Universal Studios Singapore (

abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

: USS) is a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

located within the

Resorts World Sentosa Resorts World Sentosa ( abbreviation: RWS) is an integrated resort on the island of Sentosa, which is located off the southern coast of Singapore. The key attractions within RWS include one of Singapore's two casinos, a Universal Studios Sing ...

at Sentosa,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. It features 28 rides, shows, and

attractions Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

in seven themed zones. It is one of the six

Universal Studios theme parks Universal Parks & Resorts, also known as Universal Studios Theme Parks or solely Universal Theme Parks, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates Universal theme ...

around the world. It was a key component of the Genting Singapore's bid for the right to build Singapore's second integrated resort (IR). On 8 December 2006, the Singapore government announced that the consortium had won the bid. Construction of the theme park and the rest of the resort started on 19 April 2007. It is the second

Universal Studios theme park Universal Parks & Resorts, also known as Universal Studios Theme Parks or solely Universal Theme Parks, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates Universal theme pa ...

in Asia, the other being

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of ...

in Osaka, and the first in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. Official plans for the park were first unveiled to the public when Universal Studios Singapore released a map of the entire park on 20 October 2009. Universal Studios Singapore attracted more than 2 million visitors in the 9 months from its opening. The park officially began operations on 28 May 2011. Over 3 million guests visited the park in its opening year. Since then, Universal Studios Singapore has had approximately 4 million visitors every year. Most visitors are local Singaporeans as well as tourists from other Asian countries in the region. It has been marketed by Universal Parks & Resorts as a "one-of-its-kind theme park in Asia" and that the park was the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia for the foreseeable future. According to the AECOM Theme Index Global Attraction Attendance Report, Universal Studios Singapore is one of the top visited amusement/theme parks worldwide.

History

Park history

The construction of Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios Singapore began on 19 April 2008. After almost two years of construction, the park opened on 18 March 2010. Universal Studios Singapore was opened for "sneak peek week" in view of the Chinese New Year Celebrations, from 5 pm to 9 pm every night between 14 and 21 February 2010. Though visitors had to pay SGD$10 to enter the park even-though rides were not operating, tickets for the week were sold out in 2 days. On 5 March 2010, it was announced that the park will open its doors at 8:28 am ( UTC+8) on 18 March 2010, for a soft-opening phase. From 13 March 2010, the team members of Resorts World Sentosa and their families had a chance to visit the park before the public has a chance to do so. The park had its soft opening period from 18 March 2010 to 26 October 2010. The official grand opening of the park was held on 28 May 2011, along with the "grand opening gala" being held on 27 May 2011 evening. It had Asian personalities

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen. After three years ...

, Maggie Cheung, Zhao Wei, and former ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'' judge Paula Abdul making an appearance at the gala event, along with some 1,600 guests. On 21 October 2011, Universal Studios Singapore began their

Halloween Horror Nights ''Universal's Halloween Horror Nights'' (originally ''Universal Studios Fright Nights'' in 1991) is an annual Halloween-themed event at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Singapore. The event was originally named ' ...

events. On 3 April 2019, Genting Group announced the expansion of Universal Studios Singapore with two new themed areas, Minion Land and Super Nintendo World.

Timeline

Attendance

Park layout

Universal Studios Singapore is in size, occupying the easternmost part of the Resorts World Sentosa. There are a total of 24 attractions, of which 18 are original or specially adapted for the park.Resorts World Sentosa (2010). Unveiling the Best of Universal Studios at Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved 7 June 2010 from th
Official Site
The park consists of six themed zones surrounding a

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...

. Each zone is mostly based on movies and/or television, featuring their own attractions, meet and greet locations, over 30 restaurants and food carts, and 20 retail stores and carts located around the park.

