Why the hate for Jimmy Fallon ride?

The contrast between the preshow and the main show is way too jarring.

Universal has created this lovely museum and green room experience that feels very much rooted in reality. Then it takes us into a theater that looks exactly like The Tonight Show theater... and then (spoiler alert) pretends that theater is flying us to the Moon.

Say, what?

Throw in the fact that Fallon is not nearly beloved as other late night hosts, and, yeah, this one leaves a lot of guests not exactly willing to recommend it. Does it deserve hate? No, but it hasn't earned the praise that many other Universal attractions get.

Comcast is missing a great "small ball" opportunity. Tear out the ride. Add more artifacts in the queue. Start a rotating selection of short docs about NBC/Universal. One for "Must See TV". One for SNL. One for historic news.

Better still THC, rip it out and start again with something interesting and more exciting.

Brian, simply, it is rubbish and Fallon is only known in the States by adults so nobody under a certain age and/or outside of America can identify with him. All ages love a Minion, they are global and it represents a genuine family ride at Universal.

What about a Death Race simulator ride or for a family ride, Johnny English?

This attraction would have been a hit in the early to mid 1990s (with whatever late night show was popular at the time).

The problem is its the 2020s and anyone can watch a POV driving through New York on youtube anytime they want. Also because of flights being much cheaper (adjusted for inflation) compared to back then pretty much everyone has been to New York City. Also Jimmy Fallon isn't very funny or entertaining compared to other late night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and John Stewart, so there isn't really any fanbase for this attraction.

Also, it's right next to a bunch of other simulator attractions so there's no relationship need for it. In my opinion, separate from its IP, Fallon is a perfectly serviceable ride.

If IP was really that important, everyone would be clamoring for the removal of Toon Lagoon. Some people are, of course, but most just want better maintenance over there. Fallon only really outdated itself because the ride system is overused and underwhelming.

When you have several similar attractions throughout the same park, the lowest quality one is likely to get more negativity than it deserves. In USF's case, to the public there isn't all that much difference between Fallon, Despicable Me, Fast & Furious, Simpsons, and even Transformers, and of those five Fallon is the least popular IP, the weakest storyline, and the blandest presentation. If Race Through New York were the only simulator at the park (or at least were radically different from the others), it probably would be thought of as a decent attraction that could be better, but unfortunately it's a flop that IMO should be replaced with a clone of USH's Secret Life of Pets ride.

AJ, great call!

I think it's a goofy romp, which is the goal here. However, it's incredibly niche with a subject matter the USF crowd doesn't really have a connection to. Put this same setup at Rockefeller Center (as a stand-alone or add on to the existing NBC Studio Tour) or maybe at USH's CityWalk, and you could probably charge guests $30+ a pop. However, as Florida crowds grow weary of museum-style attractions and walk throughs, the mediocre ride system isn't good enough to make the entirety of the experience worth the trouble. It also doesn't help that guests don't know anything about the queuing theory behind the load process for this ride since it's so different from every other attraction in central Florida.

I think when this was initially pitched, the "Tonight Show" IP still had significant value and cache, and Jimmy Fallon, as it's lead character and widely recognized celebrity, had enough draw and charisma to carry a D-ticket level attraction. However, as late night audiences have waned and fractured and the Jimmy Fallon brand has become diluted and worn out, this attraction has quickly lost its appeal. Add to that a ride system that just isn't terribly enjoyable, and you end up with an overall attraction experience that leaves most guests underwhelmed and disappointed. Perhaps if they had instead leveraged NBC/Universal's SNL IP and the wealth of comedic talent there (including Jimmy Fallon), they could have had something really novel, especially if they had come up with a unique ride system or some cool add-ons to the traditional flying theater/simulator. Maybe Universal went a little too "small ball" with this, and now unfortunately, they're probably stuck with it for another 3-5 years with F&F the next likely USF attraction to go under the knife.

The only issue I have with it is its limited IP appeal. Visitors from outside the USA are a lot less likely to know who Jimmy Fallon is... Other than a guy who occasionally shows up in a TikTok-style short, Late Night Live shows aren't as widely distributed elsewhere, or those countries have their own..