Credit: Inside The MagicUnless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Epic Universe is opening in less than two months. It’s nearly impossible to look at social media or turn on the television without seeing a commercial or someone talking about the previews.
Even with the money Universal Orlando Resort is spending on commercials, the company has generated so much free buzz through its ongoing previews. The early reviews for Epic Universe have been outstanding, creating such a desire to get into the park that some influencers are begging team members to take them for a look around.
Although Universal has banned video and photography during the previews, the buzz is still real, and fans are desperate to get into the park on opening day.
This has been a master class in publicity that should have scared Disney World both about the future and taken notes on how Universal accomplished this feat. Universal has been so good that some influences are even ratting out others who are using unauthorized videos or photos. So, let’s take a look at just what Universal has done and how that compares to Disney World’s latest rollout.
band together and find em all! #noleaks pic.twitter.com/ALgfpznqWW
— John Deen 🐉 (@JohnDeen_) March 23, 2025
The Roll Out: Universal vs. Disney World
For months, Universal has been slowly leaking information about its new park. Photos, videos, and first-person accounts have been posted on social media and mainstream sites. However, the buzz about Epic Universe truly topped off when media previews started.
Drew Smith, AKA Drew the Disney Dude, mainly covers The Walt Disney Company, said, “Universal Creative delivered an experience unlike any other.” He went on to write on X:
I can confirm that Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment is not only the best attraction at Universal Epic Universe but also one of the best attractions ever created, and no, I’m not exaggerating.
When you board the ride and head deep into Frankenstein Manor’s catacombs, you enter large-scale physical scenes that are some of the most impressive ever created by Universal Creative. Digital media in the attraction enhances the scenes and the story, seamlessly blending with the physical sets and their environments.
When influencers and media personnel who mainly cover The Walt Disney Company shill for your product, you know you have something good. But the buzz didn’t stop there.
Once Universal started letting team members in to preview Epic Universe, those social media personalities who weren’t invited to the media previews started begging team members to take them into the park. This created FOMO across the internet as desperate influencers tried to get into the park.
Were the previews perfect? Of course not. Some of the attractions had some technical issues, and some of the lands were opened for the first few previews.
Universal Epic Universe… WHAT A PARK!
Today was a preview, so there were ride delays, construction work and filming. Even with that, it was a spectacular day. @UniversalORL has really figured it out with this park. My one word review: Balanced pic.twitter.com/uFDdi7Un9l
— Tharin White (@TharinWhite) March 18, 2025
Did that matter? No. The buzz about the park overshadowed any problems with the attractions.
If you look at how Disney World rolled out its latest ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you would see the direct contradiction to how Universal handled its rollout.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure wasn’t ready for prime time. In early previews, the ride continually broke down, the animatronics didn’t work, and guests had to be evacuated. Rather than building buzz for the new ride, the technical issues reinforced some fans’ hatred for the new attraction and forced Disney to reevaluate the ride’s inner workings.
Disney was once the industry leader in innovation and marketing, but with its latest moves, Universal appears to have surpassed Disney. With dozens of new attractions in the works, Disney better learn from Universal’s rollout and build buzz-worthy quality rides, or the internet will turn on Disney even more than it already has.
What do you think of Universal’s rollout of Epic Universe?