Velociraptors Will Hunt You at Universal Studios Beijing, Now Open (Kinda)

While the long-awaited Universal Studios Beijing will not officially open to the public until September 20, the amusement park opened its doors for trial operations yesterday, September 1.

It is fair to say there is an abundance of hype surrounding the launch of the park, which offers encounters with long-extinct super-predators (raptors!), teen wizards, and Minions, among other characters.

Universal Beijing boasts 37 rides across seven themed areas, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Transformers Metrobase, Jurassic World Isla Nublar, WaterWorld, and — for the young and young at heart — Minion Land.

While many of the park’s themed zones overlap with other Universal Studios’ properties in Asia and the United States, the Beijing operation boasts at least one entirely novel area: Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness.

Hogwarts Express Train at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan. Image via Depositphotos

During the pre-opening period, invited guests can experience “selected rides, attractions, shows and dining services throughout the Universal Studios Beijing theme park on designated dates,” according to a press release from the theme park.

Universal Beijing’s media release additionally notes that strict pandemic prevention and control measures are being observed to ensure the safety of visitors.

For people planning to visit the amusement park once it opens to the public, be warned: wait times for rides and performances are likely to be long.

According to a CNN article published yesterday, some visitors to Universal Beijing reported waiting in line for popular rides for more than an hour, while popular shows were challenging to access.

The Universal Studios Grand Hotel, Beijing, is one of the two hotels located on the property. Image via Wikimedia

The theme park is just one component of Universal Beijing Resort, a compound that also includes two hotels and a shopping and retail complex, Universal CityWalk. South China Morning Post estimates that the park cost a staggering 50 billion RMB to construct (a lot of money, but probably far less than the cost of [fictional] John Hammond’s ambitious Jurassic Park).

Universal Studios Beijing is Universal Parks & Resorts’ fifth theme park worldwide, third in Asia, and first in China. The company also operates amusement parks in Osaka, Singapore, Los Angeles, and Orlando.

Cover image from Jurassic World via IMDb