South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has approved Universal Orlando Resort’s permit for the demolition of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and construction of a new ride in Universal Studios Florida.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Demolition
The permit, filed under Project P830, is for the construction and operation of a stormwater management system serving the 6.27 acres of development. Universal filed the permit on December 23, 2024, and it was approved by SFWMD on February 19, 2025.
The permit stated Universal would “Remove existing attraction and replace with proposed attraction”, although there are no details about the proposed attraction. The project area outlined in the permit documents corresponds to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Universal later announced the coaster would close permanently in early September 2025.
We first reported on rumors Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit would close in April 2024. In October, Universal filed a permit contracting Intamin for unknown work. Sources told us the coaster manufacturer would create the new ride replacing Rip Ride Rockit. Intamin also created Universal’s Jurassic World VelociCoaster.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, created by Maurer Söhne, opened at Universal Studios Florida in 2009. It features a non-inverted loop and a 90-degree angle climb to the launch, creating an iconic shape often used in skyline-style art on Universal merchandise. Riders get to pick their ride soundtrack from a list of songs. There were once over 30 official songs to choose from, plus a secret list, but the choices were cut down to only five songs in late 2023.
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