Universal Orlando reveals its Dark Universe

This looks incredible. I love how they're hyping up Monsters Unchained as genuinely scary, gives me hope that it will really knock our socks off. I do hope they've made some adjustments to the KUKA technology to make it less nauseating; fewer screens and the different orientation of the robot arm below the vehicle rather than behind should help. Bring on 2025!

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Looks cool, and the monsters unchained is a great way to incorporate all of the Universals monsters in a single ride.

The land looks great, and I think experiencing it at night will add to its atmosphere. The concepts photos are cool, but the looming clouds & weather are going to vary...so some folks will be going during bright sunny days, haha. (I do think raining & cloudy days will really enhance the visuals of the land)

This is the land I'm most looking forward too! Can't wait! :)

What started out as the least interesting concept has quickly catapulted into my most anticipated land in Epic Universe. I think they had the most creative flexibility here and it shows! I heard somewhere that Danny Elfman composed the music for this area.

This may end up being the smallest of the lands, but they didn't skimp on the details. It looks amazing.

@jeffrey: I’ve also heard that Danny Elfman will be scoring this land

This land looks really cool! I'm most excited for this!

This is clearly the land that has been the most shrouded in secrecy, so it's good that it was not left until last. I do really worry about what guests are supposed to do here. There are only 2 rides and some streetmosphere. Considering how long it took Universal to get a decent throughput on HPFJ, I hope they have run Monster's Unchained through its paces so it can hit the ground running, because the Wolfman coaster doesn't look like a people eater. There doesn't appear to be anything in the land to give guests something to do unless they want to do the (likely upcharge) makeup attraction or eat.

I LOVE the idea of a table service steakhouse themed around vampires - could be one of the most brilliant theme park dining concepts EVER. Also, the pub in the flaming windmill looks amazing - giving adults their own space in a theme park is proving to be a lucrative business.

I was really hoping they would have a full scale theatric show in this land, or at least some smaller, more intimate interior shows with special effects (maybe something like Poseidon's Fury), because I could see some guests not wanting to spend more than 2-3 hours in this land.

It’s all very well for Universal to release all this pretty art work for yet another one of the lands at Epic, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that with the portal system in place, it’s going to be one big sh*tshow. The mere fact that you’re going in and out of the same portal, and you can’t wander freely between the lands, makes it a logistical nightmare. How many lands do you think you’re going to do in a day?? One, maybe, 2 if you’re really lucky.

How Universal manages the timing, number of people in/out and wait times for the rides and shows, is way more important than pretty pictures. Don’t get me wrong, it looks amazing, but for anyone coming on vacation to specifically visit Epic, I’m guessing there’s going to be a lot of disappointed people when it’s all over and they’re heading home.

I just hope they’re sensible and open the park when it’s cooler, maybe late September? Can’t imagine what it will be like if they open June time, and July/August are absolute scorchers again.

It's opening in the first half of the year. I'd guess late April to early May.

I completely agree Makorider. It certainly sounds like Universal is trying to be "clever" with how they plan on managing crowds in the new park, but it could ultimately backfire on them if guests feel like they're trapped in a portal or stuck in Celestial Park where there are only 2 rides and a splash pad. If Universal really are going to change the way guests tour a theme park, they need to understand the need for flexibility and the learning curve for guests. I kind of see where they're going with the Portals, but how it works for an entire theme park is a massive question mark right now.

I just hope they don't leverage guest flexibility as a revenue generating tool (i.e. tiering admissions or limiting portal access to guests who don't want to pay for the most expensive ticket or stay at the Helios Grand).

This does look good, hopefully lives up to the concept well.

@Russell - “There doesn't appear to be anything in the land to give guests something to do unless they want to do the (likely upcharge) makeup attraction or eat.” I would say that this same statement could be applied to Super Nintendo World. I suspect this will be the Universal MO going forward.

Anyone else remember the original plans for a Van Helsing Kuka ride at IOA back in 2004 before the movie underperformed and the idea was retooled to Harry Potter? I wonder how much of those old ideas will be re-used here.

@james: to that point, I wonder how much of this land was developed around the announced but never brought to fruition Dark Universe movies. Like, were changes made that were as simple as changes out an actor’s likeness or were concepts completely discarded based on the non-starting of the shared universe?

this looks amazing and one of the most long overdue Universal projects ever...the classic monsters are finally getting their own home! super stoked about this one.

I think it’s probably okay to wait for Universal to formally announce the ticketing structure before worrying about it.

After seeing this land in full detail, Dark Universe indeed does look like the dark horse of Epic Universe. While IP is still front and center here just like it is in most modern theme park design, this land feels very old school as it isn't designed to replicate a specific locale. Instead, icons of the genre are placed side by side in a completely new setting where they all feel at home, which to me makes the concept more accessible to those who aren't intimately familiar with the source material.

However, there is one notable flaw with this land, which is the main reason I could see it coming up short. Monsters Unchained and Curse of the Werewolf are both very dynamic attractions, and as such a portion of guests either can't or won't ride them. Unfortunately, beyond those there seems to be very little to do besides browsing the village, which only goes so far unless you've got something specific in mind. A milder, all audiences attraction would have really helped to round out the offerings here.

As for the concerns mentioned above, everything I've heard indicates Universal expects the average full day visitor will be able to experience two or three portals during the course of their day. The idea is that guests will enter a portal, spend 2-4 hours in that world, and then move on to another, perhaps with an interlude in Celestial Park in between. While Dark Universe only has two rides, if one wants to ride either more than once, take in the streetmosphere, or dine at the restaurant, it should be no trouble to fill that amount of time here.

I think this will be more impressive at night. Universal firing on all cylinders.

@AJ - I completely agree about the land lacking milder attractions. It sounds like they're trying to bill the wolfman coaster as a family ride, but while it might not be intense, it sure looks to be pretty dynamic. Super Mario World is going to have the Yoshi ride and all the Power Band activities, while Isle of Berk is going to have the Splash Battle and the theatrical show for guests who don't want to ride dynamic attraction. Ministry of Magic is expected to have all the wand activities and perhaps another set of stage shows, so Dark Universe is really missing something for guests who don't want to ride.

The concept photos show some wandering street performing characters, but if these are deployed similar to what Disney does at Galaxy's Edge, that probably won't be enough to really keep non-thrill seekers satisfied. The other things in the land are all upcharges - makeup experience and dining experience - so if the roaming character performers aren't prolific, non-riders are going to be pretty bored in this land.

As noted by Jeffrey H, Danny Elfman confirmed in a tweet/X-post that he is composing the in-park soundtrack for Dark Universe. THIS IS HUGE!!!!