The Biggest Universal Studios Stories of 2023
Universal Studios just experienced yet another record-shattering year.
Profits increased dramatically while park officials laid out a roadmap for what’s coming next…and where!
Here are the biggest Universal Studios stories of 2023.
Minion Land Opens
This past year, I had to whittle the list down from 15 or so to a shortlist.
For this reason, I didn’t divide most of the wonders of Minion Land into subcategories.
If I had, Minion Café would have also gained its own section. I feel a bit guilty that it didn’t because when Minion Land opened, this was THE place.
Fans marveled at the delightful kawaii trips here, and the restaurant delivers ambrosia from the gods if you’re passionate about banana flavors.
Universal leaned hard into the Minions’ obsession with this fruit, making bananas an option as snacks, entrees, drinks, and desserts.
Of course, the restaurant represents only one small part of the new themed land near the Universal Studios Florida entrance.
Simply walking through this area will make you smile, and that goes double if you play…
Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast
This park had offered a Minions ride for many years before Minion Land opened.
However, while charming, that attraction is one of Universal’s many, many, MANY motion simulation attractions.
Park officials chose to try something new for the opening of Minion Land.
Villain-Con Minion Blast
They reclaimed some space previously reserved for an ogre and turned it into a different kind of motion ride.
You board a moving sidewalk, which carries you past several interactive wall displays.
The images indicate targets you should blast with…whatever that gun-like thing is that Universal definitely doesn’t call a gun.
Villain-Con Minion Blast
The genius of this attraction comes in three forms. First, you don’t need to stand in line for a long time due to the moving sidewalk.
The throughput on Minion Blast is outrageously good. Similarly, it’s a good way to relax between more hectic park experiences. You just stand still!
Then, the third part may belie what I just said. You’ll find Minion Blast infinitely repeatable, as you’ll want to beat your previous best scores!
That aspect may impact how low energy your ride experience is, though…
Halloween Horror Nights Will Be Permanent
Death Eaters
Okay, on the off-chance you missed this headline at the time, I should clarify.
No, the Halloween Horror Nights experience at Universal Studios theme parks isn’t permanent.
That would be ridiculous, especially around Christmas.
Photo: Universal Orlando
Instead, Universal officials have agreed to license Halloween Horror Nights for a permanent installation at the upcoming Area15 expansion in Las Vegas.
The so-called Area16 doesn’t even exist yet, but after it opens, guests can spend Christmas Week screaming in terror if that’s their wish.
This experience will run daily throughout the years!
The New Theme Park in Frisco, Texas
Photo: Universal
Universal Studios didn’t stop there with its expansion plans. In fact, the Vegas HHN offering is the lesser expansion under discussion.
The big one will occur in Frisco, Texas, where Universal officials are building an entirely new theme park.
Of course, fans of thrill rides shouldn’t get their hopes up too high. My friends, you are NOT the target audience.
Photo: WFAA
Your children, nieces and nephews, and lil cousins are the ones that Universal wants to visit this park. You can even tell that by the name.
At some point over the next three years, Universal Kids Resort will open. You can read Universal’s marketing for the project here.
Then again, I can save you some effort by calibrating your expectations with this:
The Epic Universal Hotels Are Now Available to Book!
We enjoyed a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago when Universal’s business partner, Loews, accidentally leaked some news.
Attentive guests noticed that Loews was listing its two upcoming resorts at Universal Epic Universe, the thrilling theme park that opens in 2025.
Loews quickly removed the pages, presumably at the behest of Universal, who wasn’t ready to confirm anything yet.
However, once the secret had been revealed, Loews and Universal agreed to make the best of the accident.
Late in 2023, Loews added the inventory for the two resorts to its 2025 bookings.
That’s right, folks! You can now reserve a room at Loews Stella Nova Resort, which will open in January 2025.
The following month, Loews Terra Luna Resort will debut as well.
Universal has indicated that these additions don’t hint at anything regarding an Epic Universe timeline, but we’ll see…
Meet the New Boss
NBCUniversal experienced its fair share of unexpected upheaval in 2023.
The company’s CEO, Jeff Shell, faced accusations involving an inappropriate relationship with a CNBC reporter.
After the reporter ended the relationship, Shell informed the person that their contract wouldn’t be renewed. So, she lodged a complaint.
Courtesy of Julie Little/Universal Creative
In the aftermath of these events, Mike Cavanagh, the President at Comcast, NBCUniversal’s corporate owner, chose not to replace the position.
However, Universal rebranded as Universal Destinations & Experiences, and Molly Murphy came over from Gensler to handle Universal’s creative projects.
So, the upcoming experiences we referenced, like Universal Kids Resort and HHN in Vegas, will fall under her domain.
The Universal Credit Card Debuts
Finally, I know that credit cards are a bit fringe to qualify as one of the year’s biggest stories. This one’s an exception, though.
Universal has licensed official theme park credit cards. The Universal Rewards Plus Signature Visa Card will earn you cash back on purchases.
Specifically, when you visit Universal Studios, which you were likely to do anyway, you’ll get four percent back each time!
So, when you sign up for this card, it’s like you’re saving four percent during every theme park visit!
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Main image: Universal Studios
