Epic Universe’s attraction list is already wide and varied, from family-friendly coasters to very spooky monster adventures and a carousel that’s magical while lit up at night. For months now, thanks to an intriguingly placed comment from a Universal executive, there’s been an idea bandied about that plans are already in the works to expand the still-new theme park, and now it seems this may be happening in myriad ways. Let’s run them down.
First, it looks like Harry Potter fans may have something new to rejoice about in the coming months.
If you’ve been to the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic section of Epic Universe, the french-theming is on point, and there are plenty of attractions, from the ever-popular crepe shop, to the hidden gem Le Goblet Noir, to the big rides and shows, and even the shopping and (wand-friendly) window displays. There’s so much to do, you might have missed the fact the area seems to have some space that feels extremely empty, and now there’s interesting evidence the space specifically may be expanding.
We’ve discussed this a bit in the past, but we now know Universal is expecting to spend millions on an undisclosed project that seems as if it will be located directly by the already built Ministry of Magic attraction. Blog Mickey did some sleuthing, and based on two permits approved by Orlando, the project looks to be the 150,000 square foot expansion that. Permits filed anticipate $14.3 million for site work and an additional $9.4 million for foundation work.
Just to give you an idea of the size of this, the entirety of the theme park is 750 acres. There are five lands at Epic, which means roughly 150 acres per land (though not divided equally). This square foot expansion would be roughly, but not quite, 3.5 acres. So it’s big, but not giant.
Whatever it is, it will cost a pretty penny. Yet, considering a ride like The VelociCoaster cost around $300 million to bring to life (that’s including the insane raptor animatronics), and the entirety of Epic Universe cost like $7 billion to create, if this does end up being the “massive expansion” fans are expecting – mostly due to the size of the space – I’d assume much more money will be spent over the long haul. Or it could just be a big space with smaller stuff within it, as CinemaBlend’s own Dirk Libbey previously hedged.
Universal’s keeping everything pretty tight-lipped at this point, but permits are reportedly now “ready to issue,” so as they say in Almost Famous, “it’s all happening.” In fact, though, there’s a second round of permits surrounding an 87.2-acre plot two miles from the property, as well, with Internet chatter hedging another hotel may be going in.
I think pretty much everyone would love to see more attractions at Epic over the long haul. This isn’t just a fan thing, either, as Jon M. Chu said he’d love to see a Wicked land at some point. We already know the theme park has been a cash cow for Universal Orlando, but wait times can also be extremely long. Plus, there are so few attractions right now, it’s a big deal when one of them is down for the count for days or even weeks. In a few years, and with a few additions, I think the entire experience will go from pretty dang great to near perfection, and it looks like the company is ready to move toward that goal.
