J.L. Bonnier, President and CEO of Universal Studios Japan, revealed in a new interview that the park is exploring the use of parking lots for theme park expansion within the next decade.
Universal Studios Japan Exploring Expansion Options
Universal Studios Japan recently opened its latest expansion, Donkey Kong Country, on December 11, 2024. This marked the latest addition to Super Nintendo World, which first opened at the park before being added to Universal Studios Hollywood and to Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort in 2025. This new area expanded the total footprint of Super Nintendo World by 1.7 times.
Even with that new addition, the park and Bonnier are already looking to the next big thing for the park, with an investment plan in place for future expansions.
It is possible to add new attractions within the park through projects like relocating parking. We have a long-term investment plan looking 5 to 7 years ahead and will continue to roll out large-scale projects.
J.L. Bonnier in an interview with Nikkei.com
When asked about expanding the park and new developments in the works, Bonnier remained tight-lipped on specific plans, stating that only “We are focusing on growing the existing park.”
It is worth noting that as of late, the park is very overcrowded, mostly because Universal Studios Japan is the only major Japanese theme park that still sells annual passes; Tokyo Disney Resort retired their annual pass program in 2020. With overcrowding comes high wait times, which inevitably leads to guest complaints from both locals and tourists. Expansion and the development of new attractions is the simplest way to alleviate this and allow guests to have a better park experience.
The measure of success isn’t just attendance numbers. Customer satisfaction and profitability are crucial, and we’ve shifted strategies to smooth visitor numbers, including implementing entry restrictions during busy periods.
J.L. Bonnier in an interview with Nikkei.com
Universal Studios Japan implemented a variable pricing system in 2019 to help alleviate crowds, with pricing that varies based on the day of the week and season.
The interview also mentions that Universal Studios Japan beat out Tokyo Disneyland in the Top 25 Amusement and Theme Parks Worldwide as shared in the 2023 Theme Index from AECOM (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Management) and TEA (Themed Entertainment Association). The former saw 16 million guests visit the park in 2023, up 29.6% from 2022; Tokyo Disneyland only saw 15.1 million guests that same year. Tokyo Disney Resort continues to suffer from their post-COVID-19 ticketing strategy, structure, and lack of annual passes.
Bonnier credits this success to the popularity of Japanese IP and media.
The global popularity of manga and anime has been rising. We will continue our strategy using Japanese content moving forward.
J.L. Bonnier in an interview with Nikkei.com
This strategy is clear when seeing the addition of Nintendo, Pokémon, and anime like “Detective Conan” and “One Piece” as IP in the park. That being said, a majority of current attendance at the park is their annual passholders, but the opening of Super Nintendo World certainly offered a large boost in attendance, thanks to the popularity of the gaming company and its IP.
Reportedly, Universal’s contract with Nintendo demands that the Nintendo-based attractions debut first in Japan before going anywhere else in the world, which does make sense and is consistent so far with Super Nintendo World offerings that have become available elsewhere in the world.
What do you think about Universal Studios Japan looking to utilize its parking lots for theme park expansion? What IP would you like to see brought to the park? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
Source: Nikkei.com
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