Epic Universe watchlist: See the movies that inspired Universal's new theme park
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Early look at Universal Orlando's Epic Universe's SUPER NINTENDO WORLD
Universal Orlando's Epic Universe park will include five new themed areas including SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. Here's an early look inside.
Universal Orlando's Epic Universe theme park opens to the public this May.
The park features five immersive lands: Celestial Park, Dark Universe, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, and "How to Train Your Dragon" – Isle of Berk.
Epic Universe is located about 15 minutes away from Universal Orlando's existing parks.
Universal Orlando's highly anticipated fourth park is opening next month, filled with immersive experiences inspired by classic horror films, Nintendo video games, the "How to Train Your Dragon" movies and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
There are five new worlds for guests to explore at the theme park — Celestial Park, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.
Parkgoers absolutely do not need to be experts on each worlds' lore to enjoy the new park, but it doesn't hurt to catch up on the media that inspired the newest immersive experiences at Universal Orlando Resort.
Here's what to add to your watchlist ahead of Epic Universe's opening this month.
When in 2025 will Epic Universe open?
Epic Universe officially opens to the public on Thursday, May 22, 2025, ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
It will be at Universal's new south campus, about 15 minutes down the road from Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios and Universal Orlando's CityWalk dining, retail and entertainment complex.
Celestial Park
Out of the five new worlds at Epic Universe, Celestial Park is the only one not tied to existing intellectual property. No movies, TV shows, or video games are connected to the world.
It is located at the center of the theme park, serving as the gateway to the four other worlds, which are all accessed by themed portals. It houses several eateries and two rides — Stardust Racers and Constellation Carousel.
Universal Orlando describes the new world as a place where "wondrous discoveries await among the lush greenery, tree-lined walkways and dancing fountains."
"Begin your cosmic journey of discovery in a world between worlds, full of sensory delights for all to enjoy together," Universal writes.
Dark Universe
Described as a "shadowy world where the unknown lurks around every corner," Dark Universe takes classic Universal monsters off the screen and places them in real life. There are two rides — Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Curse of the Werewolf.
Universal says parkgoers will explore "a village ravaged by the wrath of unearthly creatures and the monstrous experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein."
There are a lot of examples of remakes and reimaginings of the iconic monsters featured in Dark Universe.
Watch 'Frankenstein' and 'Dracula' on AppleTV
From 'Dracula' to 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon,' here are the classic monster movies to binge before visiting Dark Universe:
" Frankenstein " (1931) - Stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
" (1931) - Stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. " Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) - Stream by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
(1935) Stream by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. " Dracula" (1931) - Stream by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
(1931) Stream by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. " The Wolf Man " (1941) - Stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
" (1941) Stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. " The Mummy " (1932) - Stream by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
" (1932) Stream by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. " The Invisible Man " (1933) - Stream it on IndieFlix. You can also stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
" (1933) Stream it on IndieFlix. You can also stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. " Werewolf of London " (1935) - Stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
" (1935) Stream it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954) - Stream by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. You can stream for free on FlixHouse.
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD features rides, dining and immersive attractions based on the Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong franchises. It features two specific lands — Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country.
In a press release last year, Universal described the new world as a 'multi-sensory environment where guests can experience the fun and adventure of Nintendo games in a whole new way."
The best way to prepare for the world is to refresh your skills for the Super Mario game series, especially the race tracks on Mario Kart.
As for movies, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" hit theaters in 2023 and is now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video or Amazon Prime Video with Ads. It's also available to rent or purchase on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
Watch 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' with Prime Video
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic
The new theme park brings the iconic Ministry of Magic, from the "Harry Potter" and "Fantastic Beasts" franchises, to life.
This new addition to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter takes parkgoers to 1920s Wizarding Paris. Fans of the franchise will recognize elements from the "Fantastic Beasts" movies.
After passing through this world's portal, guests will first journey from a Muggle park in Paris into Place Cachée – a hidden, bustling shopping district in the wizarding part of Paris, lined with Haussmannian buildings, shops, sidewalk cafés and historic Parisian domes rising in the distance.
There is only one ride in Epic Universe's Ministry of Magic — "Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry," a dark ride where guests travel by Métro-Floo, from 1920s Paris to the 1990s British Ministry of Magic.
