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Credit: Inside the MagicUniversal Studios has made it clear that it plans to challenge Disney on every front and even open some new ones. In America, Universal has built parks in Florida and California to compete with Disney’s two domestic parks, but it is also expanding to Texas and Las Vegas.
Recently, Universal announced that it was opening its first-ever European theme park in England. The new Universal Park is set to be on a 500-acre former brick factory in Bedford, around 40 miles away from London. Once completed, it will surpass Disneyland Paris as Europe’s largest theme park.
The new Universal Park in the United Kingdom is expected to be modeled after Universal Orlando and include a shopping district, hotels, and thrill rides based on Universal’s intellectual property.
Universal already has parks in Japan, Singapore, and China to counter Disney’s parks in the region. However, a new report has surfaced that Universal plans to open a park in one of the world’s largest markets, a place that Disney hasn’t touched.
According to a Times of India report, Universal is negotiating to open a new theme park in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing countries. The new Universal resort is expected to be built close to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Unlike Universal’s other parks, this one is expected to be entirely indoors to combat India’s warm climate and rainy season. The new theme park is set to be part of a three million-square-foot entertainment and retail destination, with the new Universal Park covering 300,000 square feet.
Universal is negotiating with the developer of Bharti Realty, the property, to bring the new theme park to Dehli. The report said Bharti Realty is negotiating with Universal’s parent company, Comcast, to bring the new park to India.
Despite the report in the Times of India, a spokesperson for Universal said:
There is no truth to this. We are not in talks to build a theme park in India.
India is the largest country in the world, with over 1.4 billion people living there, and Delhi is the second-largest city on Earth, with 28.5 million residents. Once the project is complete, it is expected to be the largest entertainment hub in the entire city.
Universal is expected to bring some of its most popular intellectual properties to this new theme park. However, given that the two sides are still negotiating, Universal has not commented on which properties would be brought to the new park.
Negotiations are ongoing, but Bharti Realty expects the new Universal Park to open in late 2027 and complete the project by 2028.
If these reports from India are accurate, Universal is about to open the largest market in the world and become the first major American theme park company to plant its flag there.
What do you think of Universal opening a park in India? Let us know in the comments.