplishments.

And if the Universal IP cupboard is verging on bare without the "nostalgic" properties, I don't see that as an argument for not using them.

* I'd go even further with JAWS, and would contend it belongs in the debate about the best movie of all time, period.

Not actually a Universal property but Terminator will always be in a three-way tie with Jaws and BttF for my second all-time favorite ride at this park.

Legacy is correct that any new iteration would likely disappoint.

 

[GA-MBIT]

I don't think these additions have to be rooted in nostalgia for it's own sake. I greatly welcome attractions based on newer IP, but huge headlining attractions that need to last decades into the future should more often than not be based on IP that are proven and evergreen.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Super Mario Bros Movie, Wicked, even Trolls are very new Universal films that are built on legacies that range from 25 to over 100 years in age. They would be seen as contemporary and modern additions, but building a coaster themed to the Troll doll IP or a themed environment meant to look like Oz is something that could have theoretically happened anytime in the last 50 years.

I agree that there is fiercer desire to see BTTF, Ghostbusters, and Jaws return because it's stuff we've already seen before. I don't see that as a valid reason why they shouldn't do it again. How many Yellow Brick Road's have been built in theme parks over the decades? We've had Shrek rides for decades, should his new Swamp not have been built last year? Even if the park is much better for it?

I'm open to new concepts and IP being used. I would love to see Pokemon or LotR or something I can't even imagine yet. But I can't begrudge someone for wanting a BTTF coaster, a Ghostbusters dark ride, a Jaws restaurant, or a Spongebob land simply because it's already been done. Universal is known for these IP, and they're incredible IP with a ton of potential, that's why they were used in the first place. I would love to see this stuff return in a new and improved form at some point in the future.

 

[Lucky Planet]

My counterpoint to this would be that JAWS and BACK TO THE FUTURE are at the very top of the list of the best films (certainly of the crowd-pleasing variety) that Universal has ever made*, and the flagship park bearing the studio's name should probably heavily feature two of its greatest cinematic accomplishments.

And if the Universal IP cupboard is verging on bare without the "nostalgic" properties, I don't see that as an argument for not using them.

* I'd go even further with JAWS, and would contend it belongs in the debate about the best movie of all time, period.

40 years of movie history and universal doesn't have anything great or iconic to make a ride lololol

 

[belloq87]

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Super Mario Bros Movie, Wicked, even Trolls are very new Universal films that are built on legacies that range from 25 to over 100 years in age. They would be seen as contemporary and modern additions, but building a coaster themed to the Troll doll IP or a themed environment meant to look like Oz is something that could have theoretically happened anytime in the last 50 years.

Inserting my periodic request for a THE LAST WISH ride.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Inserting my periodic request for a THE LAST WISH ride.

I love Last Wish but it's a bit sad that a spin off is likely going to be far superior to Shrek 5.

 

[belloq87]

I love Last Wish but it's a bit sad that a spin off is likely going to be far superior to Shrek 5.

Let's just be glad we got a movie as good as THE LAST WISH in the first place! It can stand on its own.