It seems like everything has been all about Universal Studios lately!
Epic Universe is having Annual Passholder previews soon, and its opening date for everyone is just around the corner. While all the hype has been around the anticipation for Epic’s opening on May 22nd, Universal continues to drop more massive news.
We’ve gotten to journey inside the new theme park, and it was unlike anything we’ve seen before — going through portals to lands including Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. Annual Passholders will get the chance to adventure to the new park next, with special soft opening previews. Then, finally, we will all get to explore the new worlds together!
During this time, with all the buzz around Epic Universe, Universal decided to give us news on their plans for a new park in Europe. That’s right, Universal will be building its FIRST European park. Universal wants to bring “thrilling rides, innovative attractions and exciting entertainment” to the UK. Their original resort plans feature a 500-room hotel, as well as a retail, dining, and entertainment complex.
The construction has not started for this United Kingdom project, but Universal confirmed that a planning proposal will be submitted to the Government, with the intended construction start date to begin in 2026. The park is not expected to open till 2031.
With the park not opening for quite some time, Universal Destinations has claimed that “it is too early” to know exactly what attractions the park will hold. However, Universal keeps dropping hints here and there that have us wondering if we’ll be seeing certain properties come to life. We just found a new trademark filing and GREAT SCOTT, there’s some evidence we’ll be seeing this beloved franchise at the new park!
Universal registered the Back to the Future trademark! They filed for the trademark on December 23rd, 2024, with a date of entry in register on March 21st, 2025. Universal won’t need to renew the trademark till December 23rd, 2034.
The trademark registered was for a Class 41, which states:
Class 41: Amusement park attraction and theme park services; presentation of live show performances; providing waterpark services; providing recreational areas for entertainment and amusement, namely, interactive play areas.
Back to the Future is a classic in movie history, loved by fans all over the world. The iconic family sci-fi movie was released in 1985 and has been a fan-favorite by movie buffs since. We would be so excited to see Back to the Future come to a Universal Park — not only because it deserves to be there, but because Back to the Future would be coming BACK to the park.
That’s right, Universal Orlando used to be home to a Back to the Future ride! The ride consisted of entering through the Institute of Future Technology, a fictional organization founded by Dr. Emmett L. Brown — where he introduced his new “8 Passenger DeLorean”. However, before boarding, the original time vehicle is stolen by a time-displaced Biff Tannen. You needed to board the time vehicles and follow Biff through numerous time periods, including the then-future of 2015, as well as the Ice Age, before “bumping” Biff back to the correct time frame. The old ride is where the Simpsons Ride currently sits at Universal Orlando!
The new UK park is also intending to feature James Bond, Paddington, Minions, Jurassic Park, and Lord of the Rings. Universal wants the park to be unique, featuring attractions you won’t find at any other Universal Park. The source insisted “contracts have been signed,” making it unlikely that anything will change. Rides have already been designed, with the majority planned as indoor attractions, according to BBC. Sources have stated some of the attractions we could possibly be getting would be rollercoasters themed to Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and Minions. We could also see a stunt show based on James Bond, similar to Universal Orlando’s “The Bourne Stuntacular”.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the United Kingdom Universal Park — even though it’ll be a long time till we get to visit it. We are going to be breaking down all the news that comes out, so make sure to stay tuned to AllEars!
Will Epic Universe be joining the Annual Passholder Program?
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to get the free list ranking rides at Universal Studios Florida! Click here to get started!
What do you want to see at the new Universal UK park? Let us know in the comments!
HUGE news for me as I live 15 minutes away from Bedford! We’ve been following this closely and honestly can’t wait to visit the finished park, this is so exciting.
This is BIG for me. Since I live in Germany and have relatives in the UK this will be my home Universal park kind of. And BTTF and the Jurassic series are some of my favorite franchises. If Jaws makes an appearance as well (turning right after main street maybe?) Id have season tickets right now!