Facts, history about Universal Studios, which is making Frisco debut - The Dallas Morning News

Universal Studios is bringing its adjacent taxable parkland to Frisco, its 3rd determination successful the U.S., arsenic the concatenation continues to grow worldwide.

Universal Parks & Resorts — the taxable parkland limb of amusement elephantine NBCUniversal — has bought a tract connected the Dallas North Tollway for a caller kid-friendly taxable park. The astir 100-acre planned amusement hub volition beryllium successful the $10 cardinal Fields development.

The task volition beryllium designed to entreaty to families, with immersive experiences making it a one- oregon two-day destination, said Mark Woodbury, president and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts. There besides volition beryllium a 300-room Universal-themed hotel.

Unlike Universal Studios’ sprawling parks successful Orlando, Fla., Los Angeles and abroad, the Frisco improvement volition beryllium a overmuch smaller attraction — the archetypal of aggregate specified projects the institution plans. It volition beryllium astir one-fourth the size of the company’s Orlando park.

Here’s what to cognize astir the company’s past successful the parks concern and what it could beryllium bringing to Frisco.

Universal has 5 parkland and edifice locations worldwide

Universal has 5 taxable parks and resorts, 9 hotels and 10,000 edifice rooms astir the world.

Universal Studios laminitis Carl Laemmle archetypal opened his Hollywood studios to the nationalist successful 1915. The workplace began offering tram tours successful 1964 and opened its Jaws thrust successful 1976 with a 25-foot animatronic shark.

Universal Orlando Resort opened successful 1990. It present includes the Universal Studios Florida taxable park, the Islands of Adventure taxable parkland and the Volcano Bay h2o park. It besides has 8 themed hotels.

Universal CityWalk, a themed eating and amusement complex, opened extracurricular of the Hollywood parkland successful 1993. Six years later, it opened successful Orlando.

Universal Studios Japan opened successful 2001, breaking worldwide attendance records successful its archetypal year, according to the company. The institution opened a 2nd parkland successful Asia, Universal Studios Singapore, successful 2011 and a Beijing parkland successful 2021.

The institution continues to put successful its parks, cities

In 2019, Universal announced a 3rd taxable parkland successful Orlando called Epic Universe, which Brian Roberts, CEO of genitor institution Comcast Corp., said astatine the clip was “the largest concern we’ve ever made successful a park.”

Universal Orlando Resort and Orlando’s Right Rail conjugation announced Jan. 5 they would make a nationalist enactment that would plan and conception a commuter obstruction station adjacent the aboriginal Epic Universe parkland linking the parkland to Orlando International Airport and Orange County Convention Center.

Rides and attractions person an amusement theme

Universal parks chiefly diagnostic rides based connected the company’s movie and tv catalog. Attractions are based connected films specified arsenic Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers and Harry Potter.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened successful Orlando successful 2010. Universal Studios Florida revealed different Harry Potter attraction, Diagon Alley, successful 2014. That aforesaid year, the Wizarding World opened successful Japan, and the Hollywood parkland added the attraction successful 2016.

Universal Studios Hollywood plans to unfastened Super Nintendo World Feb. 17, a themed onshore based connected Nintendo video games with a thrust based connected the Mario Kart bid utilizing augmented-reality exertion and projection mapping.

Universals Studios Florida held its archetypal Halloween event, Fright Nights, successful 1991. Four of Universal’s parks big the yearly event, present known arsenic Halloween Horror Nights.

How Universal fits into the bigger Comcast picture

Universal Parks & Resorts is simply a part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Comcast. Comcast acquired NBCUniversal successful 2011. Comcast is besides a broadband, wireless and video supplier done its Xfinity, Comcast Business and Sky brands.

Comcast’s entertainment, sports and quality arms see Universal, Sky Studios, NBC, Telemundo and Peacock.

Universal’s parks brought successful much than $5.4 cardinal successful gross from the commencement of 2022 done December, astir 19% of the company’s $29.3 cardinal successful full gross implicit the aforesaid period, according to Comcast public filings. Park gross accrued 71.6% from 2021 to 2022, pursuing the resurgence of tourism from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Universal is simply a monolithic leader successful Orlando

Universal is the third-largest leader successful Orlando, with 21,143 workers, down AdventHealth (37,000) and Walt Disney World Resort (58,478), according to the city of Orlando and the Orlando Business Journal.