Universal Parks Loses Rights to 'Stranger Things' Indefinitely as Rival Theme Park Seeks to Outperform HHN

Universal Orlando Resort will not have a Stranger Things (2016) house at Halloween Horror Nights this year in a stunning turn of events. But not because I had it last year. At least for now, a rival theme park has taken the rights to this property and will be doing its rendition of a Stranger Things haunted house. Will this impact Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Florida, or any other Universal park?

The image features four kids riding bicycles down a road under a dramatic, stormy sky. To the right, there is a circular inset with a collage of various characters from the series "Stranger Things," highlighting their faces and depicting a sense of adventure and mystery. — Credit: Inside the Magic

Universal Parks Loses ‘Stranger Things’ to a Rival theme park; What This Means

According to multiple sources, including USA Today, Six Flags Entertainment is elevating its popular Halloween event this year by introducing Fright Fest Extreme – Presented By SNICKERS at two parks.

Building on last year’s Saw (2004) and The Conjuring (2013) experiences at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California and Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, these parks will undergo a complete Fright Fest transformation, featuring heavy integration of intellectual property. One of those properties will be the top-rated Netflix series, Stranger Things.

“Halloween turns the world upside down, and these Halloween movies are thrill rides, so it just became the perfect fit for us,” said Edithann Ramey, Six Flags’ chief commercial officer and “Chief Fright Officer.”

She emphasized the importance of investing heavily to make the event as exciting as possible, noting that Halloween is the busiest time of the year for Six Flags nationwide. The world’s largest regional theme park operator is also expanding Fright Fest offerings at other parks across North America.

Folks will quickly realize that at Universal Orlando Resort last year, Stranger Things 4 was featured as one of the leading IP houses, bolstering positive reviews and garnering some of the most extended lines of the Halloween Horror Nights 32 event. Does this mean Universal Parks has lost the rights to this popular, sought-after Netflix series? Well, not so fast; let’s find out why.

Universal Is Secretly Removing HHN Merchandise and No One Knows Why — Credit: Inside The Magic

Gone Forever? Not So Fast

Six Flags’s feature of a Stranger Things haunted house this year does not imply that Universal Parks has lost the rights to the Netflix series for several reasons. Licensing agreements for popular intellectual properties like the series mentioned in this article can be non-exclusive. This means that multiple theme parks and entertainment venues can obtain the rights to use the same property simultaneously.

Universal Parks and Six Flags can have the rights to this series under separate agreements with Netflix.

Universal and Six Flags may have different strategies and terms in their agreements with Netflix. Universal might focus on immersive and detailed haunted house experiences, while Six Flags might incorporate Stranger Things into various attractions. These different approaches can coexist without conflict.

Even if Universal holds the rights to use Stranger Things during certain periods or at specific locations (such as Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios), Six Flags can obtain rights for different times or particular parks.

This way, both companies can use the Stranger Things theme without directly overlapping their events. Rights to use intellectual properties can be negotiated separately for different regions, events, or time frames.

Credit: Inside the Magic

In summary, the presence of Stranger Things haunted houses at both Six Flags and Universal Parks, which likely resulted from non-exclusive licensing agreements, different market strategies, and complementary offerings rather than Universal losing the rights to the series. At Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags Magic Mountain, guests will enter a world of nightmarish creatures inspired by renowned horror brands.

The attractions will feature Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures’ SAW franchise, Netflix’s Stranger Things and Army of the Dead (2021), Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Conjuring, Annabelle (2014) and The Nun (2018), and Legendary Entertainment’s Trick ‘r Treat (2007). Six Flags Great Adventure will also introduce a new experience based on Legendary Entertainment’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022).

Six Flags will announce additional intellectual property offerings at other parks throughout the summer, aiming to incorporate these features throughout the system.

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