Universals next big IP?

[Anthony12345]

I've made comments to thi effect in the comment of the latest Dis Unplugged Universal Edition, but what do we all think is the next big IP Universal will use, or should attempt to acquire.

Personally I agree with what Pete said which is that after the D23 announcements, Disney has just won the game for dominance in one fell, multi billion dollar swoop, but that doesn't mean Universal shouldn't aim for amd expect a strong 2nd position in the Orlando area, provided it plays all its cards well.

The next big idea is all but confirmed to be Nintendo. Im sure this will be a runaway success, but compared to Star Wars? Comparatively it's a case of Nintendo Who?

So assuming Nintendo is already a given, and there are limitations to what can be done with Harry Potter, what next? This is where Universal runs into problems I think. Between Disney and Universal, all the truly big IPS are already sewed up.

The only thing I can think if is for Universal to push hard for some sort of ownership or licensing agreement with George RR Martin and HBO for the Song of Ice and fire/Game of Thrones francise. This would be a major development, although given the material it would push Universal down a much more adult route.

Thoughts?

 

[damo]

Maybe the next truly big IP doesn't exist yet.

 

[zebsterama]

To the OP - hadn't thought about Game of Thrones - that would be pretty interesting - I'd like it! I think some sort of Hogwarts expansion/hotel would be a fantastic next step. The D23 announcements have (I speculate) taken the Universal park franchise by surprise. I'm sure they knew some of it ... but probably not all of it.

The great news (I would argue) for consumers is that D23 will UP the game at both franchises ... just like (I suspect) HP and Volcano Bay (although bugs need to be worked out) pushed Disney to FINALLY make some real capital investments in their parks.

For those of us that enjoy both Disney's pixie dust and Universal's dark side - I'm thrilled.

 

[atricks]

Don't underestimate Nintendo, I think ultimately it will be the better land for a fun experience. Star Wars will be great too, but it already had a presence in the parks for years in Star Tours and the land should have been done years ago.

Game of Thrones has no business in a family theme park, maybe for a special event or minor attraction.

Ultimately both will be great for theme park fans.

 

[Alicefan]

I would give anything to see them do a total emersion Harry Potter hotel. I honestly can't believe they haven't already. Looks like those kinds of hotels are going to be the new trend and they already have the biggest and best IP ready to roll. I'd stay there every chance I got!

 

[danielocha30]

Nintendo Land is a big thing coming to US, and will surpass Star Wars even with much less physical space. I remember whe tiny Hogsmead and Forbidden Journey opened, IoA was THE place to be, a land that re themed one ride add a kiddie coaster but went big with the latest technology for their main ride, like never before US was surpassing Disney on merchandise sale, while attendance went up for US but nor down for Disney, they share guests, but US revenue came mostly from their merchandise sales. As today I see Disney and Universal as a symbiosis, all get their fair share, and aren't trying to beat one another, and people do like the individuality and the choices both places offers. Who wants to go to Disney and then to a "pretend" Disney?

 

[SteveMP]

Nintendo isn't a single thing. Its a blanket covering hundreds/thousands of seperate IPs. I'm a Star Wars fan, but a well done Zelda ride would be amazing. A Starfox ride that had barrel rolls would equal anything at Star Wars land IMO. Mario Cart vs Autopia? No contest. An augmented reality Metroid walk through? A Mega Man ride? I could go on and on. Its really up to the imagineers and Universal equivalent. I'll gladly take whatever both sides come up with

 

[TommyJK]

Some of the most successful entertainment franchises are different Video game properties. IMO what they could do is open a 4th gate around Video Game worlds in general. It could say potentially include (provided they get the rights)

1. Further Expanded Nintendo Presence (assuming Mario "world" stays secluded to US)
   • Legend of Zelda
   • Metroid
   • Donkey Kong
   • Pokemon (Nintendo is only a minority owner of this)
   • Animal Crossing
   • etc.
2. Minecraft? (Owned by Microsoft so who knows how willing they'd be to share space with Nintendo)
3. World of Warcraft?
4. Sonic? (althoug much less relevant a franchise nowadays)

 

[FargoBear]

I'd be down for more Harry Potter immersion and maybe a Lord of the Rings area.

 

[schumigirl]

I need to look up what this Nintendo thing involves.

I know zero about it apart from the basics, but sounds cool.

Yep, GoT I imagine would be a no go for a family theme park........love the show though!

 

[jkh36619]

I don't know if its even possible but Lord of the Rings would be a nice IP to have rights to. Maybe its too close to Harry Potter though.

 

[Anthony12345]

O

I don't know if its even possible but Lord of the Rings would be a nice IP to have rights to. Maybe its too close to Harry Potter though.

10 or 12 years ago, when it was still relatively fresh in peoples minds, sure. These days, not so much. The Hobbit was relatively underwhelming, and certainly never generated the buzz of the original movies.

 

[Anthony12345]

GoT could be made 'family friendly ' at the expense of butchering the story,,but if Universal were ready to embark in an overtly adult centric project, it would be ideal.

Of course,they could try something our at a future HHN.

