Jurassic World is quickly on it’s way to over a billion dollars for the worldwide box office. It has surpassed The Avengers as the top opening weekend, and the biggest second weekend, raking in over $400 million in just over a week. It will most likely continue to smash records as it edges closer to a billion dollars. Universal Parks are also noticing, and pushing audiences to their theme parks with a huge emphasis on the ride where you can experience the dinosaurs, just like in the movies. In fact, Universal has also launched an all new site. Is this a sign of things to come as dinosaurs continue to fascinate and inspire?
Jurassic Park the Ride made it’s debut in 1996 at Universal Studios Hollywood, four years after the original film. In the ride, the theme park has actually been built, and you’re standing in it! The ride takes guests on a ride through the majestic Jurassic Park, on a river adventure, until things go terribly wrong. Just like the movie, chaos takes over and nature finds a way as your boat is thrown off course.
That puts you face to face with tons of dinosaurs that have broken free, and are rampaging through the river. Raptors and “spitter” dinosaurs are all in your path, but guests have to face the meanest of them all. T-Rex blocks your path as you make a last ditch escape down a waterfall.
It’s a groundbreaking ride that takes riders on the path of the film, and explores what it would be like if the park had actually existed.
The ride was opened to huge praises. In 1999, Universal took the idea of the park and ran with it, as they opened Islands of Adventure. Instead of just recreating a scene or two from the movie, they recreated the entire park. The land was filled with tons of new experiences, as well as the massive Jurassic Park: The Ride from Hollywood.
One new experience that Hollywood didn’t have was the Discovery Center. This was taken directly from the film, and the book series. It’s an area where you can see fossils, dig for fossils and even watch a dinosaur hatch.
Another area of the park that allows guests to explore and get up close to more dinosaurs, and fun experiences, is Camp Jurassic. The kids play land has tons of areas to climb and play, and they’re all themed to a dinosaur dig. There’s even amber mines!
The area even features a coaster for kids called Pteradon Flyers. You soar through the treetops like a Pteradon, and get a birds eye view of Jurassic Park.
With the huge success of the new film, what will the Universal parks do next?
It seems that they are definitely capitalizing on the success, and pushing guests to the ride with an all new campaign and website.
JurassicParkTheRide.com takes guests directly to either version of the ride in the United States.
Could this be an indicator of more attractions, and more attention to the Jurassic Park sections of both parks? Universal Orlando and Hollywood both have huge amounts of Jurassic World merchandise in the park, and even have relabled some areas as “Jurassic World”.
There’s even the ultra cool Raptor Encounter at Islands of Adventure! You can meet a raptor and it’s handler, and get your picture taken…before it eats you!
It’s likely that this is just the beginning of Jurassic World, as the film continues it’s box office dominance. The big question is, what will we see next…and when?
Stay tuned for more Jurassic World, and be sure to get social with us on Facebook, and follow along with us on Twitter @BehindThrills for the latest updates!
