Common Orlando has introduced that the Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit will completely shut at Common Studios Florida in Fall 2025, and is broadly anticipated to get replaced by a brand new curler coaster. Right here’s all the pieces we all know concerning the closure and substitute primarily based on a combination of official information, building permits, and rumors.
This has been an fascinating saga to comply with. Rumors of Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit’s demise have been swirling for some time. I don’t hold my finger on the heart beat of the Common rumor mill practically as carefully as with Walt Disney World, but it surely’s one thing I bear in mind listening to about years in the past.
The rumors of Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit closing appeared to achieve momentum this 12 months. Together with that, in addition they gained specificity. Reviews popped up about when it could shut, what sort of curler coaster may change it, in addition to potentialities about its theme. Though that final one was in all probability equal components hypothesis, wishful pondering, and reality-grounded rumors.
These stories got credibility primarily based on modifications and cuts to the coaster. First when the track choice choices had been decreased dramatically, with the playlist plummeting from 30 choices to only 5. Following that, a banner was by no means changed after being taken down as hurricane prep. These little issues urged Common was pulling a web page from Disney’s playbook and “giving up” on the attraction in order to not throw good cash after dangerous and save working bills forward of an imminent everlasting closure (see additionally, Splash Mountain).
The largest smoking gun of all was a latest Discover of Graduation building allow for work to be finished at Common Studios Florida by the curler coaster producer Intamin. This, as with all the ‘proof’ for Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit closing cited on this put up, had been first noticed by prolific allow watched and Common insider Alicia Stella of Orlando Park Cease.
Intamin is at the moment engaged on a curler coaster attraction in Common’s Epic Universe themed to Tips on how to Prepare Your Dragon, in addition to the Quick & Livid: Hollywood Drift Curler Coaster at Common Studios Hollywood. Intamin can also be the producer of fan-favorite Jurassic World VelociCoaster over at Islands of Journey, which is likely one of the finest curler coasters on the planet.
Since it is a Disney web site at first, we’d be remiss if we didn’t level to Intamin coasters within the Disney parks, as nicely. The largest one might be taking place proper now, as Tokyo Disneyland rebuilds its House Mountain. Disney/OLC have but to announce something formally, however eagle-eyed curler coaster fanatics recognized one part as being drop monitor manufactured by Intamin.
The curler coaster producer can also be behind different Disney rides, together with Raging Spirits at Tokyo DisneySea, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril at Disneyland Paris, Incredicoaster at Disney California Journey, and RC Racer within the numerous Toy Story Lands outdoors Walt Disney World.
The story was blown extensive open this week, when Stella found new water drainage permits filed with South Florida Water Administration District (SFWMD) on Festivus (December 23). Common readers will little question be conversant in SFWMD at this level, as they’re liable for the hold-up of the Rivers of America substitute and are concerned with just about each venture that includes potential storm water displacement…which is just about each venture undertaken in Florida!
The SFWMD permits states that Common Studios Florida will “take away present attraction and change with proposed attraction.” The venture location encompasses all of Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit and a few backstage areas.
A part of the doc bundle submitted to the SFWMD is the beneath web site modification calculations, displaying earlier than (prime) and after (backside) photographs of the proposed venture, which includes changes to the water basin. Three situations of “new constructing building” are recognized: a small construction is proven on the appropriate facet of the picture and two new bigger buildings are on the left.
Of the buildings on the left, one is within the New York part of Common Studios Florida, whereas one other is in an space that’s at the moment backstage parking close to sound stage 24. The primary constructing seems to be taking up a piece of the prolonged queue for Race Via New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Maybe of observe is that that is the world positioned straight behind the firehouse facade in New York. This was the unique entrance to Ghostbusters Spooktacular, which was a gap day attraction at Common Studios Florida that ran till 1996.
There have additionally been separate rumblings of a want inside Common to revive Ghostbusters with a everlasting park presence because the mental property has obtained renewed curiosity (and reboots) within the final a number of years. For its half, Common Studios Florida has included Ghostbusters into completely different leisure choices within the final a number of years. The situation of those buildings behind the firehouse and the Ghostbusters rumors might be merely coincidental, or one thing extra.
