The Fast & Furious franchise has been a big winner for Universal Studios in theaters. But in Universal’s theme parks, not so much.
According to Box Office Mojo, Fast & Furious is Universal’s third-most popular franchise in worldwide box office. The dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and World are tops for Universal, with Minions just passing Fast & Furious for second this summer, thanks to its latest film. Yet in its theme parks, Fast & Furious has yet to find victory lane.
Universal’s latest attempt, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, at this point has missed most of the summer season during which Universal Studios Hollywood promised the new roller coaster would debut. A classic Hollywood screenplay sets up the hero’s triumph by delivering multiple obstacles and disappointments along the way. Maybe that is “The Fate of the Furious” in Universal’s theme parks?
It took Universal five years after “The Fast and The Furious” hit theaters in 2001 to bring a Fast-themed attraction to its parks. Unfortunately for everyone involved, The Fast & The Furious: Extreme Close-Up was not worth that wait. Fans rightfully mocked the dancing cars mounted on robot arms that played during an inexplicable diversion on Universal Studios Hollywood’s Studio Tour.
Two years after the park finally ditched that encounter, Fast & Furious returned to the Studio Tour with Fast & Furious: Supercharged in 2015. At first, Universal set up that experience with a clever narrative shift that pretended to put guests into a Universal movie after spending the tour learning how they were made. But that set-up did not last long, and the remaining encounter itself was just a retread of the tech Universal first used in King Kong 360 3-D.
When Universal brought the attraction to Orlando, introducing a “party bus” ride vehicle to replace Hollywood’s Studio Tour tram, the ride proved so embarrassing that a leading Universal Creative executive called it a mistake at a major industry conference.
Finally, Universal looked to get Fast & Furious right with Hollywood Drift. With cars that spin at 72 mph — Universal’s fastest coaster anywhere — Hollywood Drift promises to deliver a park experience that lives up to the franchise’s name. It’s fast, and it’s furious. But too much of the fury at this point seems to be off the ride instead of on it.
Some neighbors have been complaining about the coaster’s noise during testing, which seems ironic given that Universal itself has a multi-billion dollar production interest in preserving quiet on its adjacent studio lot. Universal Creative invested heavily in sound mitigation for the ride, but sound waves do weird things.
Universal is building another installation of Hollywood Drift for next year in Orlando, which won’t have neighbors to bother. But the Orlando installation also will not have the amazing hillside setting with its valley and mountain views that the California original promises.
Is all this the latest sign that the franchise is doomed never to find the right home in Universal’s theme parks? Or is it just one more plot twist on the way to the inevitable Fast & Furious family triumph?