I think a perfect spot would be the area taking up the Gibson Amphitheatre AND Waterworld AND Shrek 4D! I'd move Shrek 4D over to the T2 building and retheme that entire area. That would make the Harry Potter area huge and breathe new life into this park. I think the park would be changed for the better.
Having seen Waterworld numerous times in both Hollywood and Singapore, in my view it's kind of a dated show now. I realise that Waterworld soaks up a lot of guests, but maybe they could consider a Harry Potter live action show replacement?
But yeah, I'd love to see Universal add it there, and in Japan and Korea, too.
Not to go off on a tangent, but I wonder where other countries' wizarding schools were in the Harry Potter universe? There was a crowd sign in the Quidditch world cup scene in HP4 that suggested America's school was in Salem, Mass. (Nice touch, BTW.) But one presumes there would be wizarding schools elsewhere in the world.
I would love for HP to arrive on the West Coast. Maybe have a slightly different version? I'm not sure how, but find a way to make it different enough to make people want to go to both parks? As old as Jaws is in Orlando, I appreciate how different and entertaining it is compared to the Hollywood version.
The park desperately needs it.
I have high hopes for the Terminator ride being something like Spider Man at Islands of Adventure, but until they step up their game, the park is not worth going to.
I live in Tampa, so the only reason for me to travel to Universal Hollywood is if there are different attractions. For this reason I agree with Mr. Niles that a different experience of Harry Potter would be a good idea.
I also like the idea of creating a new, unique, American wizarding school. Think of all the American fanboys that would go nuts for something new from the series, imagined by J.K. Rowling and designed by Universal Creative. You could even give it a cheeky name, like Ghouliard.
Alternate plan, remove Waterworld. It was a terrible movie but a pretty good stunt show. No matter how good the stunt show is, it can't redeem an unpopular movie and quite frankly has had a very long, long run for such a poor source material.
The idea of making it Diagon Alley is a winner, Robert.
If it is too confusing to understand, please ask for a better explanation.
Then I think the Terminator 2: 3D in Hollywood and Orlando can be replaced with an Avatar atraction like the one that is being rumored currently.
It specifically states in Universal's contract with Warner Brothers Films that only in the ORLANDO resort can Harry Potter-themed leisure attractions be built. And even then, the contract is only for films 1-4. Universal are not allowed to include anything from the later films, not even the soundtracks, in the WWoHP until an option to expand the WWoHP is taken up by both parties.
(I would highly suggest this option has already been taken up, seeing as it is simply a money-making machine)
J.K. specifically demanded Universal Orlando Resort as it was the main (only) Universal resort that BRITONS visit frequently, and this was a key factor in her decision (ultimatum).
Much like Universal's deal with Marvel which allows it to use characters ONLY in Orlando and Japan, Universal's deal with the Harry Potter franchise is solely for Orlando.
And for the record, if you're talking about expansion of WWoHP at IOA, then it is written into the contract that further attraction(s) built must utilise films 5-7.
Quite simply, the park is going downhill. Nobody cares about USH anymore. It is making a loss for Universal, and it would make good business sense to shut the park down and plow all their money and resources into A) Universal Orlando (third gate, water park, at least 2 new resort hotels, plus new rides at IOA and USF) and B) Universal Studios Japan.
Universal Studios Hollywood, and the planned Universal Studios in Dubai and South Korea should be shelved.
We can see from Universal Singapore and that the business is simply not there any more, and also from Hong Kong Disneyland. If a resort has a worldwide reputation (such as WDW or UO) then people will travel long distances to be there. Why do we need 3 Universal Studios parks within a 7hr flying radius (SIN-OSAKA-SEOUL)? One would be sufficient.
There was a reason Universal pulled out of Port Aventura in Spain, and I hope to see them do likewise with shabby parks like USH some time soon.
They would have to tear down the parking structure and either reinforce it or build up more hill where it is.
As much as I hate to say it, they really need to just shut down for a year or two. It would give them plenty of time to rework everything and figure out what they want to do with the land. (Condos, CityWalk, Theme Park, Movie Studio, etc.)
We all know that will never happen though, as they would rather have a mediocre park and the revenue it generates than to close for a few years and reopen as a park on par with DL.
It seem intersting to me that USH is really what USO and DHS is trying to emulate: a real live movie studio! I was very impressed with USH and I feel that too many attractions would muddle up its charm.
It's Yogi Berra logic - nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded.
While USH doesn't draw in the locals for repeat visits the way Disneyland and Magic Mountain do, it hauls in visitors by the bus- and plane-load, and ask anyone in the industry which they'd rather have, a million locals or a million out-of-town visitors? They'll take the more lucrative out-of-towners every single time.
If Universal wants to pay the money to build a Wizarding World at USH, I have every confidence that it would be able to make all necessary legal arrangements with Warner Bros and Jo Rowling to proceed.
That said, yeah, this is a creative thought exercise. The siting issues at USH might be too much for Universal Creative and Universal's budget to overcome in developing a first-class west coast version of the Wizarding World. I'd give this less than 50/50 of ever happening.
But I sure do find it fun to think about. ;^)
That being said, I wouldn't want to remove Water World because of how awesome the stunt show is... USH needs as many attractions as it can get.
Perhaps you missed the title: "What Would You Do?", not "What Will They Do?"
I might be in a minority!
Though, the logicial location seems sound!
@ 82.9.115.58 - You sound knowledgeable but without proof of your claims, you're another anonymous poster trying to sound like an expert but being condescending in the process. Your IP comes back to the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Odd, your rudeness is more on par with France.
I do like the idea of the American Campus of the Wizarding World. I'm not as familiar with the books or the movies to be honest as I can't recall many characters' names, but I do enjoy the fantasy world of HP. Almost an expanded universe... as long as it's not like Star Wars and George "I think everything looks better in CGI because I say so" Lucas. I love Star Wars, but there's something soul-less about the newest three movies as well as the inexplicable Unleashed games.
I agree wholeheartedly. Terminator is out. And those streets are just sitting there. Other option is to buy a whole other property and start fresh. Say closer to Magic Mountain or we have tons of room up here in the Antelope Valley.