Disney's biggest theme park competitor arrives on China market as Universal’s Parks & Resorts CEO, Tom Williams, announced officially yesterday Universal Beijing, a $3.3 billion theme park resort property to open in 2019. Universal Beijing property 1000 acres will include in a 300 acres theme park a selection of Universal Studios beloved rides and attractions as well as rides that will reflect China's cultural heritage, a Universal CityWalk entertainment zone and a Universal-themed resort hotel. It will be the third Universal park in Asia, joining the two others in Singapore and Osaka, Japan.
But unlike the Universal Studios Japan and Singapore which were a “Franchise” deal with a local partner - just like Disney did with Oriental Land for Tokyo Disneyland - this time Comcast NBC Universal is building and will be the co-owner of the Universal Beijing theme park resort with a chinese partner, Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co. Ltd., which was formed in 2013, making it the first “foreign-owned” theme park in the Chinese capital. Universal Beijing will be located in an eastern suburb of Beijing named Tongzhou, and Universal reports that the land for the park has already been purchased last March for $300 Million.
A first bird's eye view rendering of the park has been released...
...and although Universal hasn't announced yet which rides or attractions will be include in the park we can clearly see in the artwork that Universal Beijing will have some of Universal favorite rides, with a Jurassic Park land, Wizarding World of Harry Potter - with Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley, Hogwarst Express and the two Harry Potter E-ticket rides, Revenge of the Mummy, a Shrek "Far Far Away" land, Madagascar, Transformers 3D, a coaster looking like the Hulk one at IOA but that could be themed on Men in Black like what was envisioned for the Universal Dubai theme park that never was, as usual a Hollywood Avenue at the entrance, and a hotel located right over the park entrance, just like we have at DLP with the Disneyland Paris hotel.
Click on each picture below as i've found and indicated for you each ride and attractions - at least the ones recognizable - that will include Universal Beijing!
Although it's a great news for China's theme park fans it's a serious hit for Shanghaî Disneyland which of course expect guests coming from Beijing thanks to the high speed trains between the two cities. That said, the competition won't be like in Orlando as hundred of miles will separate the two theme parks, and probably guests that will visit one park will have the desire to discover the other one. But as we know, Universal has a lot of unbelievably thrilling E-ticket rides whether it is the Revenge of the Mummy, Tansformers 3D, the two Harry Potter E-tickets, etc... so Disney better have at Shanghaî Disneyland impressive rides too, as you can be sure that chinese guests will compare the two parks. One more thing: Disney and Universal will share in common to have each one a theme park in some of the most polluted cities in the world - specially Beijing but Shanghaî is not far behind - so prepare your anti-pollution masks, folks!
Anyway, a new and exciting battle will start in 2019 between Disney and Universal, this time in China and we can't wait to see what will happen!
Pictures: copyright Universal Beijing
24 comments:
Unfortunately, Universal Germany never has been build. Would love such a park in Europe.
That castle doesn't look like Hogwarts. It's the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, right?
Long Quan, You're right, but i still put my bets that it will be a Hogwarts Castle rather than a Neuschwanstein Castle.
It looks like the area on the right just before Far, Far, Away might be Madagascar?
Also, the area on the left near Transformers might be for Despicable Me and Minion Mayhem.
most polluted and prepare for mask, are you being fuuny Frenchman? looking at some of the Disney paris attraction condition, I would say bring a safety helmet.
are you being funny or ironic alain? well looking at Disneyland paris, I would say bring a safety helmet. not to mention rude French cast members
Dear Anonymous, i was talking ONLY about the degree of AIR pollution in Beijing or Shanghaî. Even Universal’s Parks & Resorts CEO, Tom Williams admit it ( about the air pollution in Beijing ) yesterday in an interview. It doesn't mean that China or chinese are no good, it just mean that there is a real problem of air pollution in these two cities, as everyone knows.
Dear Anonymous, i was talking ONLY about the degree of AIR pollution in Beijing or Shanghaî. Even Universal’s Parks & Resorts CEO, Tom Williams admit it ( about the air pollution in Beijing ) yesterday in an interview. It doesn't mean that China or chinese are no good, it just mean that there is a real problem of air pollution in these two cities, as everyone knows.
