One of Universal’s original and most memorable rides,
Jaws, closed down on Monday, including the Amity-themed area, to make way for a
new and exciting attraction to be added in 2012. The ride, if you don’t know,
is based off the 1975 movie Jaws,
directed by Steven Spielberg and is one of the most iconic movies of all time.
Universal spokesmen Tom Schroder said, "Jaws has been an amazing
attraction and an important part of our history. We know that Jaws holds a
special place in the hearts of our guests," Schroder said. "But we
always have to look to the future and dedicate ourselves to providing new,
innovative entertainment experiences for our guests."
Now questions are
arising as to what will be replacing the famous ride. When the park first
announced that the Jaws and Amity area would be closing back in early December,
rumors started to float all over the Internet. Would it be a ride dedicated to
the Michael Bay Transformers films?
Or bringing back one of its original rides like King Kong or Ghostbusters? Well,
according to the Theme Park Insider, it is going to be transformed into an
extension of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP). While this is all
still in concept and is not set in stone yet, it is a perfect way for Universal
to attract more visitors to their leapfrogging original park Universal Studios.
Having built one in each of the two parks it will make the consumer have to buy
the 2-park hopper pass instead of just one ticket to Islands of Adventure. This
is a perfect marketing strategy seeing as the opening of the WWoHP has been
drawing in record crowds into their park since it opened in 2010. Some of the new concept attractions include
Diagon Alley complete with a Gringotts ride, similar to the Harry Potter ride
in Islands of Adventure, and also what seems to be the rumored Hogwarts Express
connecting the two separate parks. Even though this is still all in concept and
it really hasn’t been confirmed by anyone at Universal, I am definitely looking
forward to a new extension of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.If you never got the chance to ride it, here is a tribute video for Jaws showing the whole ride:
Sources - Theme Park Insider
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