Paige Stegina | Managing Editor
AI art's conceptual rendering of the park's layout. / Skift, 2024
Despite past delays, including the pandemic, Universal Studios has finally announced the long anticipated opening of its new park in Orlando called "Epic Universe". The planned opening date is anticipated to be in the summer of 2025. It will be located about fifteen minutes away from the pre-established park in Orlando, Universal Studios Florida. From the information that Universal has released, the park will open with the Celestial Park, which will include rides, shopping opportunities, and dining, as well as the center point for the rest of the four ‘worlds’. There will be portals that lead to each of these worlds.
The first ‘world’ is the Dark Universe, where Universal has stated that guests will be able to experience “...everything from the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein to the shadowy landscape where monsters roam in a world of myth and mystery.” The Dark Universe refers to the classic universal monster movies, such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman. The second themed area will be based on the Harry Potter Franchise. While Universal Studios features Diagon Alley and Islands of Adventure showcases Hogsmeade, Epic Universe will allow visitors to travel to the Ministry of Magic. For Mario and Luigi fans, there will be SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. Based on the success of the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD in Universal's parks in Japan and California, this is sure to captivate visitors. Finally, the How to Train Your Dragon franchise will get their representation through the Island of Berk, which will surely offer fantastic experiences of dragon flight. In addition to this, there will be the addition of more hotels, dining, and shopping.
Overall, this announcement brings excitement to those that wish to experience their favorite franchises. Many will brave the crowds and the never ending lines to be able to fly with Toothless or run alongside Mario, experience the magic of the ministry or to immerse themselves in classic horror. This announcement seems promising to a new age of Universal parks and the strong franchises that can support the visitor’s wildest imaginations.