 | |
| Formerly | Universal Parks & Resorts |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Theme park |
| Founded | July 15, 1964; 61 years ago (1964-07-15)[1] |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida[2] |
Number of locations | 5 |
Area served | China,Japan,Singapore,United States |
Key people | Mark Woodbury (CEO) |
| Services | Theme parks,hotel lodging, travel packages, attraction design,licensing,Hotels,entertainment,Resorts |
| Owner | Comcast |
Number of employees | 29,000 (2024) |
| Parent | NBCUniversal |
| Subsidiaries | Universal Studios Hollywood[3] Universal Orlando Resort[3] Universal Studios Japan[4] Universal Studios Singapore Universal Beijing Resort Universal Kids Resort Universal Horror Unleashed Universal Creative[3] |
| Website | www |
Universal Destinations & Experiences[a] (UDX),[5] formerlyUniversal Parks & Resorts, is thetheme park unit ofNBCUniversal, a subsidiary ofComcast.[6]
The company, headquartered inOrlando, Florida, operates Universal theme parks and resort properties around the world. Universal Destinations & Experiences is widely known for its wide range of attractions, themed lands, and other experiences that draw inspiration from popular classic and modernpop culture icons andintellectual properties in various media, both from NBCUniversal andthird-party companies across all Universal parks.
It started as a touring attraction in the 1910s at theUniversal Studios Lot inUniversal City nearLos Angeles,California, and in 1964 turned into aUniversal Studios Hollywood theme park destination, where guests can look behind the scenes of motion pictures and television programs, produced byUniversal Pictures and occasionally others, and ride attractions based on feature films and television shows. The popularity of Universal Studios Hollywood had led Universal to build parks in Florida and overseas.
In 2017, approximately 49,458,000 guests visited Universal Studios theme parks, making it the third-largest amusement park operator in the world.[7] It is a major competitor ofDisney Experiences,Six Flags,United Parks & Resorts,Herschend,Parques Reunidos, andMerlin Entertainments. In August 2020, a report released by Deutsche Bank revealed thatUniversal Orlando Resort had surpassedWalt Disney World Resort in total attendance in the first months after both resorts reopened during the globalCOVID-19 pandemic. This came after Universal reopened its parks in June 2020 and Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020 with capacity modifications, according to the report.[8]
On March 8, 2023, Universal Parks and Resorts CEO Mark Woodbury announced that they would be rebranding the division to "Universal Destinations and Experiences".[9]
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Parks are opened,
Parks are in progress of build,
Owned byGenting Group, licensed from NBCUniversal,
Parks are in planning phaseUniversal Studios Hollywood became the first Universal Studios theme park when it opened its doors on July 15, 1964, long after it was originated as astudio tour in 1915, after the Universal original founder,Carl Laemmle, openedUniversal City, California nearLos Angeles. In May 1993,Universal CityWalk opened outside the gates of the theme park, featuring 65 entertainment-themed restaurants, nightclubs, shops, and entertainment spots. It also contains Universal Cinema operated byAMC Theatres, offering 19 screens including an IMAX Theatre and stadium-style seating. Approximately 415 acres (168 ha) is within and around the surrounding area of Universal City, including its theme park and the film studio adjacent nearby.
Universal Orlando Resort (formerly called Universal Studios Florida) opened to the public on June 7, 1990, inOrlando, Florida, starting withUniversal Studios Florida. It features themed areas and attractions based on the film industry.
On May 28, 1999, theUniversal Islands of Adventure theme park was opened, featuring various themed islands emphasizing adventures and characters embodied in the attractions, and expanded Universal Orlando into a family vacation resort. Simultaneously,Universal CityWalk was added to accommodate the guests within the resort leading to the two parks.Loews Portofino Bay Hotel opened at Universal Orlando Resort in September 1999, followed by Hard Rock Hotel in December 2000, Loews Royal Pacific Resort in February 2001, Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort on March 31, 2014, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort on July 7, 2016, and Universal's Aventura Hotel on August 16, 2018.
In 1998, Universal Orlando acquiredWet 'n Wild Water Park (founded in 1977 bySeaWorld founderGeorge Millay) and was the company's main water park until it closed on December 31, 2016, where it was replaced by another water parkUniversal Volcano Bay, which opened on May 25, 2017. Universal Volcano Bay is adjacent to Islands of Adventure, and Universal refers to it as its third theme park. The new water park consists of 18 attractions, including slides, two lazy rivers and raft rides. The park includes two volcano themed rides: the Ko'okiri Body Plunge, a 70-degree-angle, 125-foot water slide;[10] and the Krakatau Aqua Coaster, a canoe ride rapidly traveling among the peaks and valleys of the central volcano in the park.[11] The park uses avirtual queuing system for most of the attractions, working off of a wristband each guest receives when they enter the park called Taputapu.[10] On the former site of Wet 'n Wild, Universal built two new hotels:Universal's Endless Summer Resort – Dockside, and Universal's Endless Summer Resort – Surfside.
