1. Universal Studios Escape (Orlando, Florida)
Back in the late 1990s, Universal had ambitious plans for its Orlando resort. After a disastrous opening year, Universal Studios Florida had established itself as a popular destination for visitors to Central Florida. The company's creative teams - who had never built a major ride before the Florida park opened - could now rival Disney's Imagineers. Plans were announced for a second theme park, Islands of Adventure, as well as luxury on-site hotels and the CityWalk area. Walt Disney World - in the midst of building its fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom - was about to have some serious competition.
Islands of Adventure would open in 1999, with the resort being rebranded as Universal Studios Escape. But Universal didn't plan to stop there. It acquired 2,000 acres of land from Lockheed Martin close to the Orange County Convention Center, where it planned to install two 18-hole golf courses, 700 time-share units and hotels boasting no fewer than 13,000 rooms. A second CityWalk-style retail area was also part of the plans.
Most intriguingly, though, Universal Creative had also begun working on a third theme park concept for the land. One that, according to reports at the time, would be aimed at children (a market underserved by Universal's current attractions). Universal was about to take on Disney at its own game, right in its backyard. It wouldn't stop there, either - there were even proposals for a fourth theme park by 2010, bringing Universal Orlando up to parity with Walt Disney World.
The new theme parks would be located right across the way from the convention center, providing a potentially huge audience. Orange County even ponied up $69 million to buy 230 acres of land from Universal, to enable the center to expand itself.
There were the usual battles between Universal and local residents, who were worried about the the impact the expansion plans would have on traffic and noise levels. Eventually, though, authorities cleared the way for Universal to begin developing the land. As a sop to residents, the theme parks would be built in the middle, and not at the edge of the property as originally intended.
First, though, Universal had a major clear-up operation on its hands. For nearly four decades, the land had been used by Lockheed Martin as a missile-testing site. It was contaminated by toxic waste (some 83 tons of the stuff, including lethal carcinogens), and the bill to prepare it for the expansion would run into tens of millions of dollars. The money raised by selling the portion of land to Orange County was to be used to help fund this effort.
Parkpedia.
In the meantime, Islands of Adventure opened to rave reviews...and sparse attendance. The marketing campaign behind Universal Studios Escape had been a disaster, with many blaming the confusing name for suggesting that Universal Studios Florida was still the only theme park on the site. The resort was hastily renamed to the Universal Orlando Resort, a much clearer moniker that has stood the test of time.
Unfortunately, the clean-up operation on the Lockheed Martin land was not straightforward, and costs soon began to spiral. Not only that, but Universal Orlando's then part-owner, Vivendi, was struggling financially by 2004. Despite having spent an estimated $40 million on preparing the site, Vivendi instructed Universal's management to sell it. This they did, to Thomas Enterprises, a developer based in Georgia. Since then, portions of it have been developed, and a host of plans have been put forward (but not pursued) for other sections.
The fortunes of the struggling Universal Orlando Resort were transformed by two major events: the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010, and its acquisition by cable giant Comcast. Its new owner has committed to spending big money on the Universal Orlando Resort every year, as well as adding thousands of hotel rooms.
Rumors are once again circulating about a third theme park. The reality, though, is that unless something major changes, Universal Orlando probably doesn't have room for a third, full-sized theme park. Maybe a boutique park, or a small water park. But a full-blown theme park, complete with additional parking? It would require incredibly innovative use of Universal's land, and may simply be impossible.
Does that completely rule out a third gate forever? No. But Universal may have to look at alternative options - such as acquiring land elsewhere, and creating a two-center resort (three, counting Wet 'n' Wild). In the meantime, its efforts are likely to be focusing on reworking and enhancing its existing parks, which still have plenty of scope for improvement.
Comments
I heard that the talks with the Tolkien estate was for when the Marvel contract with Disney ended. Disney is not expected to renew the contact and Universal will have to close the Marvel area.