The Odyssey - Universal's next hit.
With The Odyssey recently crossing the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film, and potentially becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, does Universal have an appetite for Odyssey-themed lands or attractions at its theme parks?
The Odyssey is a global staple, one of the oldest "IPs" in history, so a ride or land that borrows elements from the story would appeal to a wide-variety of guests, not just those familiar with the movie adaptation.
This wouldn't be the first time an R-rated film received a theme park adaptation (look at T2 3-D: Battle Across Time at Universal). Would you be interested in an Odyssey ride/land/experience? Could Chris Nolan become a sort of cinematic consultant for Universal similar to Spielberg? What would The Odyssey look like in theme park form?
I'm interested in everyone's ideas!
Replies (13)
Would be cool, though, if it did happen. Maybe if it has a lasting enough cultural impact we could possibly see it in USO, or even EU if it gets spinoffs/sequels.
First off, I suspect the actual viewership of this film is about a third less than almost anything else with a similar gross simply due to the number of people who opted to see it in IMAX (which, at least around me, is roughly double a regular theater ticket). Irrespective of that, though, Greek/Roman mythology is a pretty common theme for regional parks as it's public domain and therefore can be used freely without needing to pay any sort of licensing fees. If Universal wanted any exclusivity, they'd only be able to claim it on elements specific to Nolan's film, and if they wanted to create something with significant drawing power, they'd have to put in an extraordinary amount of money to make sure they had the definitive mythological themed land on a global scale, then they'd have to convince people to travel for that. I just don't see it happening.
"Next hit"? I think it's pretty much a current hit, no?
'The Odessy' is such an amazing accomplishment. It's like I posted on another discussion thread regarding the film, "Go Universal"!
I'd much prefer a Jason and the Argonauts attraction. With no sequel planned it will likely be a one-off film. The Odyssey will be yesterdays news very quickly so I would be surprised to see it added to Universal.
I know the Lost Continent area will be replaced by Stranger Things
This will be 100% immersive area - belly of the beast in the Upside Down tree
And many Demogorgons....
Maybe not a ride, but could be tailor-made for a new stunt show.
@Brian - Lost Continent is going to be replaced with Pokemon. I just don't see a world where Universal has a desire to pay Netflix for a full-time license, especially when Netflix is operating their own entertainment venues around the country utilizing their own IPs. Stranger Things works for fine for HHN, but it just doesn't make sense for a year-round treatment.
It's probably well beyond its prime, but I've long thought a Stranger Things overlay/redesign would be perfect for ET Adventure (provided Mr. Steven gave his blessing). The forest in the queue would be the woods around Hopper's cabin. The ride vehicles could remain bikes. Eleven could be riding in front of you/in the basket. You could fly by Castle Byers at the beginning. Government agents would pursue you. Instead of going to the Green Planet, you go into the Upside Down. Add in a Demogorgon animatronic and baby, you've got a stew going.
As for what The Odyssey could look like in a theme park -- I'm not sure the movie has enough meat on its bone to fuel an entire land. What would the food be? Lotus bowls? Cyclops cheese? Circe's stew? The merch?
I think a ride could work as a highlight reel of the film. Maybe guests board Odysseus's ship and float by the Cyclops, Sirens, Charybdis, and the like? The 3rd act of The Odyssey is much smaller & personal compared to the massive scale of monsters and trial on the road home -- that doesn't feel super "theme park-y."
Maybe instead of a dedicated Odyssey ride, once Nolan gets a couple more films in the can for Universal, they open up a "Nolan film experience" that takes guests through highlights of different Universal Nolan films. The big spectacles from The Odyssey could be included in this.
But I would be most excited if Nolan received carte blanche from Universal to create a theme park attraction. Maybe it's about the history of film ("Ride the Movies" anyone?) or maybe it's an original short film that showcases the IMAX film format. Who knows?
But as one of the generational greats, here's to hoping Nolan's involvement with Universal isn't limited to City Walk.
I don't think Universal would pursue Stranger Things for a full-time treatment even if it was still in its prime. Universal's strategy has changed dramatically over the past few years, and they appear to be far more interested in leveraging internal IPs or optimizing IPs they are already paying for (Nintendo and Harry Potter). I also don't think they would be interested in doing a full-time treatment for an IP that already exists in other forms unless the licensing agreement forced the owner to give Universal exclusive rights to the IP (closing down any other application of the IP). Universal has reached a status where they are the trend setters and industry leaders, and do not need to piggy-back on others' work and ideas.
As far as what a land based on the Odyssey would look like - a land anchored by a dueling roller coaster themed around mythical creatures, a walk through special effects encounter putting guests in the middle of a battle between Gods, a stunt show following the exploits of a fearless traveler facing various trials along his journey, and a sit down Mediterranean-styled restaurant with rotating, seasonal menu served at value prices.
When it comes to Universal trying to capitalize on its relationship with Nolan, he's already stated that his next project would not arrive for at least 3 years, so we'd be looking at 2029/2030 until there is another IP for Universal to leverage from his catalogue. Also, if you look at Nolan's filmography, there just aren't a lot of examples of films that scream "theme park" aside from his Dark Knight Trilogy that would obviously require a license from DC. You have his 1-off psychological thrillers that are all great movies, but simply wouldn't work in a theme park (Memento, Insomnia, Inception, Interstellar, and Tenet). Then you have his historical/period pieces that could work, but just don't have an iconic look or feel that would make the easy translation into a theme park environment (Prestige, Dunkirk, Oppenheimer, and Odyssey). I'm not sure there is any sort of expectation that Nolan's future films would provide any better theme park material than he's already produced.
10-4 what Russell said about Pokemon. Now go to the Theme Park Insider podcast titled 'Making It Rain, In a Good Way' and fast forward to 8:30.
Stranger Things is by far the most overly hyped utterly boring series in the history of overly hyped utterly boring series and sits atop, without any competition, in the Overly Hyped Utterly Boring category. If the Academy Awards had an Overly Hyped Utterly Boring category it would be the only nomination. As for another HHN house, Pikachu holding a soft scoop ice cream would be more scary.
They're tearing down Lost Continent, so the answer is an emphatic "NO". Enjoy the boat and Trojan Horse props on the Studio Tour.