All eight Harry Potter films — "Sorcerer's Stone" (2001), "Chamber of Secrets" (2002), "Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), "Goblet of Fire" (2005), "Order of the Phoenix" (2007), "Half-Blood Prince" (2009), "Deathly Hallows Part 1" (2010), and "Deathly Hallows Part 2" (2011) — are now available to stream on Peacock and Max.
The "Fantastic Beasts" trilogy is also available to stream on Max.
Watch the 'Harry Potter' movies with a Paramount+ free trial
Isle of Berk
Epic Universe also houses the mythical land from the popular 'How to Train Your Dragon' franchise – Isle of Berk. It's a Viking-sized village, set during the golden age of harmony between Vikings and dragons (think: between the second and third movie).
These are all the movies and shows to watch to understand the lore behind the Isle of Berk at Epic Universe:
" How to Train Your Dragon" (2010): You can stream it currently on Peacock and Max. You can watch it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Amazon Prime Video.
(2010): You can stream it currently on Peacock and Max. You can watch it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Amazon Prime Video. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" (2014) : You can stream it currently on Peacock. You can watch it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon Video.
(2014) You can stream it currently on Peacock. You can watch it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon Video. "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" (2019) : You can stream it currently on Peacock. You can watch it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Amazon Prime Video.
(2019) You can stream it currently on Peacock. You can watch it by renting or purchasing on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Amazon Prime Video. "Dragons: Race to the Edge" (2015 - 2018): You can stream all six seasons on Netflix.
Watch the 'How to Train Your Dragon' movies with Prime Video
Universal and DreamWorks have also teamed up for a live-action version of the hit animated franchise, coming out in theaters on June 13, 2025. The upcoming flick stars Mason Thames (Hiccup), Nico Parker (Astrid), Gerard Butler (Stoic), Nick Frost (Gobber), and Julian Dennison (Fishlegs).
Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Jurassic World Rebirth' roars its way to the top of box office
It had a dino-mite day in theaters. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' brought the box office back to life on Friday, its opener. The seventh installment in the 'Jurassic Park' franchise, 'Rebirth' roared its way to No. 1, clawing in $26.3 million, according to The Numbers. Advertisement The Post called the film 'another embarrassing dino retread' and bashed Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey's characters as 'some of the blandest' in the series. This is the first foray into the prehistoric franchise for Johansson, who has been a fan since she laid eyes on its first installment, 1993's 'Jurassic Park.' 3 'Jurassic World Rebirth' is Scarlett Johansson's first 'Jurassic Park' film. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 'I was really crazy about the film, and I slept in a 'Jurassic Park' pup tent in my bedroom I shared with my sister for a year,' she told Vanity Fair. 'Anytime the trades would report a new 'Jurassic' movie, I would forward to my agents like, 'Hey, I'm available.'' The action sci-fi flick — the fourth in the 'Jurassic World' series — was released on Wednesday, and projections for its five-day earnings through the weekend are topping $141 million. 'F1: The Movie' downshifted to second place, after spending its opener last Friday in first. Advertisement 3 In 'F1: The Movie,' Brad Pitt stars as a Formula One driver and Javier Bardem plays his former teammate. ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection The sports drama, starring Brad Pitt as a Formula One driver, earned an estimated $144 million at the international box office over its opening weekend. It is now the biggest opening weekend for the Oscar-winning actor in his 37-year acting career. In an interview with the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, Pitt said he would like to see a sequel to the movie — which was filmed during the 2023 and 2024 F1 seasons, with scenes shot at real Grand Prix events. Advertisement 'Absolutely. It's such an audacious idea and I cant think of any other film that that's ever happened. To allow us to embed ourselves into the racing season. I had the time of my life,' Pitt gushed on the podcast. 3 Seventeen-year-old Mason Thames plays the lead in 'How to Train Your Dragon.' ©DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection 'How to Train Your Dragon' moved down a notch to third, with sales of $2.88 million on its fourth Friday in theaters. Disney and Pixar's 'Elio' remained in fourth with a $1.5 million take. The zombie thriller '28 Years Later' continued in fifth place, with sales of $1.15 million.
