Today is the final day to ride Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida.
Universal Orlando has already started working clearing land around the coaster in preparation for building its replacement. Now, what that replacement will be, Universal has not announced. However, plenty of fans have decided that it will be something themed to the Ghostbusters franchise, which used to have a show in the building underneath the coaster - which is now home to the The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon attraction.
As for HRRR, the Maurer Rides X-Car coaster opened in 2009, back when people used "rip" as a verb for recording music. The initial concept of the ride was that you were filming a music video, so you could choose from a provided list of songs when you boarded the coaster train. Universal then sold CDs with your ride video and chosen on-board music as you exited.
However, Universal also hid a long list of "Easter egg" songs that you could choose, as well. If you chose one of those, you could not get the "music video" at the end, as Universal had the rights to play those songs on the ride, but not to sell CDs that included them.
We published that list of Easter egg songs on our discussion forum, which brought many readers to Theme Park Insider for the first time, back in the day.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit featured a distinctive vertical lift and unique track elements that kept the trains from ever inverting, while teasing inversions throughout. But the coaster was most known for living up to its musical theme by making riders feel like they has just (barely) survived a mosh pit.
With high-rated beauties such as Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Stardust Racers at the resort, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit has been the blemish in Universal Orlando's coaster portfolio. Here's hoping that Universal brings Universal Studios Florida fans a new outdoor coaster that lives up to the high standard that the company has set at its other Orlando theme parks.
To learn more about Universal Orlando's theme parks, please click over to our one-page visitors guides, which include our reader rankings as well as on-ride videos and links to reviews:
For tickets, including those for the new Epic Universe, please visit our ticket partner's Universal Orlando tickets page.
For assistance in planning a complete Universal Orlando vacation, including discounts on bundled Epic Universe tickets and on-site hotel stays, please contact our travel agent for a free, no-obligation vacation quote.
Remember that whenever you buy tickets or book vacations through our partners, a small portion of that goes to support Theme Park Insider. So you can support independent media while getting a great deal at the same time.
Finally, to keep up with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
I remember going on this ride when it first opened and thinking "well...this ride won't be here very long."
Have to admit it made it longer than I thought it would.
Goodbye, Rip Ride Rockit. I think I liked you best in the 2015 film Sharknado 3:Oh Hell No!
I have a feeling the decision to build Epic Universe probably bought this ride at least five years and it likely would have been gone by the time VelociCoaster opened otherwise. While not a ride I considered bad, it was the worst major coaster in Florida in my opinion, and I'm pretty confident what replaces it will be a significant improvement.
It was OK when it first opened but the ride deteriorated quickly, and it was most probably 3yrs ago, I risked life and limb to ride it. I swore at the time, that was it for me.
Good riddance RRR, you won't be missed.
Onwards and upwards to whatever they decide to build next.
Peace out RRR! Or should I say kick rocks…
Cool concept, piss poor coaster IMO. It was a great visual landmark though, and the opening vertical lift deserves credit for its ingenuity. I think my main problem with this coaster ultimately isn’t even that it de-adjusts your spinal column it’s that it’s constant breaks and pauses never allowed it to gain any serious momentum. Based on the coasters UC has built since this one, I welcome whatever comes next with open arms.
I never thought RRR was as bad as people made it out to be, and I really enjoyed the novelty of the expanded song catalogue with my go to song being 2112 by Rush. The design was really odd with the constant trim/block brakes, but when you watch it operate, you soon realize why it needed so many blocks in order to operate at a decent capacity with such short trains (12 guests). I thought the theme was cool, though with the shift in the way people consume music, the whole idea of creating a music video quickly became a dated concept.
Aside from the sudden shift up of this coaster's final day, this is the way all theme parks should treat their guests even with an attraction the park knows is not necessarily the most popular. The park went out of its way to publicly announce the final day of operation well in advance (with a late change to move it up a few weeks that was announced earlier in the summer). The park continued to operate the coaster at or as close to its maximum capacity through its final operating day. They also gave guests riding on the final day a keepsake guitar pick, memorializing the moment for guests who went our of their way to get some final runs on the coaster. There did appear to be quite a few folks who really liked this coaster, including guests who cos-played the characters from the queue video yesterday, and another person who succeeded in riding with every single track over the course of this week. There are some other theme park companies out there that could take some cues from Universal on how to properly retire an aging major attraction.
Apparently I am in the vast minority, but I loved it. I like thrill rides, especially the rickety old woodies that beat you to death. I hated it when they removed most of the songs, and I fully admit it was like being put in a blender. Last year I thought it was going to claim my glasses. I certainly hope that they add back some form of a coaster.
Good riddance! This coaster was fantastic when it first opened.... silky smooth with a silent lift hill and great onboard audio. Boy did everything go downhill fast! Hopefully, Universal sticks to proven coaster manufacturers from now on so we don't get another operational nightmare of this magnitude again.
Here's looking forward to another hit from Intamin!
ONly rode it once and liked it so in minority not hating it. A good concept I thought.
I think the negative remarks are a bit overstated, I think the on the back hill was the most uncomfortable aspect for me
I always hated the ride but would do it because my friends liked it. However, I got a little emotional last night riding it for the very last time. It was bittersweet, and I think I'll actually miss it.
But oh man, I can't wait for what's coming next.
Crocodile Rock, I Want You Back, and Rainbow Connection are the only correct song choices lol
Kickstart My Heart was my choice. The guitar revving up as you ascend the main drop that perfectly synced with the ride. Will be missed.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Song by Boyz II Men
How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh
Outweigh the bad
… I thought we'd get to see forever
But forever's gone away
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday
… I don't know where this road
Is going to lead
All I know is where we've been
And what we've been through