Watch the Grand Opening for Hollywood's Super Nintendo World

February 16, 2023, 1:00 AM · Universal Studios Hollywood on Wednesday night welcomed movie stars, reporters, and other guests for an after-hours red carpet grand opening ceremony for Super Nintendo World.

The park transformed the Mario-themed land into something looking like a nightclub leading up to a fireworks-accentuated reveal of the land. Universal Parks' Tom Mehrmann and Mark Woodbury spoke, with Woodbury introducing "Mario's Dad," Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto. Watch the full ceremony here:

Spotted in the crowd watching were "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" stars Chris Pratt and Keegan-Michael Key as well as Captain Marvel star Brie Larson.

But the big news for theme parks fans, if you can call it that, is that Woodbury actually officially publicly confirmed that Super Nintendo World will be coming to Universal Orlando, an announcement that Woodbury called "the worst kept secret" in the business.

Super Nintendo World opens officially on Friday morning, February 17, at Universal Studios Hollywood. There will be another opening moment ceremony at 8am on that day, and we will be there to bring that one to you, too.

Update: Here's a replay of my TikTok Live livestream from the Super Nintendo World red carpet.

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For our complete coverage of Super Nintendo World, please see our post, Super Nintendo World Soft Opens in Hollywood. And for discounted tickets to the park, with savings up to $59 on select dates, please see our partner's Universal Studios Hollywood tickets page.

Replies (10)

February 16, 2023 at 8:30 AM

Has Universal formally released a policy to control capacity within the land when it officially opens? The AP previews have been pretty tightly controlled from my understanding, but there hasn't been any expectations provided for the GP when they're allowed in the land. Universal has announced the preferred access that guests can purchase ahead of time, but beyond that there hasn't been any announcements as to how crowds will be managed in this tight land.

I think the expectation is that it will be similar to how WWoHP was controlled back in 2014 with a 1-out-1-in policy once the land reached capacity. However, it would be nice if Universal were to officially announce how they will manage demand and if anything will be done to encourage guests to not linger all day inside the new land.

February 16, 2023 at 9:20 AM

There will be a Virtual Line system for the land.

February 16, 2023 at 10:50 AM

So it's just the one ride, right? I still have PTSD from a preview of Galaxy's Edge where I realized I wasted a weekend and big bucks to see cool theming and a rip-off of a tired old ride.

February 16, 2023 at 11:50 AM

Unless you are a dedicated Nintendo fan, I would recommend waiting to visit until the crowds thin and you won't have to use the Virtual Line or queue to do any of the interactive features in the land.

February 16, 2023 at 1:38 PM

if you can budget it, there are lots of great airfare deals to japan right now!

February 16, 2023 at 3:01 PM

All I know is that it’s going to be a mess down at the lower lot. The lower lot is already small as it is and it’s going to be filled with people waiting for their call time and guests who are unaware of the Virtual Line system.

February 16, 2023 at 9:54 PM

Or just wait a couple years for the Orlando version to open with two additional rides.

February 16, 2023 at 10:59 PM

When that happens, visiting Hollywood definitely will be the shorter wait!

February 17, 2023 at 6:48 PM

Or, just go to the Osaka park next year since their Donkey Kong is opening first.

February 22, 2023 at 7:21 AM

I’m curious how one could have received an invite to the opening ceremony? I’ve seen both content creators & non-content creators alike in attendance. Thanks for the great article!

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