After months of waiting, Universal has finally confirmed plans for its first theme park in the UK – but not everyone’s happy.
Universal’s UK expansion has been in the works for some time. In August 2023, Comcast acquired construction company Cloud Wing UK, along with nearly 500 acres of land in Bedfordshire—about 45 minutes north of London. The following month, the company quietly registered several domain names, including UniversalStudiosGreatBritain.com. By spring 2024, a public consultation period drew more than 6,000 responses, signaling strong interest from both local and international theme park fans.
Fast forward to today (or, well, yesterday) and we finally have official confirmation that the park will come to fruition. After Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave the project the green light, Universal Destinations & Experiences confirmed that the park will open in 2031.
Accompanying the announcement was a piece of concept art offering fans their first proper glimpse of the park. Like most concept art, this wasn’t the clearest preview in the world. Universal also hasn’t provided any official updates on what attractions or IP guests can find at the park. Theme park fans, however, are a notoriously curious bunch and have already managed to compile a shortlist of what appears to be on its way to Bedfordshire – and there’s one glaring omission.
Universal Omits ‘Harry Potter’ From British Theme Park
The concept art hints at themed lands inspired by franchises like Back to the Future, Minions, Jurassic World, and DreamWorks Animation. Notably absent, however, is any sign of Harry Potter—a surprising omission given the franchise’s deep ties to the UK and its major presence in other Universal parks.
At Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Beijing, guests can explore Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade. Florida also provides the opportunity to explore Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and, from May, the Ministry of Magic.
In fact, at present, only one Universal resort is sans-Harry Potter: Universal Studios Singapore. And yet it seems like this number will increase with Universal Studios Great Britain, with the park deciding to forgo one of Universal’s most notoriously successful IPs.
Needless to say, fans aren’t happy.
“Universal building a theme park without Nintendo and without Harry Potter is such an absurdly confident mood that I’m both shocked and impressed,” said one X, formerly known as Twitter, user.
Another wrote: “No Potter in the UK is absurd.”
One said, “This is gonna be a cut and paste job of Universal Studios Singapore. No Harry Potter land (@jk_rowling do you have any say?). I had a feeling they wouldn’t. Orlando has too much UK tourists and the studio tour is down the road. But never mind. We shall see.”
Why Has Universal Studios Great Britain Dropped Harry Potter?
Of course, the most important thing to note here is that concept art is just that: conceptual. There’s every chance that the park will change plenty before it begins construction, never mind opens to the public.
However, there is one very good reason why Harry Potter could be left out of the Universal Studios Great Britain lineup. Not far from Bedfordshire – less than an hour, in fact – you can find Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. For many Potterheads, this is the ultimate pilgrimage, with the attraction constructed on the site where Warner Bros. filmed the original movies.
While the legalities of Universal’s theme park licensing aren’t totally clear in regards to opening a Harry Potter theme park on an existing attraction’s doorstep, it does raise the question of whether that’s why it’s amiss from the concept art.
There are also plenty of other British IPs that could fill the void – some of which have never been attempted before and could easily act as Universal Studios Great Britain’s USPs. These include Lord of the Rings, Paddington, and James Bond.
Another argument is that the UK is one of Universal Orlando Resort’s strongest international tourism hubs. Should a local park provide the exact same Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal could cannibalize its own market. (We’re slightly more skeptical of this argument, but it’s still worth considering.)
Ultimately, there’s nothing to do about Harry Potter‘s omission from the concept art but to sit and wait. Even if it never materializes as a key IP for the theme park, there’s always a chance that it could expand in the future. And should it never make an appearance, we’re confident enough in Universal’s park-building abilities post-Epic Universe to feel optimistic regardless.
Do you think Universal Studios Great Britain should include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?
