Universal Orlando Resort is building a new, fourth theme park to be called Universal’s Epic Universe. The vision: create an entirely new level of experience that forever changes theme park entertainment.
Epic Universe will also feature an entertainment center, hotels, shops, restaurants and more.
It’s the first theme park to be built in Orlando in 20 years. There is no opening date yet, but it’s going to take a few years to create something as epic as promised. It’s going to be a long wait.
Universal’s Epic Universe will take guests on a journey where beloved stories expand into vibrant lands. Universal promise the journey will be as much a part of the adventure as the ultimate destination.
No doubt Universal will be drip feeding us bite size snippets of what we can expect.
“Our new park represents the single-largest investment Comcast NBCUniversal has made in its theme park business and in Florida overall,” said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Corporation. “It reflects the tremendous excitement we have for the future of our theme park business and for our entire company’s future in Florida.”
It will be located within a larger 750-acre site that nearly doubles Universal’s total available acreage in Central Florida. Universal’s Epic Universe is just a few miles from the existing resort in Southwest Orange County. Specifically, it will be south of Sand Lake Road and east of Universal Boulevard.
“Our vision for Epic Universe is historic,” said Tom Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Universal Parks & Resorts. “It will build on everything we have done and become the most immersive and innovative theme park we have ever created. It is an investment in our business, our industry, our team members and our community.”
Universal Orlando Resort opened Universal Studios in 1990. Since then it has expanded to include Islands of Adventure, City Walk and Volcano Bay. Islands of Adventure opened in 1999 and is consistently rated the number 1 theme park in the world.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in 2010. Attendance to Universal Orlando Resort since then has doubled. The last major opening was Volcano Bay, a themed water park, in 2017.
Universal Orlando currently employees 25,000 people and will hire an additional 14,000 team members as part of Epic Universe. New positions include professional, technical, culinary and other specialized positions.
The company currently contributes more than $302 million in annual state and local taxes – a number that will nearly double when the new theme park opens.
