Universal has filed new trademark applications for its upcoming theme park in Great Britain.
The United Kingdom's Intellectual Property Office yesterday published a trademark application from Universal for "Universal United Kingdom Resort." Universal previously filed a UK trademark application for "Universal Studios Grand Hotel."
Universal is developing a new theme park in Bedford, which is located about an hour north of London. Universal has not announced officially a name for the park, which is expected to open in 2031. The resort will include a theme park as well as an on-site hotel.
"Universal United Kingdom Resort" follows the naming convention for Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Beijing Resort, substituting the name of the nation for the host city. However, if this is to be the name of the Bedford resort, there's nothing keeping Universal from applying for another trademark for a different name for the theme park within it. So it might be premature to declare that UUKR is the name of Universal's new Bedford theme park.
For what it is worth, Universal also has filed UK trademarks for Halloween Horror Nights and Universal Horror Unleashed. Typically, companies file trademarks for intellectual property that they intend to market within a country, so let's consider these applications fuel for the rumor mill that Universal will bring its horror franchises to the UK someday, along with its planned theme park.
For the latest on planning documents filed for the resort, please see Universal aims high with new England theme park.
A report in The Sun newspaper two days ago confirmed that after 5 months of lengthy negotiations with JK Rowling and Warner Brothers Studios there is going to be a Harry Potter attraction/land even though WBS is only 30 miles away from the planned park. Universal have yet to confirm but their creative team have just started on it.
Other IPs hotly tipped include Lord of the Rings, a James Bond stunt show and Paddington Bear with Jurassic World, Minions and Back to the Future also strongly muted.
It will feature a live volcano, a Europe record-breaking roller coaster over water, a Universal Creative ground-breaking dark ride, a nighttime show, hotel and an area for dining and shopping.
"Universal's Most Epic" it is shaping up to be.
You're right ProfPlum, the news regarding the HP rights for this park is far bigger than the trademark applications. However, what I've been reading seems to indicate that LOTR was the "back-up plan" for if Universal wasn't able to get the HP rights. I am curious to see how using HP will work at this theme park. When we went to England a couple of years ago, we strongly considered doing the HP Experience at the WB Studio, but it was really expensive, and everything we read about it seemed to indicate that is was pretty similar to the experience at Universal's WWoHP lands minus the rides. It's unclear what constraints this settlement will impose on Universal's application of HP in this new park or if they established some type of concession or collaborative marketing agreement to ensure the use of HP at the new theme park would not impact revenues at WB. It's also possible that Universal may have agreed that this new park's HP land and attractions can only be clones of existing installations around the world, and they cannot utilize any new setting or ride system for this park.
In any event, even if Universal wasn't able to utilize the HP IP, this new park was already shaping up to be a blockbuster and one that would more directly appeal to European audiences.
The WB Studio experience is pretty great, and I think it has enough going for it to distinguish it from Universal.
Hot take: I would've rather seen LOTR than another Harry Potter land.
I’m thinking that if Universal has found a way to bring HP into the park, it will be based on the upcoming tv show, rather than the movies. By the time the park opens, we’ll be (at least) a couple of seasons/books into it, so the new actors will have made their mark and be established.
I totally agree, Russell. As soon as I read it I thought the only way WBS will allow HP at UME (poetic licence applied) will be for either a combination ticket commitment or some form of financial compensation.
Regarding the WBS experience, it is very good but not as thrilling as the Orlando lands, however, the full scale model, gloriously lit up, at the end of the tour is a real "WOW!" moment. My jaw did drop in awe.
LotR as back-up is very plausible but I'd love both to be part of the park as it will give ours uniqueness.
So are we thinking the "Live Volanco" will be a Mount Doom style top to a ground breaking LOTR dark ride? Really hope so.... perhaps kuka arm forbidden journey/monsters ride vehicle? It looks as though the Jurassic World ride from Beijing will be there from the early concept art, which makes sense (non Florida) and then we have ticked off their two most popular dark ride vehicle types.
Or perhaps the Volcano could be similar to the Jurassic Park mountain that is in Beijing (although that was missing from concept art).
I just hope that Universal learned lessons from Epic. No doubt they scaled back the "Fantastic Beast"s theme from the third Potter land, once they found out the films were not such a hit. Basing a land around a TV series that may not be a hit is risky (if using the new actors). I doubt it will be on free to air TV over in the UK.
But it doesn't matter. It really is exciting news and will keep us speculating and busy for years. Exciting times
Universal has marketed non universal attractions to travellers to universal before; merlin has a multi pass for their non theme park attractions (and an AP that covers everything), so it would make sense that a one-attraction park in that sort of environment might look for attractions to partner with.
Universal has marketed non universal attractions to travellers to universal before; merlin has a multi pass for their non theme park attractions (and an AP that covers everything), so it would make sense that a one-attraction park in that sort of environment might look for attractions to partner with.
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With the IPs being discussed it will likely be called "Universal's Most Epic".