When Universal Studios or Walt Disney bases a ride on popular intellectual property, they run the risk of not meeting the expectations of that property’s hardcore fanbase.
That’s something Disney largely escaped with its Star Wars: Galaxy Edge lands. The company intentionally created a new setting for the land to avoid disappointing fans who expected a location themed to a well-known setting from the movies.
It also delivered rides that have largely pleased people. “Rise of the Resistance” topped Theme Park Insider’s annual global ride rankings, while “Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run” comes in at 48 on the top-50 list.
Universal Studios has received similar acclaim for its Harry Potter-themed lands, but the company missed its mark with the Florida version of “Fast & Furious: Supercharged.”
That’s something the company has actually admitted, and it’s making a move to fix that mistake.
Fast & Furious: Supercharged never met expectations
As a Universal Studios annual passholder who avoids roller coasters and other extreme motion rides, I was a little nervous about riding “Fast & Furious: Supercharged” because I got to do so at a preview event, before there were YouTube videos detailing the ride experience.
The ride, however, was neither fast nor furious. As someone who doesn’t like intense rides, I was surprised by how little movement there actually was.
It wasn’t awful, but it’s arguably the least exciting of a number of rides at Universal Studios Orlando that use similar ride mechanics.
And a top Universal executive who was part of the ride’s design team said out loud at the IAAPA Expo in 2021 what many fans thought about Universal Studios Florida’s “Fast & Furious” attraction, Theme Park Insider reported.
Thierry Coup, senior VP and chief creative officer at Universal Creative, paused for a long moment before offering his answer.
“I wish I had [pause] stopped [pause] our senior management from building the Fast & Furious attraction,” he said.
After the room of several hundred expo attendees erupted in laughter, whistles, and applause, Coup added, “It’s a good attraction, but it’s not what it should be.”
Theme Park Insider Editor Robert Niles explained what went wrong with the “Fast & Furious” attraction, which opened in 2018.
“But when Universal brought the attraction to Florida to replace ‘Disaster!’ (which had replaced the Earthquake encounter previously duped from Hollywood’s Studio Tour), it bombed. Robbed of the context that helped make the encounter work in Hollywood, Orlando-area fans routinely trashed ‘Fast & Furious: Supercharged,’ which remains one of the lowest-rated, if not the worst-rated, attractions among visitors to Universal Orlando,” he wrote.
“Fast & Furious: Supercharged” shutdown pushed up
Universal Studios had already publicly shared that “Fast & Furious: Supercharged” would close sometime in 2027, but it moved that date up in an email to annual passholders.
“Hey UOAP Fam, as we continue to make way for the new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster opening next year, we are permanently closing Fast & Furious – Supercharged next month,” read the message.
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The last day for visitors to ride “Fast & Furious: Supercharged” will be Aug. 16.
“Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift,” which is opening at Universal Studios Hollywood this summer, will come to Orlando in 2027. It’s not, however, a direct replacement for Supercharged, since it’s being built on the site of the former Hollywood “Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster.”
“Featuring a groundbreaking 360-degree rotation of the individual vehicles that creates a seamless sensation of drifting cars as they spin in motion at speeds up to 72 mph, this ride will let you experience the heart-pounding thrill of the Fast & Furious universe like never before,” Universal Studios shared in a press release.
Universal Studios Florida has not shared plans for what will replace “Fast & Furious: Supercharged,” according to Orlando’s Fox 35.
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“Fast & Furious: Supercharged” is not Universal’s only quick closure
Universal Studios has been willing to move on relatively quickly from rides that have not been well-received.
- “Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride…Starring You!”: The attraction Supercharged replaced opened Jan. 17, 2008, and ran its final day on Sept. 7, 2015, according to Theme Park Insider, which covered the closing. It lasted seven years and eight months.
- “Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast” opened April 11, 2003, and closed Aug. 18, 2011, with Aug. 17 its final day of operation, as reported by Inside Universal. The ride ran eight years and four months, within weeks of Supercharged’s lifespan.
- “Ghostbusters Spooktacular” ran from June 7, 1990, to Nov. 8, 1996, six years, according to Orlando Informer. Its former site now houses “Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
In this case, Universal Studios has quietly admitted failure, but you can see that demand for “Fast & the Furious: Supercharged” has been low, as even with the closure announced, there was only a 15-minute wait time at 1:13 p.m. on July 16 for the ride, according to Magic Guide, an app that tracks theme park ride waits.
Theme park rides are expensive
Disney World and Universal Studios don’t share specifics on what they spend on any individual ride, but the cost for a heavily themed attraction can be staggering.
That’s why closing an attraction after eight years is such a significant decision.
“Your average roller coaster can cost anywhere from $1 million to $25 million for just the coaster. Many of the more complicated dark ride systems can cost up to $20-$30 million, or even more,” wrote Niles on Theme Park Insider.
“Fast & The Furious: Supercharged” was also heavily themed, with actual cars in the line, which added to the cost.
“The next cost would be for theming. Some parks skimp on this cost, while other parks go overboard, so this cost can also vary greatly depending on how intricate the theming is for a given attraction. In some cases, the theming of an attraction can be as expensive as the ride system, and sometimes is actually a part of the ride system,” he added.
Disney Blog shared some price estimates on some Disney World and Disneyland rides. None of these numbers are official.
“Park officials rarely confirm actual numbers for theme park attractions,” added Disney Blog.
- “Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure”: $120 million
- “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror”: $140 million
- “Radiator Springs Racers”: $200 million
- “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance”: $225 million
- “Spaceship Earth”: $800 million
These numbers were sourced from public records, media reports, and Disney executive comments, but are by no means meant to be taken as exact figures.
Still, even if you assume $100 million for a ride, you can see why it’s rare for a theme park to close an attraction after only a little more than eight years.
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