Can Universal Studios Still Be Beijing's Promised Wonderland?

原创 Zeus Zou theBeijinger

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Five years after the grand opening of Disneyland in Shanghai, many Beijingers have been waiting on the tip of their toes for the official unveiling of the Universal Resorts in Beijing. Compared to Disney, the Universal Studios franchise can attract an even wider array of customers and may even offer a certain synergy with well with Beijing’s special role in the Chinese film industry.

Even the subway station for the Universal Resorts seems to be the most futuristic one in Beijing

The Beijing-based park will be the largest Universal Resort on this planet, including 7 themed sections. To set its third amusement park apart from the previous ones in Japan and Singapore and better attract the local customers, the section based on the cartoon movie ‘Kung Fu Panda’ series that once swept across the world with its charming kung fu techniques and overloaded cuteness will be the unique section that you will only be able to visit here in Beijing. And considering the latitude and weather of Beijing can be quite harsh in winter, Beijing Universal Resorts will provide more indoor recreation options than other locations — Imagine viewing the Hogwarts castle while chugaluging your butterbeer, or sipping on a bowl of Mr. Ping’s noodle without getting soaked in the pouring summer rain outside.

Learning from competitors, Beijing Universal Resort have put a lot of effort into appealing to local customers

In short, it's been promised as the Land of Milk and Honey for both industry pros and bored consumers.

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However, its opening date has been shifting around more than the weather this summer, having been pushed up from May to August — will it be postponed again? Moreover, even as we inch toward a public opening, it seems that controversy has never given this potential wonderland a break as influencers give onlookers a sneak peek inside the park.

According to the reports from some KOLs and media, the park is still waiting for approval for some of its major equipment. Considering the unusually rainy season we have been experiencing here in Beijing this year, the inspection period may take even longer.

Currently, the CityWalk outside of the park is the only section that has been opened to the public (and by invitation only), and word is the latest Covid cases have even stopped that.

During its brief soft opening visitors took a sneak peek at the assorted stores and diners located on this avenue, including the Universal Studios store where you can get all kinds of merch, a Universal CityWalk cinema for you to review classic titles that you may see in the park soon, and various restaurants and cafes, including a chocolate store and a craft beer joint. To help the tourists get this park located far from downtown, the Universal Resorts subway station will be opened synchronously with the park.

A bill a netizen posted after dining at a restaurant at CityWalk

But the prices of food and merchandise came under fire from netizens soon after the CityWalk opened to the public. Quite a few visitors complained that the quality of the product does not nearly live up to what they called "insanely high prices." A bottle of Hoegaarden will cost you RMB 48 while you can purchase about 6 bottles for about the same price at a convenience store, and a mere milkshake can set you back nearly RMB 100.

Besides the delayed opening and high prices, arguments surrounding its promoting strategies and service have never stopped. Supposedly official sneak-peek images posted depicting the completion of major construction projects were wholly uninspiring and were overshadowed by influencer photos. Later, a confusing and amateurish Tik Tok-style promotional video did very little to answer questions about the park but did incite ridicule from viewers.

They seem to have learned their lessons on social media along the way, but certain questionable decisions such as collaboration with Tencent to display their mobile games titles in the park have had a number of critics calling into question the direction that localization is taking. (We reckon, too, that they probably won't be localizing the prices.)

To be honest, we are still looking forward to visiting the park and always having it as an option in Beijing's backyard. But overall, there are still a lot of mysteries lingering around this huge amusement park that won't be answered until we all finally get a chance to visit.