On August 1, 2019, Universal announcedUniversal Epic Universe,[12] a third theme park addition to the Orlando resort. The company later announced the park guests would enter the park through Celestrial Park, which would be the gateway to the four additional worlds of Epic Universe:Super Nintendo World,The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic,How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe, based on the classicUniversal Monsters.[13] The park opened on May 22, 2025.[14][15][16] Epic Universe is also the site of three new Loews hotels: Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Universal Stella Nova Resort, and Universal Terra Luna Resort. The Universal Stella Nova Resort opened January 21, 2025, the Universal Terra Luna Resort opened March 25, 2025, and the Universal Helios Grand Hotel opened April 16, 2025.[17][18][19]
The Universal Epic Universe theme park campus is located several miles southeast of the originalUniversal Orlando Resort. The 750-acre (300 ha) site is situated south ofSand Lake Road and east ofUniversal Boulevard.[20] The land was bought in pieces and nearly doubles the acreage that Universal owns in Central Florida.
After almost three years of construction,Universal Studios Japan opened on March 31, 2001, in theKonohana-ku district ofOsaka,Japan, and was the first Universal Studios theme park to open outside of the U.S. It was also the first Universal theme park to operate within the Asian region. The park incorporates attractions from both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood and features a CityWalk district, a shopping mall with multiple official Universal hotels and many restaurants and shops, including stores selling Universal Studios merchandise and Osaka souvenirs. The theme park occupies an area of 108 acres (44 ha) and is the second-most visited amusement park in Japan after its rivalTokyo Disney Resort.[21][22]
Construction of the Singapore park began withinResorts World Sentosa onSentosa,Singapore on April 19, 2008.Universal Studios Singapore was given a soft opening on March 18, 2010 and later a wide opening on May 28, 2011. It was the second Universal Studios theme park to operate in Asia and also the first in Southeast Asia. Like other Universal theme parks, it features attractions from various Universal and other studio companies' properties, includingJurassic Park,Shrek,The Mummy,Waterworld,Transformers and others. The land it currently sits on is 20 hectares (49 acres) in size, which occupies the easternmost part of the 49-hectare (120-acre) Resorts World Sentosa, and is marketed as a "one-of-its-kind theme park in Asia". Unlike other Universal theme parks, Universal Studios Singapore is owned byGenting Group with the licensing approval from Universal Parks & Resorts.[23]
Universal Studios Beijing is the Universal theme park that opened on September 20, 2021,[24][25] in Tongzhou,Beijing, China. It features rides and attractions themed primarily to Universal-owned movies, TV shows, animation, and music, and as well as licensed properties from other companies (e.g.Warner Bros., etc.).[26][27] The project was announced on October 13, 2014, with more than 20 billionRMB being invested into the project. It is jointly owned by Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co., Ltd. (BSH Investment), a consortium of four state-owned companies, and Universal Parks & Resorts.[28] Construction ofUniversal Beijing Resort completed in April 2021.[29] Phase 2 of Universal Beijing Resort is set to begin construction in 2025.[30]
On January 11, 2023, Universal announced a "horror experience" calledUniversal Horror Unleashed,[31] which is the anchor tenant in a 20 acres (8.1 ha) expansion ofLas Vegas' immersiveArea15 entertainment district. Unlike Universal's seasonalHalloween Horror Nights events, it is a permanent and year-round fixture, occupying a 110,000-square-foot (2.5-acre) space.[32] The attraction opened on August 14, 2025, at Area15.[33]
In July 2025, Comcast NBCUniversal announced that a new interactive experience would open atThe Franklin Institute inPhiladelphia, US, opening on February 14, 2026. The exhibition will span 18,000 square feet and feature eight themed galleries, 25 interactive experiences, and over 100 original artefacts.[34]
On January 11, 2023, Universal also announced a "new concept"-styled theme park, geared towards families with children. The park, to be constructed inFrisco, Texas, will feature immersive themed lands and celebrate Universal's brand of entertainment, innovation, and characters.[35][36] On December 1, 2023, the name of the resort was officially revealed as "Universal Kids Resort", while construction began by November 2023.[37] The park is expected to open in May 2026.[38]
In May 2025, it was announced that a 300,000 square-foot (or 7-acre (2.8 ha)) entertainment and retail hub will be built atNew Delhi'sAerocity. The resort, calledUniversal Studios Delhi, will cater to both domestic and international tourists, opening in mid-2027.[39][40]
In June 2025, Universal announced the city ofChicago will be the secondUniversal Horror Unleashed location and the first Universal attraction in the Midwest, which is set to open in 2027.[41][42][43]
On December 19, 2023, Universal Destinations & Experiences confirmed that 480 acres (190 ha) of land had been purchased inBedford,United Kingdom for potential theme park development.[44][45] On April 5, 2024, the official Universal UK Project website revealed public engagement forms and dates to public events to gain reviews and opinions from the locals until May 3, 2024. The project, already in its advanced stage, will have two new railway stations, withKempston Hardwick's moved further south to the entrance with its level crossing replaced with a bridge, flat car parks, a better road connection with the A421 and improvements to Junction 13 of the M1, and the location of the park with its Street Area and four original restaurants and 500-bed hotel within the southern section of the bought land, with the park starting off similar in size to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe, but would later expand to be the size of Universal Studios Japan, which does not include the northern section by the lake which will be reserved for temporary buildings and future projects. The park will also focus more on wildlife and be more environmentally friendly. Talks are ongoing and there is no time frame as to when construction will begin.[46][47]
