Concept rendering of Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park: Epic Universe.
NBC Universal
Work is finally resuming at Universal Orlando Resort’s fourth theme park, the Epic Universe.
The park, which was announced in 2019, had its construction stopped earlier in July 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, Universal revealed that it will take several months to reach top speed, as it needs to restore the project and reassemble its suppliers and contractors.
“The restart of building the Epic Universe is a fantastic time for our employees and for our Florida theme park business,” said Brian Roberts, president and CEO of Comcast. “It is our biggest individual investment in the state and represents our enthusiasm for the spectacular park and the economic opportunities it will generate.”
The company is trying to turn its two-park resort into a week-long travel destination, not just a two- or three-day family trip. The company also operates Volcano Bay, a water park that lies about a kilometer below Universal Studios’ parks.
The new park will be located on 750 acres of land just a few kilometers from the existing resort. Universal said it would provide transportation between all of its properties.
Universal Orlando currently employs 25,000 people and will hire an additional 14,000 workers, including professionals, technicians and culinary professionals. The company boasted on Wednesday that restarting construction of the Epic Universe will inject billions of dollars into Florida’s economy and create thousands of jobs during its development.
It usually takes three to four years to build a large-scale theme park. The land was cleared in 2018 and will be the first park Universal has built since 1999, when Islands of Adventure opened. Over the past decade, Universal has expanded its two parks to include “Harry Potter” themed Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.
Analysts speculate that the new toys may be based on Universal properties, such as “Minions”, classic monsters and even Nintendo. Universal executives remained silent on the details. Tom Williams, CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts said it is “the most engaging and innovative theme park we’ve ever created.”
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.