The 25-Year History of Universal Islands of Adventure

An Adventurous Past for an Epic Future

Universal Orlando Resort is on the verge of an epic expansion with its newest theme park, Epic Universe, on the horizon.

All eyes are on the highly anticipated park as it inches closer toward its opening day. While Epic Universe is a park unlike any other, Universal has been here before—exactly 25 years ago.

That’s when an underdog studio theme park instantly became a multi-day destination. That’s when Universal Orlando opened its revolutionary second gate.

Let’s rewind and take a celebratory journey through the first 25 years of this special park: its peaks, valleys, changes, and influences. This is the story of Universal Islands of Adventure.

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Universal Heads East

Out of the mid-20^th century, Universal Studios Hollywood took its iconic Studio Tour in a new direction. The active film studio added blockbuster show scenes, such as the famous Jaws Experience, to its backlot tram tour. These new scenes elevated the tour as an increasingly popular attraction in Southern California.

MCA Inc., the operating company of Universal Studios, began exploring the possibility of building a similar location in Central Florida. This was on the heels of Disney’s newfound success on the East Coast with its second theme park resort, Walt Disney World. Orlando was proving to be a viable theme park destination; MCA noticed and wanted in.

MCA made a $4.5 million plunge in 1981 by purchasing several hundred acres of land in Central Florida for its future movie studio tour complex.

Universal Studios was soon joining the theme park capital of the world and suddenly in direct competition with Walt Disney World. Disney had been cooperative with other Orlando theme parks in the past; however, under the ambitious leadership of its new CEO, Michael Eisner, Disney would not be as welcoming this time around.

In 1985, Disney announced its plans to build a third Orlando theme park—a different type of Disney theme park: a movie studio park. Sound familiar? This was Universal’s welcome to Orlando.

Disney-MGM Studios was criticized for being similar to the soon-to-be Universal Studios. Michael Eisner has been alleged of seeing Universal Studios Florida’s plans in a pitch meeting during his tenure at Paramount Pictures.

Regardless of how and why, Disney was securing the market before Universal Studios had a chance. Disney accelerated construction on Disney-MGM Studios to open first. It was a full-on arms race. Both companies were motivated to outdo the other. The competition pushed for bigger and better experiences as Disney exceeded its $300 million budget, and Universal upgraded its plans to include several fully fledged rides; this competition would become a trend.

In 1986, MCA in partnership with Cineplex Odeon Corp. announced the upcoming Universal Studios Florida. Construction for the $600 million theme park was underway.

“[Universal Studios Florida] will successfully compete with any other theme parks that might seek to mimic or capitalize on the highly successful experience we have developed at out Universal Studios Tour in Los Angeles.”

– Sid Sheinberg, MCA president

Universal Debuts in Orlando

Fast-forward a few years: Right after Disney-MGM Studios opened in 1989, Universal Studios Florida opened in 1990. Florida’s newest theme park was a place where guests could see the stars and ride the movies. However, its debut was not all glitz and glamour.

Universal Studios Florida’s opening day was infamously plagued with technical issues, ride malfunctions, a power outage, and thousands of guest complaints. Major attractions were either problematic or unavailable. The opening was so disappointing that Universal issued a number of complimentary return tickets.

Visitors would have a reason to return over the park’s first few years. Headlining rides were overhauled as Universal Studios Florida improved steadily. These tweaks were only stepping stones for the property; a year after Universal Studios Florida opened, executives were already exploring significant growth opportunities.