Plenty of people are excited for Universal’s upcoming third gate “Epic Universe” opening in 2025. Originally planned for a 2023 opening the COVID-19 Pandemic delayed the opening to 2024, but then again to 2025.
The park is set to feature lands and attractions based on Mario/Nintendo, How To Train Your Dragon, Universal Monsters, Wizarding World/Harry Potter and even a rumored Star Trek themed location for future expansion. With Disney facing backlash over increasing prices Epic Universe is set to make Universal king of the Orlando Theme Park industry for some time.
But just as construction begins going into full force a lawsuit has been filed against the entertainment giant by a Georgia based real estate company called Fourth Watch Acquisitions.Â
Forth Wall filed a lawsuit with the Orange County Circuit Court this past Friday and is seeking $250 Million in damages.
The lawsuit is over the land that Universal Studios acquired UCPM (Universal City Property Management). They assert that they were under contract to acquire 125 acres of land from UCPM for $125 Million in September of 2017 with a closing date of May 2018. But weeks before the closing date UCPM pulled out and sold the land to Universal Studios in April 2018.
Forth Wall says that they were planning on breaking into the Orlando theme park business featuring AVT tracks, River Rafting, Surfing, Canyoning and a 750-foot-tall Snow Dome for Ice Skating. It was set to be a “Thrill-Seeking Extravaganza”.
Fourth Wall claims that Universal heard about their plans for the park and saw it as competition, so they went behind their back and cut a deal with UCPM to buy the land instead.
“By acquiring the Land, Universal could link large swaths of previous unconnected land it owned into a contiguous tract suitable for a large-scale entertainment property development. Universal could also eliminate a competitive threat in the theme park industry.” says a passage from the lawsuit.
With Universal already knee deep in Epic Universe they most likely will either fight the lawsuit or try to settle out of court.
Source: Florida Politics
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