Universal Studios Hollywood confirms Fast & Furious coaster

That's cool. F&F sucks, but any new ride at UH is definitely welcome, that place is desperate for rides.

IDK thecolonel, I think F&F is a perfect IP for a solid theme park attraction, particularly one with a roller coaster-based ride system. The franchise is the #7 highest grossing movie franchise of all time (bigger than Jurassic Park/World, Transformers, Despicable Me, Shrek, Avatar, POTC, and LOTR), so while you might think it "sucks", F&F sells. The vignette used on the Tram Tour is good (far better than the old dancing robots), but trying to adapt it to a full-scale attraction which became "Supercharged" in Orlando was obviously ill-conceived.

If this coaster is anywhere close to what UC pulled off with Velocicoaster and contains the "drifting" features that have been rumored, this will run circles around the company's previous attempts to apply the franchise in their theme parks.

I didn't say it wasn't the perfect fit, Universal has to capitalize on the properties they have, I said it sucks. F&F movies are absolutely abysmal, just as bad as the Transformers movies, which also have a Universal Ride, and the Jurassic World movies, which also have a Universal ride. All three of those franchises are pure trash, but indeed, they are popular, so I understand why Universal has to go with it.

thecolonel, both of those franchises are super popular popcorn movie money printing machines. A Yentl coaster just won't have the same draw.

Waterworld. That’s all.

I don't really care about the franchise or if Supercharged stays or not, but the park has a lack of things to do and high-capacity attractions/shows. Those two shows whose buildings are currently being demolished (Special Effects Stage and Animal Actors) were big people-eaters.

One roller coaster won't be able to handle more than a small fraction of what those two shows could.

What will the park do to make up for the lost capacity? The only show left at Universal Hollywood is Waterworld. It seems like a bad decision not to have something ready before closing the two shows this past January, and nothing else in the pipeline for at least two years before the F&F coaster opens.

My hope that The Simpsons Ride show buildings get repurposed as two stage shows of sorts instead of another ride. The park desperately needs more shows.

As for the coaster announcement, I’m more surprised that Universal decided to announce it so early, I was expecting them to pull off what Orlando did for Velocicoaster, as in they were like, “what coaster? We’re building a churro stand” while support structure went vertical.

If any film franchise is perfect for a roller coaster, this is it. So no shock and can't possibly be worse than Supercharged.

"thecolonel, both of those franchises are super popular popcorn movie money printing machines."

Don't disagree. Also super popular: tiktok. Which also sucks.

@hubertwong "but the park has a lack of things to do"

Exactly this. I posted before, but I went there for the first time last month was amazed at how little there is to do. A handful of so-so rides (with crazy long lines), a single show, no parades or other entertainment that I could see. It was a serious ripoff.

Great addition!

USH is my home park (& the production offices are great). I agree it needs more rides...but for a park attached to a (busy) working studio with limited amount of space in an urban setting, it's no slouch.

And the thing is...it's still improving. Hogwarts, Super Nintendo World, Jurassic World revamp, Secret Life of Pet, some Studio tram additions all happened within the last 7 years. Now there's a new coaster on the horizon.

Its never going to be on the level of those other theme parks that have prime real estate and incredible expansion possibilties...(The park can't even do fireworks because of the location).

It's a different type of park...but I like it!

Now one could argue about the price that's being charged, lol...but as far the park itself is concerned, I will always be a fan.

I'm so excited for Universal Hollywood to get its first real outdoor coaster! Major competition with both Six Flags and Disney there. If I were Universal, I personally would've chosen Horror, How to Train Your Dragon, or an expanded Harry Potter theme- considering its right across from Wizarding World. I do worry about the intrusion. However, considering the space they got, Fast and Furious is the ultimate IP for a coaster attraction. I'm also hoping they still include some dark ride elements- if we're lucky, a Vin Diesel animatronic. It's also supposed to be themed, and rumor has it that Intamin, which also did Hagrid's and Velocicoaster is doing this one.

I'm not a fan of Supercharged, and would gladly see that switched out. Hopefully, Universal can bring some nostalgia back to that building replace it- like Back to the Future or ET. I really love the direction Universal is going in- doing less fully-screen attractions and doing mostly incredible practical rides. Universal clearly listens to their fan's complaints. Disney certainly didn't while Chapek was CEO and chose to ignore them instead. At least Iger is back- with an extended contract to bring back the creative quality in Imagineering.

While the Special Effects stages were cool, they definitely gave you the feeling that you were at work rather than immersed in a different world. I'm personally all in for shows being swapped out for fantastic new rides. But obviously, they should keep Waterworld. Could they possibly fit in a new version of Animal Actors and/or Special Effects show in the Universal Plaza? Or perhaps could they use the existing Paris street for a new show?

thecolonel - Every post / reply of yours is just angry and hateful. Why do you even bother going to theme parks?

Wait, you mean the actual Vin Diesel isn’t already an audio animatronic?

I wonder if the sound will be an issue. Roller coasters are loud, and having a studio tour nearby the loudness could be distracting.

@nb thecolonel - Every post / reply of yours is just angry and hateful. Why do you even bother going to theme parks?

In your mind expressing a critical opinion is being angry and hateful? What do you do, just sit around and smile approvingly at everything corporations serve you? If you swallow it, friend, they'll keep serving it to you.

@NB: I have often wondered that and with just the posts he has had this week (I’m bored today and haven’t been on here in a while), he has had one….ONE…positive post. Weirdly enough, that was about Disney retaining Iger through 2026, and I find it surprising that he supports any one person who makes $50 million a year and has a net worth of at least half a billion dollars.

But as for his negative posts, this week they have pretty much been “Disney food and mobile ordering sucks, Transformers suck, Fast and Furious sucks, Six Flags suck”, etc, etc. perhaps if he balanced his negative and positive comments, he wouldn’t come off as being so angry all the time. And if he can’t find that balance, then I don’t know how he can enjoy a day at a theme park.

Bro, if you don't like my comments, don't read them. You're weirdly obsessed with me.

@thecolonel, I agree, The Fast and the Furious movies are not great movies. They’re never going to win an Academy Award, lol. But, I understand why Universal is building a ride based on the movies. They are extremely popular, and will draw more people to the park.

@thecolonel, if you were in charge at Universal Hollywood, what movie based attractions would you build in the park?

I concur with Timbo, Colonel: HOW would you improve the theme park experience, but still make it a viable business? Saying something easy like, “bring back Fastpass” like you have already is something that is NEVER going to happen for free (even if Disney could reinstate the old FP+ rules).

thecolonel - No one is obsessed with you. You probably don't even realize how miserable you come off with virtually every post, and it sounds like you think you are hysterically funny.

tombo23 - I guarantee he would build a ride based on Misery, maybe Troll.

@fattyackin Fast and Furious Supercharged is all screens and holograms, so no animatronics of Vin Diesel have been made yet.

@Formula 40 Sound is definitely an issue in Hollywood. They've been doing tests with scream noises where the site will be. They are testing to make sure its not a disturbance to backlot filming or nearby residents.

@Maxic:

I appreciate the clarification. I was making a poor attempt at humor regarding the real life Vin Diesel’s range as an actor. It’s fitting that Groot might be his most beloved role outside of Dom from F&F 1-15

I know there's a "theming above all else" preference among most who post here (even in regards to coasters), but I don't really think this would need any big thematic elements during the ride. If they can pull off the "multidimensional" ride system of Uncharted with the elements of Velocicoaster, those sensations combined with the hillside setting will make for a one-of-a-kind experience you can't get anywhere else.