Construction walls by the Universal CityWalk Orlando waterfront are the first signs of the impending demolition of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Construction Walls
Though Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is in Universal Studios Florida, not CityWalk, the walls are near the roller coaster. They’re between Hard Rock Cafe and the Universal Studios Florida entrance, blocking some of the sidewalks in the area.
Back when the Blue Man Group performed at CityWalk, this area was where guests would enter the theater. The theater is now only used for seasonal events, specifically the “Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular.”
Guests can still walk through the area along the main sidewalk, but the walkway closest to the waterfront and part of the sidewalk leading down from Hard Rock Cafe are blocked.
Bioreconstruct shared this aerial photo of the area on X. The yellow highlights are the closed sidewalks. It also shows just how close the construction walls are to Rip Ride Rockit, which is pictured in the lower left corner.
The closed pathway by Hard Rock Cafe includes the wheelchair ramp, so a temporary ramp has been installed. It runs from the waterfront sidewalk over a staircase to the raised Hard Rock Cafe space.
Construction walls run along the other side of the stairs.
The walls curve along a planter. The other set of construction walls begins at the end of a hedge.
That leaves this sidewalk between the walls open.
A stretch of the walls is connected by a chain-link fence partially covered in black scrim. This is where the former Blue Man Group theater entrance was. The fencing may be here because it’s easier to move, allowing crew members and vehicles onto the sidewalks around Rip Ride Rockit.
We took a peek behind the construction walls but didn’t see any significant signs of work.
The walls end close to Universal Studios Florida, stopping at a column near the Universal Studios globe.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is still open, but “farewell tour” merchandise is already available. The coaster will close permanently in September. A new attraction will take its place, but Universal hasn’t announced details. They did contract coaster manufacturer Intamin for unknown work in October 2024.
WDWNT reported on rumors of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit’s closure in spring 2024. The ride was crafted by Maurer Söhne and opened at Universal Studios Florida in 2009. It’s known for its unique soundtrack system. Riders get to pick what song they’ll hear during the ride. They could once choose from a list of over 30 official songs, plus a secret list, but the selection was reduced to just five songs in late 2023.
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