More than two months after the grand opening of Epic Universe, Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, continues to tease the expansion of Universal’s newest theme park. The first mention of plans to expand Epic Universe came weeks before the grand opening of the theme park when Karen Irwin, President & COO of Universal Orlando Resort, shared that plans are in the works for the first expansion at Universal Epic Universe. Here’s the latest!
Epic Universe Expansion
Before we take a look at Woodbury’s comments, here’s what Irwin said about Universal’s plans for expansion at not only Epic Universe, but all of its theme parks in Orlando.
There are already so many things in the works now. We have a slate of new attractions that were already in development for every one of our parks. We’re already planning for the next thing at Epic!
In the overview below of Epic Universe from friend of the site Bioreconstruct, we can see some dirt and grassy areas around the perimeter of Epic Universe that are ripe for expansion. There are 4 or 5 expansion pads in place, ready to be developed. That said, Universal also wants to get it right. Epic Universe has a solid lineup of attractions so far, and rushing out a new land or attraction right away may not make a lot of sense.
That said, there are issues at the park that are leading to high wait times, and the number of attractions currently open at the park could be playing a factor.
Here’s what Mark Woodbury told reporters during a meeting at Epic Universe. The quote from Woodbury was first reported by USA Today, and recently picked up by THR.
What you can’t see sitting here are all the expansion areas that are outside the spaces that you can see. There’s a lot of room for expansion. We’re already thinking about how that plays out, and it’s the same on the north end of the campus, new attractions coming, new intellectual property coming.
While details remain under wraps for what the expansions could be, fan speculation has run rampant. Leading contenders include expansions to the Harry Potter land, expansions to the Super Nintendo World, expansions to the Dark Universe land, or something completely new.
It looks like Universal will not be wasting any time, with permits already filed for work related to a 40,000 square foot expansion plot. The area is listed as “Project 915” and could be related to a relatively smaller space between Celestial Park shopping and Super Nintendo World.
The buildout of Epic Universe expansion areas would be best measured in decades, not years. Universal also has plans to improve its other two theme parks, with work already underway on a replacement for the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket attraction in Universal Studios Florida, and plenty of rumors swirling about other projects in that park and, to a lesser extent, the Islands of Adventure theme park.
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