Despite the fact that the SFWMD permits confirmed all the forgoing, Common Orlando lastly made it official. Not with a press launch, however with a random reply on Twitter: “Good day! Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit will shut in early September 2025 to make method for a brand new expertise. Extra particulars shall be obtainable at a later date. #AskUniversal”
That’s actually it. The total extent of the official “announcement” from Common is by way of the park’s social media channels, and never even a direct assertion–a reply. Our greatest guess is that Common Orlando bought caught flat-footed by Stella’s sleuthing, not anticipating the South Florida Water Administration District utility filed on Christmas Eve Eve to get picked up.
With it being a gradual time across the holidays and lots of OOF messages enabled, they possible haven’t had the possibility to place collectively a correct press launch. However we absolutely anticipate one quickly–in all probability the primary week of 2025. About the one method that doesn’t occur is that if Common Orlando isn’t but able to reveal the theme of the brand new curler coaster, during which case a banner-style replace on the official Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit web page might need to suffice.
Personally, I say “good riddance” to Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit.
I received’t miss it within the least. Regardless of it being a comparatively new curler coaster, it feels a lot older. The experience is tough, jarring and bumpy. It looks like it’s down for upkeep increasingly (if I’m not mistaken, its producer went out of enterprise, so it in all probability isn’t simple to supply components or service the attraction).
Past that, Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit simply appears to be like ugly and stands proud like a sore thumb. If Common Orlando goes to compete severely with Walt Disney World, it will probably’t be simply Epic Universe that’s a world-class theme park. The 2 present gates have a ton of room for enchancment, and a placemaking venture round this space ought to be a prime precedence in that regard.
I might additionally add that Common Orlando has had an amazing streak of success with curler coasters not too long ago, which makes Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit look worse by comparability. I’m inclined to offer Common Artistic the good thing about the doubt each thematically and on the subject of placing collectively a superior curler coaster profile. No matter replaces Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit will virtually assuredly be considerably higher.
As for what the doable theme might be for the substitute curler coaster, there’s the aforementioned Ghostbusters. However actually, I don’t know the way possible that truly is, or if it’s a matter of us piecing collectively two separate rumors as a result of it simply is smart…even when it doesn’t.
One other apparent risk is an east coast incarnation of the Quick and the Livid: Hollywood Drift curler coaster. This is smart because it may function an oblique substitute for the abysmal Quick and the Livid: Supercharged in USF, which has seemingly been on life help for years and, fairly frankly, by no means ought to’ve been constructed within the first place. If rumors that we can not corroborate are any indication, that is what it’s almost certainly to be.
Nonetheless, we query the veracity of those rumors, and marvel if it’s different followers piecing collectively separate rumors in a way that simply is smart…even when it doesn’t. Common Studios Hollywood has distinctive geography, and the hillside perch on which Hollywood Drift is positioned doesn’t exist in Common Studios Florida. This isn’t to say USF couldn’t get its personal twist on Hollywood Drift, but it surely actually wouldn’t be a clone.
In any other case, all of my finest guesses as to the theme of the curler coaster that can change Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit would all be that–guesses. Common is more and more recognizing the worth of nostalgia, which I suppose places Again to the Future, Jaws, and Tornado again in play. Or, who is aware of, possibly darkish horse candidates like Alfred Hitchcock or Homicide She Wrote…who wouldn’t love a thrill experience narrated by the late, nice Angela Lansbury?!
One other risk is Depraved, Common’s field workplace darling that has a sequel on the way in which and appears destined to have a theme park presence in some unspecified time in the future. That’s believable, however a curler coaster looks like a poor match for that. Then there’s the opposite sizzling property: Nintendo. Nearly each rumor, except for this one, that I’ve heard for Common Studios Florida and Islands of Journey’s medium-term plan revolves round Nintendo. By some means, I’m extremely skeptical {that a} extra intense curler coaster is being themed to Pokemon or no matter.
I’m far much less skeptical that Nintendo shall be added to each of the present gates within the subsequent ~5 years, although, as Comcast makes an attempt to cash-in on its cope with the online game maker and switch Common Orlando right into a bona fide vacation spot resort and add (worthwhile) family-friendly attracts to Common Studios Florida and Islands of Journey.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Hollywood Rip Journey Rockit completely closing? Will you miss it, or are you cheerful to say good riddance to the tough experience? Suppose it’ll be an Intamin curler coaster, or a special expertise solely? Ideas on doable themes for the brand new experience? Agree or disagree with something right here? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