Business Insider
18 hours ago
- Business Insider
The director of 'Jurassic World Rebirth', Gareth Edwards, explains why he put Steven Spielberg easter eggs in the film
Kids often dream of becoming police officers or doctors. For "Jurassic World Rebirth" director Gareth Edwards, however, his childhood dream was a bit more specific: working with iconic director Steven Spielberg. And now it's finally come true with the latest in the dinosaur action film franchise. Edwards has found the Hollywood moviemaking sweet spot: directing major blockbusters that are also creatively satisfying. He found geek boy superstardom when he made the first-ever spin-off in the " Star Wars" franchise, 2016's " Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." It's gone on to be regarded as one of the best ever within the beloved galaxy far, far away (though he disagrees with that opinion). He followed that up by creating an original idea out of the studio system, a rarity these days, when he released 2023's "The Creator." The movie stars John David Washington as a special forces agent hired to hunt down and kill an AI. Now, Edwards is taking on the legacy IP genre by helming "Jurassic World Rebirth," out now. Taking place decades after the events of "Jurassic World Dominion," the story, penned by " Jurassic Park" screenwriter David Koepp, follows Scarlett Johansson as the leader of a team of operatives who travel to an island research facility to take genetic material from dinosaurs. For Edwards, making the movie checked off a childhood dream of working alongside Steven Spielberg, who was heavily involved in the filmmaking process. And it shows as "Rebirth" features several hat tips to the master, ranging from "Jurassic Park" to "Jaws." "I hate the word IP, but there are only two franchises I would absolutely drop everything for and just do them. I already did one of them with 'Star Wars,' and this was the other one," Edwards told Business Insider. "So when Steven gives you this script, you're just checkmated immediately. The idea that you turn Steven Spielberg down is impossible." BI spoke with Edwards while he was in New York City about the hourslong conversations he had with Spielberg while making the movie, his thoughts on "Rogue One" as it nears its 10th anniversary, and whether he'd ever consider making another "Star Wars" movie. After "The Creator," I started the process of what am I going to do next. There was a thing in my mind that I was excited about. And in that process, a sequence from "Jurassic Park" entered my mind, and I forgot how they pulled it off, so I just put it on to get a refresher. I'm doing this with "Jurassic" and the next day my friend saw on the internet that Universal was looking for a director for a new "Jurassic" movie. So I sent that to my agent, and I just typed in the text with the link to the story, "Is this stupid?" hoping he'd say, "Yes, stay away." And hours later, my agent got back to me, and the ball started rolling. Be careful what you wish for. What I really enjoyed about "Rebirth" is its stand-alone feel. Was that intentional? It was in David Koepp's script. That's why I really liked it. What the best sequels have in common is that the first one didn't know it was part of a trilogy or the start of sequels. It was just this self-contained story. So that's the way to go, to try to tell the best film you can. It's then a high-class problem after that. And I'm not joking, but I haven't had a single conversation about a sequel with anyone from Universal or the producers. That was my follow-up. Nobody tapped you on the shoulder and suggested a more heavy-handed way to tease another movie? No. It was even a joke with the actors. But the movie also has a lot of nostalgia, with hat tips ranging from "Jurassic Park" to "Jaws. " Did that come organically? When I got the script, it felt like a magical ticket back to being a kid again. So a lot of that was already in there, and half of it I probably brought with me. I mean, you're making a movie for Amblin that features a giant creature in the water. Of course, you're going to lean into "Jaws." Yeah. The script said, "They're chasing a giant dinosaur in the water, on a boat, with a rifle leading out the front," and you're like, "Guys, I don't know if you've ever seen this movie called 'Jaws,' but I don't know how we escape those visuals." So it was a difficult situation, and the only way I got through it was this being a giant love letter to Steven Spielberg. Whenever there's a gap, I'm going to put something in that is a reflection of something from his movies that we love. You have now worked with two faces on the Mt. Rushmore of American cinema, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Compare and contrast working for them. Well, George had retired when we started "Rogue One," so he was totally happy for us to go do our thing. But I did have the more surreal moment of showing him around the set of "Rogue One." But what I did to take the pressure off myself, seeing I was doing a "Star Wars" spin-off, I was competing with the likes of the holiday special and Caravan of Courage, the Ewok adventure. So I jokingly framed those movie posters in my office as a reminder to me that I just have to do better than those. Then, one day I was told George is here, and he just walked into the office, and I was blown away. And as I was talking to him, I realized the posters on the wall. So I'm trying to be as animated as possible so he wouldn't look at the wall. Steven developed the story with David, so he was fully engaged from the start. He was in the meetings during preproduction. He would call me when I started shooting. He watched the dallies every day. We even sent him the first cut of the movie. I would have hour