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Constuction continues to move along nicely at Universal Studios’ newest theme park, Epic Universe, set to open to visitors in 2025.
Credit: Orlando Weekly
The third theme park to be added at Universal Studios Orlando Resort was first announced
According to the Orlando Informer, Epic Universe will be epic in several ways:
Epic Universe will be the largest Universal park in the US (and second globally, just behind the upcoming Universal Studios Beijing) and will house at least three big intellectual properties: entries from DreamWorks Animation, Illumination (the makers of “Despicable Me” and the 2018 film “The Grinch”), and Nintendo, which will anchor the whole theme park. [The new theme park will be] the very beginning of the south campus, located about 15 minutes down the road [from the current entertainment area]. There’s also a third piece of property, just 64 acres in size, that sits in between the two areas and that houses the Endless Summer Resort hotel complex.
The north campus is roughly 735 acres, whereas the newly acquired south district is approximately 750 acres. The company will provide free transportation to get guests from one area to the other, most likely in the form of shuttles. In fact, the company has already devoted some $160 million to Orange County to help expand Kirkman Road, which will become the main artery of traffic from the north campus to the south, presumably by adding even more bus lanes.
Epic Universe will be located south of Sand Lake Road and east of Universal Boulevard, as shown in the map below.
Credit: Universal Studios Orlando Resort
One of the most anticipated areas of the brand-new theme park is a Wizarding World of Harry Potter-themed area. Attractions in the area have been confirmed, and at least one of them is rumored to look like the British Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter films. Site plans reportedly show the attraction to look very similar to the way it does in the films.
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Photos by aerial photographer @bioreconstruct show construction in the Harry Potter-themed area of the new theme park.
Aerial look at boom lifts at work in a Harry Potter related land in Epic Universe. pic.twitter.com/WDtCTwxW3P
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 3, 2023
The photo below shows an aerial view of the entire theme park area at the Epic Universe construction site in late February 2023.
Universal’s Epic Universe on February 24, 2023/Credit: @bioreconstruct
Recent photos even show one of the theme park’s most exciting attractions–a dual-racing coaster, located just outside of the How To Train Your Dragon-themed area. The first photo is from February 3, 2023, and the second one–which shows just how much progress has been made on the coaster–was taken on February 24, 2023.
Aerial overview of How To Train Your Dragon land. In lower right is a dual-racing coaster, outside the land. In Epic Universe. pic.twitter.com/Xc4W8XFGsC
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 3, 2023
This close-up from February 24, 2023, shows more details of the track on the dual-racing coaster attraction.
Credit: Twitter/@bioreconstruct
Universal’s Epic Universe was first announced in 2019, with a completion and opening date sometime in 2023. But–as with many of the new additions at Universal Studios and the Walt Disney World Resort as well–the coronavirus pandemic led to delays in the beginning of construction, and the opening date had to be moved to sometime in summer 2025.