On April 8, 2025, Universal Destinations & Experiences and the United Kingdom government revealed their plans for a theme park in Bedford, which will open in 2031 as a part of a 476-acre entertainment resort complex. In the same statement, Universal predicted that 8.5 million visitors would attend the park in its first year, generating an expected £50 billion of revenue by 2055.[48]
In April 2021,Universal Beijing announced that a second gate theme park was set to open by 2025.[29] In September 2023, construction for the expansion was set to begin in 2025.[30]
Following the establishment of Disney in Europe with the construction ofEuro Disney Resort, Universal Studios Recreation Group considered construction of its own park in Europe between the late 1980s and early 1990s. The work was being considered for a site located in either Paris or London.[50] The Rainham Marshes site in east London is abandoned, and later became theRainham Marshes Nature Reserve. The French state was much more willing to offer tax advantages for the establishment of a park on its territory.[51] A site inMelun-Sénart was chosen, the plans were drawn up, and the land was purchased at agricultural prices in 1971.[52][53] They covered 1,300 acres (530 ha) of arable land inCombs-la-Ville. The theme park's construction was planned to commence in 1996, and consist of: a theme park mostly based onUniversal Studios Florida, a water park, a golf course, and real estate and commercial areas.[51][49] The setbacks and financial woes of Euro Disney Resort influenced the realization that this project would not succeed. The group preferred to be the buyer of an already established park, and Universal Studios bought 37% ofPort Aventura's shares in June 1998.[54]
Port Aventura opened in 1995.Tussauds Group had a 40.01% in the park whileLa Caixa had 33.19%,Anheuser-Busch had 19.9% and FECSA had 6.7%.[61][62] In 1998, the majority of Tussauds Group' shares in Port Aventura (37%) were sold to Universal Parks & Resorts and the park was rebranded as 'Universal's Port Aventura' in 1999, which made it the first Universal Studios Theme Park in Europe.[54][63][64] In 2002, two hotels and a water park (Costa Caribe) were constructed, and the resort was rebranded as 'Universal Mediterranea' the same year.[65] In 2004,NBCUniversal (Universal Studios' parent) sold all interest in PortAventura to La Caixa.[66] It is owned and operated byLa Caixa banking group's investment vehicleCriteria, but as of 2005 the Universal name has been dropped from the branding, and the resort was once again named 'PortAventura' (the space in the name is deliberately left out for trademark reasons).
Universal Studios incorporates replicas of attractions and lands in multiple parks around the world. The pages linked above contain comprehensive lists of the attractions and lands at Universal theme parks. Most of the attractions and lands are based on Universal licenses and other licensed properties.
DirectorSteven Spielberg has a long-time collaboration with Universal Destinations & Experiences due to his relationship with Universal Studios while working as a Universal intern staff in the late 1960s as well as the films he directed or produced for the studio, such asJaws,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,Back to the Future,The Land Before Time,Jurassic Park andSchindler's List. In March 1987, Spielberg signed on to be acreative consultant for Universal theme parks when theMusic Corporation of America (MCA)—then owner of Universal Studios—was planning to build its first full-fledged theme park in Orlando in an effort to compete withWalt Disney World.[67] Universal Parks Chairman and CEO Thomas L. Williams stated in regards to praising theUniversal Creative team and a few popular people for the new Florida park:
Take, for example, Steven Spielberg. He was the creative consultant on our first [full] theme park, Universal Studios Florida. Steve was the guy who came up with that park's core concept, that we were going to put our Guests in their favorite scene from their favorite film. Ride the Movies, if you will.[68]
Since 1987, Spielberg has consulted on a dozen attractions, includingE.T. Adventure,Jaws,Jurassic Park: The Ride, andThe Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. In exchange, he receives 2% of all park ticket revenue and a portion of park concession receipts generated by Universal theme parks in Florida, Japan, and Singapore in perpetuity, valued at up to $30 to 50 million a year; the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Los Angeles is not covered under the Spielberg deal.[69] The director also got the opportunity to trigger a June 2017 exit deal clause and collect a single payment equal to the value of the contracts.Comcast, the current parent company of Universal, acknowledged that this payment could already be worth as much as $535 million.[70] Some analysts predicted that the one-time payment could ultimately be $1 billion.[69] The deal also prevents any film Spielberg directed to go to any theme park but Universal;[70] the exception is theIndiana Jones films, which were owned byLucasfilm and had been featured inDisney theme parks since 1989.
The first phase of construction has been completed and I will be able to meet you soon. We also have a second phase project, which is ready to be completed and put into operation in 2025
