Upcoming leadership changes have been announced for Universal Studios Japan and will be effective starting on June 1, 2025. JL Bonnier JL Bonner is being promoted from his current position of Universal Studios Japan as President, CEO to the position of President, COO, Pacific Rim where he will oversee the teams and overall operations of … Read more
In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Bedford Borough Council and other local political leaders expressed their support of the potential Universal Studios Great Britain project. Universal Studios Great Britain Gains New Support “The project is a unique opportunity to promote the UK as a world-leading visitor destination and place for business investment,” … Read more
Brian Robinson and Eric Parr have been promoted at Universal Destinations & Experiences (previously Universal Parks & Resorts), chairman-CEO Mark Woodbury announced in a memo to staff today. Robinson has been appointed to the role of EVP, Chief Creative Officer. He is currently EVP, Brand Strategy & Creative at Universal Products & Experiences. Robinson will … Read more
While addressing Universal Team Members in an internal video, Mark Woodbury, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Universal Parks & Resorts, announced that the division will change its name to Universal Destinations & Experiences. “When I started with the company, our division was called Universal Recreation Services Group,” stated Woodbury. “We had Hollywood Studio Tour and … Read more
The vote on the zoning permit for the new family-oriented Universal theme park planned for Frisco, Texas, has been delayed for a second time. The Frisco city council and the planning and zoning committee were originally scheduled to vote on the permit on February 7. The vote was postponed to February 21. It has now … Read more
Former Walt Disney Imagineer Jim Shull has done some digging into Universal’s new family-focused theme park coming to Frisco, Texas, and shared his findings on Twitter. There will be a public “meet & greet” with Universal Parks & Resorts representatives this weekend at Collin College Frisco Camp, Conference Center, 9700 Wade Blvd. The meeting is … Read more
There’s a rumor that Universal Parks & Resorts is considering buying back PortAventura Park in Salou, Spain. PortAventura was developed by Anheuser-Busch and Grand Tibidabo, although Grand Tibibado backed out during the construction of the park. Other investors, including The Tussauds Group, stepped in, and it opened in 1995 as Port Aventura. Tussauds Group held … Read more
Comcast has released their report about the third quarter of 2022, in which they report a significant increase in revenue from Universal theme parks. The increase is partially thanks to Universal Beijing Resort, which opened last year, although it has had to close twice now due to COVID-19. U.S. and Japan theme parks have also … Read more
Universal Orlando Resort has debuted a new plastic shopping bag to be used at Universal Parks & Resorts around the world. The bag is white with the Universal globe at the center and magical blue light coming out of it. The characters featured on the bag correspond to Universal Parks’ current main franchises (except Nintendo). … Read more
In a special report, Orlando Business Journal spoke to the new CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts, Mark Woodbury, as well as several industry experts about the future of Universal theme parks under his leadership. Former CEO Tom Williams retired after over 20 years in the position and Woodbury took over earlier this year. Woodbury … Read more
Following the announcement that Universal Orlando Resort President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Davis will retire on January 1, 2022, more changes to the executive leadership of Universal Parks & Resorts have been announced. A new role has been created for President and COO of Universal Parks & Resorts, Pacific Rim, and will be filled … Read more
Comcast, the company behind NBCUniversal, has released its third-quarter earnings report. Journalist Ashley Carter shared the theme park results on Twitter this morning. Universal theme parks have shown significant growth from 2020 to 2021. This was particularly driven by Universal Orlando Resort. Regarding the theme park division, Comcast CFO Mike Cavanaugh stated, “We are encouraged … Read more
A life-sized set of Olympic Rings will be arriving at both U.S. Universal parks this July as part of NBC’s “Rings Across America.” The Olympic Rings will kick off the tour from CityWalk Universal Studios Hollywood July 3-4. Later in the tour, they will be displayed at the Universal Studios Florida entrance July 16 – … Read more
Universal Parks & Resorts has set aside 20 acres of land for an affordable housing site in Orange County, Florida. They have chosen Wendover Housing Partners to develop the new property and transferred ownership to Universal’s Housing for Tomorrow. The press release from Universal is below. After a months-long national search, Universal Parks & Resorts … Read more
Just like Hello Kitty always says, “You can never have too many face coverings!” (She actually says friends, but I think she’d agree with me here). Three new face covering styles have arrived today at Universal Orlando Resort starring Hello Kitty and Betty Boop. Most of the masks at Universal are $8 each or 3 … Read more
It seems that there will be even more adventures in the Wizarding World at Universal parks. Universal Creative’s chief creative officer and senior vice president, Thierry Coup, claimed that they were “not done” with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a recent interview with People marking the theme park land’s tenth anniversary at Universal’s … Read more