After years of COVID-imposed delays and a month or so of previews, Universal Orlando finally opens the doors on its Epic Universe on Thursday.
The new theme park, which reportedly cost between $6 and $7 billion to build, is an escalation of the company’s WWE-like battle with Disney to attract theme park visitors in central Florida—and it’s likely to have an impact. (In truth, both companies are likely to benefit from the opening, as many families making the trip to Orlando will likely visit both parks.)
This is the fourth of Universal’s theme parks in Orlando, and it’s certainly the largest by scale. Spanning 110 acres (with hundreds more available for future expansions), it embraces four key IPs, but each of the worlds is so rich, you’ll likely need at least two days to take them in.
Announced in 2019, Epic Universe has become a big enough threat that Disney has announced a major upgrade to its Orlando parks, part of a 10-year, $60 billion investment in parks and experiences.
With something so new, there are bound to be lots of questions. Fortune got a sneak peek at the park before its opening. If you’re thinking about a trip, here’s all you need to know (as well as suggestions on what you should ride).
Where is Epic Universe located?
Epic Universe is about 2.5 miles to the southeast of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, as well as Volcano Bay water park and Universal CityWalk (all of which are in Orlando).
To transport visitors back and forth, Universal is running buses between the parks. Epic Universe also has its own separate parking area.
How much do Epic Universe tickets cost?
A one-day adult ticket will run you $139, while children will pay $135 for a single-day pass.. (Florida residents do not currently get a discount.) A two-day ticket is also available for $116.50 for adults, or $112 for kids, but one of the two days must be spent in a park other than Epic Universe.
If you’re hoping to visit the park in its earliest days, though, you’ll need to get a multi-day pass (with only one of those days being spent at Epic Universe). Individual tickets won’t be valid for use until June 1.
What are the lands of Epic Universe?
The park’s layout is designed to let visitors enter a “portal,” which takes them to four different lands, with the hub, Celestial Park, acting as a fifth land. Note, however, that if you want to move from one land to another, you’ll have to “exit” the portal and then enter a new one. The lands are not connected to each other, and there’s no way to walk from one to the other without going through Celestial Park.
Celestial Park
This central focus features dining, shopping, and three attractions: a carousel, a dual-launch coaster, and interactive dancing fountains. The Helios Grand Hotel is located in this area.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic
Offering elements from both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, this area will let fans explore the wizarding world in a Parisian setting.
Super Nintendo World
This interactive Nintendo-themed world is loaded with familiar characters from Mario to Bowser and several rides, which range from family-friendly to intense.
Thursday marks the launch of the first new major theme park in Central Florida in nearly 30 years—and it’s a big deal for NBCUniversal, the state of Florida, and theme park lovers across the country.
Epic Universe is now the largest of the company’s theme park properties, spanning 750 acres (though just 110 acres have been used so far). The park features five themed worlds: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter—The Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon—The Isle of Berk, Celestial Park, and Dark Universe.
It’s built to appeal to the teen/young adult crowd, whose childhood was built on characters like Hiccup, the hero of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, Nintendo games, and Harry Potter, rather than Pooh and Mickey Mouse. It is heavy with intense rollercoasters and dark rides (attractions where riders sit in guided vehicles).
Tickets are already selling fast and Epic Universe is expected to be a top destination for tourists this year. And executives at Comcast, parent company of Universal, say they’re not planning to slow down the emphasis on theme parks—especially as people’s attention spans for screens, whether television or film, is harder to capture.
“The question always was, how does that affect different parts of media?” says Mark Cavanagh, president of Comcast. “While I think we’re doing a great job navigating that … I think one of the fantastic things about the experiences business is that there’s no replacement for being here live. You put your phones down, you’re immersed, and you’re experiencing all of this.”
Epic Universe is the latest theme park for Comcast, but other experiences are right around the corner. Later this year, a year-round Hollywood Horror Nights will open in Las Vegas, with other locations expected to be announced. Next year, the company will open Universal Kids’ Park in Briscoe, Texas. And in 2031, the company will open a theme park in the UK.
While Epic Universe is as new as a park can be, Mark Woodberry, chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, says his team is already thinking of what’s next there.
“This is the first step in an epic future,” he says. “There’s a lot of room for expansion. We’re already thinking about how that plays out. … New attractions [are] coming. New Intellectual properties are coming. [It’s] all part of our philosophy to grow our business by expanding our existing footprint.”
Epic Universe isn’t just a potential big moneymaker for Comcast. It could mean a big windfall for Florida as well. The park is expected to generate $2 billion for the state in its first year and create more than 17,500 jobs in year one, according to calculations by Dr. Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting.
Snaith further estimated the Universal Orlando parks have generated an economic impact of $44 billion since 2019—and the company’s investment in building Epic Universe has had a nationwide economic impact of $11 billion so far.
But the stakes are highest, of course, for Universal. Last year, more than 75 million people came to Orlando, the vast majority of whom were there for its theme parks. Disney lures more visitors, but Epic Universe could narrow the gap. Officials say the hope is between this and the company’s other parks, visitors will opt for a much longer stay to explore them all.
“If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you need to see all three parks. That really speaks to the one-week vacation,” says Woodberry.