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Universal Studios

Insidery

Universal Delays Bourne Legacy, Baldfacedly Admits It’s Because of The Avengers

by Susana Polo | 4:01 pm, June 24th, 2012

Back when Paramount announced that it would be postponing the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation nine entire months, ostensibly to retrofit it with 3D and reshoot some scenes, we raised our eyebrows suspiciously. Hollywood is sort of reeling from the success of The Avengers, because while it means great things for Marvel Studios and everyone else involved in the production, it’s kind of sucking the life out of the rest of the summer blockbuster season.

See, the thing about The Avengers is not that it had a huge spike in attention, made a bunch of money, and then got out of the way for the next batch of action blockbusters. It’s sitting around, the 800 pound gorilla and the unexpected houseguest all in one. Which brings us to Universal’s press release on why they’ve delayed the latest installment of their highly successful Bourne franchise.

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And All Was Right With the World

Jaws Re-imagined As a Heartwarming Family Tale [Video]

by Jamie Frevele | 5:43 pm, December 12th, 2011

In case you happen to follow me — or The Mary Sue — on Twitter, you might know that I was on vacation in Orlando last week. But the day I left for said vacation, I was really disheartened to find out that the Jaws ride, one of the original attractions at Universal Studios when it opened in 1990, will be closing! So, I rode it one more time, and it was a truly sentimental experience. (Eh, not really.) In fact, the video above — by Caleb Hepler — echoes my feelings almost exactly. (Again, not really.) I’ll miss that curious shark! (Ehhhhhh … maybe a little.)

(via Laughing Squid)

This is just like magic!

Hold On To Your Broomstick, The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Is Headed To California

by Jill Pantozzi | 2:02 pm, December 1st, 2011

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was one of the greatest marketing schemes to come out of the J.K. Rowling’s franchise. So good in fact that the folks at Warner Bros. and Universal are planning to duplicate the success of the Orlando, Florida attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood in California. You know what that means…double the Butterbeer! 

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Consider the Following

Will Tower Heist Pave the Way for Straight-to-VOD Movies?

by Jamie Frevele | 2:45 pm, October 12th, 2011

If you were not planning on buying a movie ticket to see the new Ben Stiller-Eddie Murphy movie Tower Heist, then … Universal Studios is way ahead of you. Coming to the humble realization that moviegoers are catching on to the pandering nature of star-studded casts in mediocre movies, the studio has come up with a novel plan to offer the Brett Ratner-directed movie on VOD a mere three weeks after its theatrical release as an experiment to see where it will be the most successful. Movie theaters are not thrilled with this … but shouldn’t they be psyched about all those Disney re-releases coming up?

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I See What They Did There

10 Ways Disney Parks Bowdlerized Their Own Rides (And Your Childhood)

by Natasha Simons | 12:55 pm, August 15th, 2011

We all know Disney has a nagging tendency to cover up its faults. Some are good — for example, the embarrassingly racist Song of the South is no longer for sale in the parks or online – and some are not so good – helicoptering anyone with injuries off Disney property as quickly as possible so as to avoid having to say anyone ever died on grounds.

The theme parks have always been a push-and-pull between the twinkling nostalgia of the past and the domineering pull of the ugly present. Let’s not equivocate: the parks have always been a money-grubbing entity. But some of their recent changes have made that grubbing front-and-center, as opposed to a background only cynics wanted to delve into.

Over the years, your favorite rides have undergone some changes. Some were to make the parks less rape-y. Good! Some were to appease boring parents. Bad! And some called into question why the parks ever had the original way of things in the first place. Let’s get to it.

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We Can Be Heroes

Universal Orlando Surprises Guests With Free Access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

by Jamie Frevele | 4:15 pm, July 15th, 2011

Well, this is the best thing ever. After hosting a midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the Universal Orlando Resort surprised everyone at the screening with free access to its Potter theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And instantly, they endeared themselves to the world. Because who doesn’t want to ride a hippogriff after everyone else has left the premises? You know Hagrid’s got your back.

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