 

[maverik85]

I think there's a couple possibilities. I know Six Flags has them as well but DC comics could be a big thing for them. They already have a working relationship with WB for the HP areas so could expand and do stuff with Justice League. Could be a good competition for Disney with Marvel, and while Six Flags has them their Battle for Metropolis rides are the only ones that have really utilized it. Universal could make some really interesting rides liek they did with Spider-Man.

Another possiblity coudl be their Dark Universe monster films. They aren't off to the best start with The Mummy but maybe future films will fare better and at least provide some interesting material for lands or rides.

I think they are sitting pretty good right now with what they have. By the end o the series the Fantsitc Beasts co uld give them some good material for new lands/areas. Dreamworks and Illumination give them lots o opportunites with their different films and franchises. And as others mentioned Nintendo is a vast property of IPs. Right now it seems like they are only really using Mario and Donkey Kong (which makes sense for a first phase). But that still leaves plenty of others like Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Kirby, F-Zero, Splatoon, etc. So I don't think they really need to worry aobut finding a specific new IP at the moment as these are all still relevant with more games and movies constantly coming out.

 

[jkh36619]

O


10 or 12 years ago, when it was still relatively fresh in peoples minds, sure. These days, not so much. The Hobbit was relatively underwhelming, and certainly never generated the buzz of the original movies.

I understand, I am speaking strictly from an visually appealing standpoint as well as a good story. I also though Narnia would make a fun land in a theme park

 

[Liljo22]

I think there's a couple possibilities. I know Six Flags has them as well but DC comics could be a big thing for them. They already have a working relationship with WB for the HP areas so could expand and do stuff with Justice League. Could be a good competition for Disney with Marvel, and while Six Flags has them their Battle for Metropolis rides are the only ones that have really utilized it. Universal could make some really interesting rides liek they did with Spider-Man.

Another possiblity coudl be their Dark Universe monster films. They aren't off to the best start with The Mummy but maybe future films will fare better and at least provide some interesting material for lands or rides.

I think they are sitting pretty good right now with what they have. By the end o the series the Fantsitc Beasts co uld give them some good material for new lands/areas. Dreamworks and Illumination give them lots o opportunites with their different films and franchises. And as others mentioned Nintendo is a vast property of IPs. Right now it seems like they are only really using Mario and Donkey Kong (which makes sense for a first phase). But that still leaves plenty of others like Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Kirby, F-Zero, Splatoon, etc. So I don't think they really need to worry aobut finding a specific new IP at the moment as these are all still relevant with more games and movies constantly coming out.

The Marvel contract has a clause that the contract can become void if Universal does something to hurt the Marvel brand. I would think Disney would evoke this clause if UO put a direct competitor IP in their parks.

 

[abooch]

I find Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings to be more mature extensions of Harry Potter. I know they have huge followings but they are too similar in my opinion.

 

[back2disney]

Nintendo is just as big if not bigger than Star Wars, especially internationally.

 

[maverik85]

The Marvel contract has a clause that the contract can become void if Universal does something to hurt the Marvel brand. I would think Disney would evoke this clause if UO put a direct competitor IP in their parks.

In this instance I would see DC replacing Marvel within Universal if they went that route. Couldn't see them using both anyway. This could benefit both as they could essentially sell the rights back to Disney for use at WDW, but still have a superhero theme to use in their parks that they would then be able to roll out worldwide. Right now they can only use Marvel in Orlando so anything made for it would not be usable at any of their other parks. This is possibly why we aren't seeing much done with that land. They seem to come up with ideas that can be rolled out across the board. Simpsons has gone to most of the parks, Minion Mayhem, Harry Potter, and to a degree Kong and Fast and Furious.

 

[Jonny_Duck]

In this instance I would see DC replacing Marvel within Universal if they went that route. Couldn't see them using both anyway. This could benefit both as they could essentially sell the rights back to Disney for use at WDW, but still have a superhero theme to use in their parks that they would then be able to roll out worldwide. Right now they can only use Marvel in Orlando so anything made for it would not be usable at any of their other parks. This is possibly why we aren't seeing much done with that land. They seem to come up with ideas that can be rolled out across the board. Simpsons has gone to most of the parks, Minion Mayhem, Harry Potter, and to a degree Kong and Fast and Furious.

They just spent money to replace the Hulk. I don't see them changing the theme of this area anytime soon. Esp since they seem to have a line of other projects that will be popping up for the next 5 years or so. If this gets done, I don't see it happening within the next decade or so....just too much on their plate and Disney has made it so this land doesn't go out of relevance.

I honestly think for the most part Universal will rely on a lot of smaller IP that'll fill space, spread crowds, and cheapen their operating costs. Like Fast and Furious and Fallon where they own outright and don't need to pay for.

Another consideration is merchandising. Not quite a superstar property but one where they can make money on the toys or souvenirs.

I don't know what the next thing will be but tbh I don't think there is anything out there right now that spans they age gap of what HP or SW does. Nintendo is going to be great for them to get more international audience however since it's opening in Japan maybe that won't help us here. Unless they significantly change it up enough to where ours is so different than theirs and I don't see that happening. Whatever is next....I'll likely be too old to care or possibly even know what it is.