and a half phone calls with him giving me feedback. Were you prepared he'd be so hands-on? It was definitely the right amount, but going in I didn't know if I'd see him once or all the time. I didn't know how it was going to play out. And I remember on day one, the first meeting at Universal, I get there early, and the next person who walked in was Steven Spielberg. I'll never forget the first interaction I ever had with him. It was right after "Godzilla." I got an email from ["The Lord of the Rings" creator] Peter Jackson, and there's a video attached. I hit play and it's Steven Spielberg. Peter Jackson was filming Steven Spielberg at George Lucas' birthday party. Steven had just seen "Godzilla" and was saying really nice things about it, so Peter sent it to me. I watched it and collapsed and burst into tears. There are moments as a filmmaker where everything you're doing in your life, you ask, Why am I doing this? What is the goal? You don't know. That is the answer to why I'm doing this; for that moment, for that little video. We're coming close to 10 years of "Rogue One" coming out in theaters. Do you appreciate your contribution to "Star Wars"? It's arguably the best "Star Wars" movie since Disney bought Lucasfilm, and it's up there as one of the best out of all the movies. Can you appreciate that? I don't agree with it, but I appreciate it. I'm very grateful that people say nice things. But what's super interesting about it, which you have to keep in your pocket as you go through making other films, is that it's not about how people feel the day it gets released, it's how people feel about it 10, 20 years from now. When you make a movie, you're living at least a year from now. You're trying to imagine what it's like, all these decisions you're making, what they are going to be like a year from now when this movie is released. What's the audience going to think? And as the movie comes out, you go, "I'm going to pretend I'm living 10 years from now and it doesn't matter what people say in the moment." It's the kid who comes up to you 20 years from now and goes, "Oh my god, I loved that movie!" I think that's the reward. Would you ever go down that road of doing "Star Wars" again? It's the thing that was in my life before I knew what a film was. And so it's like your mom; it's like something so a part of you. I'm always fascinated by what they're doing. I never stop loving that trilogy, but I'm very happy to move on and do my thing.
CNBC
2 days ago
- CNBC
I visited Universal Studios and people were on their phones everywhere—even rollercoasters: That habit is 'really hard to break,' expert says
In May, my boyfriend and I spent a day at Universal Studios in Orlando. It was my first time at the park since I was 11. We drank butterbeer, ate a chocolate frog and popped into the Frying Dutchman in Springfield. We strolled through Hollywood's Walk of Fame, rode a boat and saw dinosaurs and visited E.T.'s home planet. It was epic. It was also sensory overload. Visiting Universal means attractions, activities, rides, junk food and people dressed up as characters all of the time, everywhere — it was very overwhelming. By the end of the day, my body was tired from all the walking and my brain was tired from processing. I couldn't imagine a more stimulating place, but it turns out that for many of my fellow park-goers it was not enough. Everywhere we went, people were on their phones. They were texting in the lazy river at the hotel and scrolling on the bus ride over to the park. People were even glued to their screens on the rides themselves, and no level of excitement could compete. When I got back from my trip, I reached out to Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and author of "Attention Span," to find out why people just can't pull themselves away even at a place as stimulating as Universal Studios — and what it's doing to their experience. There are lots of reasons people turn to their phones at amusement parks. They could be taking photos or making videos to post on social media, they might be messaging with friends to share their experience or reading reviews of rides before getting in line. Whatever their reason, when people are on their phones, they are "not living the moment," Mark says. Instead of being present with their surroundings, they're present with their screen. And that's to their detriment. By not fully taking in their experience, they're robbing themselves of "what could be a tremendous amount of fun." I saw this firsthand on the Hogwarts Express. It's an immersive train ride where the story takes place on two sides of the train car. Two kids were bent over their phones the entire time. One man was even recording himself while on a rollercoaster. Not only are they missing out on the present, when people are not giving the moment their full attention, "they're not able to develop memories from their experience," Mark adds. Mark is not surprised this kind of thing happens. "Smartphones are an ingrained habit among people," she says, "not just young people, adults as well, and that's really hard to break." But there are ways to do it. Whether you're an adult fighting your own urges or a parent taking your kids on an adventure, "leave your phone in the hotel," she says, and have your kids do the same. They'll protest. But ultimately, they'll realize it lets them focus on what's directly in front of them. If you have to take your phone with you, say, because you're at a park abroad and need to be able to translate, make sure you're not scrolling aimlessly. Grabbing a phone can be an automatic response to boredom. Fight that urge. "You can develop willpower by probing yourself and asking questions like, 'do I really need to use my phone right now?'" she says.