Dear other Anonymous, i think you're right for Madagascar, and i added it on the picture. I'm less sure for Despicable Me - Minion Mayhem...
Seems odd they'd go through the expense to build Kings Cross, to not include the Hogwart's Express attraction -- but with the two stations literally side by side there, there's no purpose for the ride itself.
disneyphenom, who said they won't have the Hogwarts Express? As you can see on the picture we see the rail track for it, so yes, there will be a Hogwarts Express...
It makes a pretty picture, but what a nightmare layout! A crowded amphitheater to the left of the entrance corridor? A huge blank wall to walk around to the right....to eventually get to... Madagasgar? Then see some castley stuff before leading every single guest across a tiny bridge and into Jurassic park jungle. Another European castle. Squeeze through that section into ancient Egypt....then onto more English castle action again. Suddenly that all becomes a techy area and presumably some Americana.
Incredibly bad people flow, with whiplash redundant theming.
Smarter to integrate the two Africa-related zones with Jurassic. Then play the silly Shrek castle stylings with the serious Harry Potter scapes together in the center section. Seems like CityWalk should relate to the Hulk/Trasformer areas (making for easy egress to dinner places).
As illustrated, each guest would have to walk a LONG way around the whole place to get anywhere specific.
Imagine trying to get through the crowds at that amphitheater....doesn't look like you can get around it.
Who would have any energy left to get all that way back to CityWalk across that vast plaza and single bridge?
I'm always surprised that Universal still doesn't have a land of horrors for their classic monsters. I'd find a way to integrate Draculas castle and Frankensteins village as offshoots of that same collection of castles. Mummy and Invisible man laboratories fitted into the dystopian big city scape of Hulk/transformers. Surely a Black Lagoon would fit right into an inlet along Jarassics jungle.
Apparently Steven Speilberg helped design the place?
So much required nodding to Chinese traditions, but where in the design does that show?
Ok. Everything sounds great but... It's he same line-up of the other US parks. Anything 100% new? It's jus t a copy and paste of the great Universal e-tickets rides (That won't be as impressive as today at 2019, but I supposed that the chinese versions will be upgraded, of course).
I really miss new and exclusive things/lands/rides for U Shangai.
(The idea of U.Monsters Land is excellent. Maybe if the project of making a shared universe movies remakes Marvel-style, with the Uni Monsters, becomes a reality...)
Ivan J.
Does it mean Universal Studios Korea is dead and buried?
I guessed no Hogwart's Express, as there's no point with the two stations being a few feet from one another.
What I find interesting about this concept art is that they tried to imitate Disney's Shanghai park with its water in the front, a big open entrance after the gates and then they added fireworks in the background as if Beijing needs fireworks shooting off daily creating more pollution
ummmmm? What's the blue track to the left of Hogwarts Castle? (and to the right of the Mummy?)
Ok other items no one has commented on so far:
Small coaster to the right of Far Far Away (puss in boots a la Singapore?)
What the hell are those items in FRONT of the biggest building on the map, the one to the behind and to the right of the HPatFJ ride building. Are those SNAKES? A new proprietary Slytherin ride?
Is that a Carousel in the open plaza in front of Madagascar?
is that a Spinner ride (think one fish two fish) in front of the unknown and NON African themed building to the ride and beyond the Madagascar building?
What the Hell is the building to the right as you enter from the main plaza, which appears to have a similar African themed Tower (turret) piece. Can't think of ANY existing Uni park attraction that would fit that building size, and location.
Is there any STUNT show building? Could that be the building to the right of Madagascar? Think Sinbad in Orlando
Could that be the Simpsons Ride/ Springfield to the right of Transformers and the left of the entrance?
Perhaps the reason the castle doesn't look like Hogswarts is because JK Rowlings hasn't signed off on it?
The building to the right of Transformers could be Simpsons, because the structures in front of that are of the color scheme to match the Simpsons food outlets. However the building is definitely NOT the right shape to be a standard Back to the Future converted to Simpsons Omnimax building.
Hogwarts isn't in the picture because they're probably attempting to keep it disguised before their official attraction announcement
They should build one in the UK. The whole weather is a problem is just a sentence said mostly by Americans. Europeans would still flock to it regardless.
Besides, it's about time Harry Potter came home. We have the tour but it's quite disappointing.
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