Why this rumor holds little-to-no weight...

First and foremost it’s important to remember that any and all rumors surrounding Spielberg’s apparent refusal to accept the removal of E.T. Adventure stem from speculation and speculation alone. Nothing has ever been officially reported that suggests Spielberg has told Universal that they must keep E.T. open, nor that the director would have any grounds to pull his other remaining property in the event that they did so. Should any stipulations such as this even exist, they would likely only be the knowledge of Spielberg and the top heads of the studio, with the nature of the contract also likely to be tightly secured under NDAs. 

Perhaps most notable when dismissing this rumor is that Orlando’s E.T. Adventure now stands as the only remaining iteration of this attraction in the world after both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan’s versions officially closed their doors to guests in 2003 and 2009, respectively. Both Hollywood and Japan’s attractions have since been replaced with non-Spielberg adjacent properties, with no fallout from the director as a result. Similarly, Jaws: The Ride, another attraction based on a Spielberg property, was closed in Universal Orlando in 2012 to make way for the park’s incredibly popular Diagon Alley expansion, another change that was not blocked (or retaliated to) by Spielberg. 

Timing is also key here when speculating what may be at ‘risk’, particularly when considering the rumor that forecasts the loss of Jurassic Park River Adventure as a result of E.T’s closure. Spielberg’s contract with Universal began in 1987, pre-dating the 1999 opening of the Jurassic Park section (and also Islands of Adventure as a whole), therefore, the original contract could not bind Jurassic Park, or anything over in Islands of Adventure for that matter, as collateral for E.T, since neither even existed yet. 

Rumors have also stated that Spielberg is particularly protective of E.T Adventure as it stands as the last of his properties to remain on the Universal Studios side, but this is unlikely to be the case. Given his on-going involvement with the creation of Universal Parks, including the most recent addition to their global lineup, Universal Studios Beijing, which had its grand opening last year, one can assume that Spielberg has had somewhat of a hand in much of Universal Orlando’s fourth gate, Epic Universe and its conception. When considering this, it’s important to note Spielberg’s involvement with DreamWorks, which he co-founded back in 1994, before 2016 saw Comcast (the parent company of Universal) buy DreamWorks, with Spielberg still holding 4.6 million shares of the company. 

This fourth gate is heavily expected to include a How To Train Your Dragon themed land, one of DreamWorks’ most beloved properties, while Universal also continues to expand DreamWorks’ presence in Universal Studios Florida and Universal Island's Of Adventure. Not only this, but with Spielberg having served as executive producer on Men in Black, as well as seven of the Transformers films, E.T. is far from the last property in Universal Studios that has Spielberg’s fingerprints all over it. Although not directly Spielberg properties, ties such as these within the parks ensure that echoes of the director’s legacy will continue to be felt throughout the Universal parks, even once E.T. has closed. 

Ultimately, as a Universal property, E.T. Adventure’s fate is not dependent on Spielberg’s final say. While Spielberg may be the face of the attraction and have, naturally, become synonymous with the E.T. film, Universal have the last word when it comes to the fate of the ride and will close E.T. Adventure whenever they see fit.

So what does this mean for E.T. Adventure's future?...