Should Disney Follow Universal to These Places?

While you were focused on Universal Epic Universe and its potential impact on Disney, Universal Studios planned more.

Right now, Disney’s primary competitor in the United States is building three new theme parks and installations.

Photo: Playbuzz.com

Notably, only two of them will reside in the United States, though.

So, should Disney follow Universal to any of these three locations?

Las Vegas, Nevada

Should Disney follow Universal Studios to Las Vegas? I somewhat broached the topic in this month’s batch of Disney Rumors.

In case you missed it, here’s the deal. Universal Studios has licensed one of its brands to AREA15 in Las Vegas.

Area 15

AREA15 delights tourists with its unique experiences, including the mesmerizing Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.

That was a temporary offering. Universal’s Vegas presence will be permanent.

Theme Park magazine

AREA15 licensed the Halloween Horror Nights brand. The entertainment complex is building an HHN installation.

This location will open in August, and it promises to foster intrigue among Universal fans.

Halloween Horror Nights

You don’t need to keep up with that theme park much to know that HHN is its hottest brand.

Adults flock to HHN each year to experience the new Houses and various Scare Zones.

Photo: Universal

This facsimile named Universal Horror Unleashed will feature four Houses, all of which we’ve previously seen at HHN in some form.

So, there’s some question whether fans should rush to Vegas for them, but that’s a side point.

Disney could perceive this offering as a threat. That’s why a hot rumor suggested that Disney could buy a famous hotel there.

Circus Circus Hotel is coming up for sale, and some suggested Disney would be the buyer.

Casino.org emphatically (and hilariously) refuted this rumor.

Since I discussed it in detail in Disney Rumors, I won’t relitigate the argument.

Long story short, people keep trying to get Disney to come to Vegas, which makes little sense to me.

Disney would fit as well in Vegas as Jason Voorhees would at a Sunday School lesson.

Photo: vecteezy.com

The only reason I don’t wholly dismiss the possibility at some point is that Disney would only do this for money.

However, Disney has emphasized new revenue-generating business models recently. So, I never say never.

Frisco, Texas

Travel and Leisure

I’ll save you the trouble of finding this one on a map.

Frisco, Texas, is basically the new extension of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area.

First, Dallas attracted a huge population. Eventually, they spilled over into Fort Worth. Now, the same thing is happening in Frisco.

To Universal’s credit, the theme park company is getting ahead of the curve by building a junky little theme park in Frisco.

Photo: Universal

You shouldn’t envision Epic Universe or the like when imagining this park.

If anything, it’s closer to a better themed Six Flags. Universal’s not even running away from this fact.

Since day one, the company has advertised Universal Kids Resort as a family-friendly mini-theme park.

You won’t find many E-ticket attractions here. The purpose of this experience is to provide kids with lots of character encounters.

Kristin Sabol recently detailed the park’s offerings on our sister site, UniversalParksBlog.

We’re talking about themed lands based on Shrek, Minions, and Gabby’s Dollhouse.

People will age out of this park the moment they reach puberty and never look back until they have kids of their own.

So, the idea of Disney building a copycat park is a non-starter. What’s the point?

Photo: @michael.e.moriarty via Instagram

Imagineers would never cut corners like this, and executives are too protective of the brand to consider it.

However, the idea of building a theme park in the metropolitan area has its positives.

Photo: Disney

The three cities have a combined population of nearly seven million, and it’s a boomtown with explosive future growth.

The drawback is simple, though. Land in this area costs a fortune, and Universal only snagged 32 acres.

The smallest Disney theme park in America, Disney California Adventure, is more than double that size.

If Disney chose a new site for an American park, I’d expect it to target cheaper land.

London, England

Universal Orlando

In early 2023, rumors surged that Universal Studios was scouting locations in the greater London area.

A year later, The Independent reported that Universal was in the “very early stages of exploring the possibility of a potential park and resort experience.”

Photo: Pexel.com

Interestingly, Universal officials didn’t deny the rumor, which indicated that they liked the idea of building a park here.

And why wouldn’t they? What’s the hottest thing at Universal Studios over the past 15 years? It’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Source: Universal

Where would be an ideal location for a new Wizarding World? Wouldn’t you agree it’s Harry Potter’s home country?

Sure enough, the BBC reported last month that “Universal Studios has registered to trademark its name in the UK in connection with an amusement park, theme park and waterpark.”

Universal

Now, we’ve got us a ballgame. At this point, it’d be a shock if Universal did NOT build a theme park in the greater London area.

In 2023, Universal officials took the unusual step of admitting that they “had purchased a 476-acre (193-hectare) site in Kempston Hardwick”.

Universal

That’s a location about 55 miles away from London. It’s akin to Disney building Disneyland Paris 28 miles from Paris.

The move makes perfect sense for Universal Studios, but it would be smart for Disney to follow suit?

Photo: Disney

Once again, I’m saying no. And my logic here is simple.

Disneyland Paris is currently the most popular paid tourist destination in Europe.

Disneyland Paris

That blows my mind, but it’s true. Part of the reason for the park’s success is that it caters to all Europeans.

Our fabulous MickeyBlog writer in England recently reported from Disneyland Paris. It’s an easy thing to do thanks to the Chunnel.

Image Credit: Disneyland Paris

Adding a second theme park in Europe would be Disney competing with itself.

Final Thoughts

So, I’m of the opinion that Disney shouldn’t follow Universal Studios to any of these places.

While the greater London and Dallas areas make sense from a metropolitan perspective, they come at a high price.

Image Credit: Universal Orlando

Disney would need to spend excessive amounts of money on the land. There would be infrastructural and logistical issues as well.

That’s not Disney’s style. The company is more likely to build something in the middle of nowhere.

Photo: Washington Post

Disney can buy the land for significantly less money, and the state government likely offers a Reedy Creek-esque deal for self-governance.

To an extent, a Disney offering in Las Vegas makes financial sense. It’s the scheme fit where I have a problem here.

Image: The Healthy Mouse

If you disagree, feel free to tell me why I’m wrong.

Also, if you have any ideas about where Disney should build a park, please pass them along!

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Feature Photo: MickeyBog/Universal