Hollywood

''Hollywood'' is the main entrance area of the park. Its only attraction, a broadway-style theatre, is accompanied by several restaurants and a variety of shopping locations. The zone is filled with Hollywood-inspired architecture and palm trees, including a replica of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Parade * Hollywood Dreams Light-Up Parade Meet & Greets * Hollywood Walk of Fame (inincluding Woody and Winnie Woodpecker, Gru, Dru, Margo, Edith, Agnes, Vector, Minions and Lucy Wilde from '' Despicable Me'',

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

, Beetlejuice,

Frankenstein's Monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compar ...

, Count Dracula, The Mummy, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man,

Betty Boop Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick.Pointer (2017) She originally appeared in the ''Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleisc ...

, Po the Panda and Tigress from '' Kung Fu Panda'', Hiccup and Astrid from '' How to Train Your Dragon'', Poppy and Branch from '' Trolls'', The Boss Baby and Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel)

New York City

''New York City'' is based on the original

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, during the era of post-modernisation. The zone features various landmarks commonly portrayed in movies including the city skyline, neon lights, facades, and sidewalks. This zone also has a replica of the New York Public Library.New York – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved 6 June 2010 from th
Official Site
. Special

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

character appearances include: Elmo, Big Bird,

Count von Count Count von Count (known simply as the Count) is a Muppet character on the PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street.'' He is meant to parody Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Count Dracula. He first appeared on the show in the Season 4 premier ...

, Abby Cadabby, Bert, Ernie, Grover, Cookie Monster and

Oscar the Grouch Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character created by Jim Henson and Jon Stone for the PBS/ HBO children's television program ''Sesame Street''. He has a green body, no visible nose, and lives in a trash can. Oscar's favorite thing is trash, as e ...

. Entertainment * Rhythm Truck

Sci-Fi City

Accelerator - Universal Studios Singapore

Battlestar Galactica Human vs Cylon - nested tracks

''Sci-Fi City'' is themed to a supposed

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

of the future. It is the home of a pair of dueling roller coasters.Sci-Fi City – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved 6 June 2010 from th
Official Site
.

Ancient Egypt

''Ancient Egypt'' is based on the historical adaptation of Ancient Egypt during the 1930s

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

of Egyptian Exploration. It features obelisks and pyramids which are typical of Ancient Egypt. Also featured are Pharaohs'

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

s which were supposedly commonly discovered during that era. This zone relies on the depictions made in the popular film franchise, ''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places * Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States * Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in P ...

'', starring Brendan Fraser.Ancient Egypt – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved 6 June 2010 from th
Official Site
.

The Lost World

Jurassic Park Canopy Flyer Universal Studios Singapore

Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure ending - Universal Studios Singapore

Waterworld arena (Universal Studios Singapore)

''The Lost World'' contains many traditional attractions present in most Universal Studios parks around the world and is divided into two sub-areas: ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...

'' and ''Waterworld''. Jurassic Park, based on the popular film franchise by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

and novels by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

, features the newly redesigned Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure which is based on the

water rides Water rides are amusement rides that are set over water. For instance, a log flume travels through a channel of water to move along its course. Notable types *AquaLoop * Bumper boats * Fishpipe * FlowRider *Lazy river *Log flume * Old Mill *Riv ...

in other Universal Studios parks. Waterworld, based on the film '' Waterworld'' starring

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

, features a live show performance at an amphitheater.The Lost World – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved 6 June 2010 from th
Official Site
.

Far Far Away

''Far Far Away'' is inspired by DreamWorks Animation's '' Shrek'' franchise. The zone consists of many locations from the film series, with a landmark in the form of "''Far Far Away Castle''"''.'' Character appearances include: Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Princess Fiona, Pinocchio and Prince Charming.

Upcoming attractions

Minion Land

''Minion Land'' is inspired by '' Despicable Me''. In addition, there will be a variety of "themed shops and restaurants" in this area. Construction began in the second quarter of 2022, and it is set to open at some point in 2024.

Super Nintendo World

''Super Nintendo World'' is inspired by ''

Super Mario (also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every major Nintendo vide ...

''. This iteration of Super Nintendo World will be similar to Universal Studios Hollywood's version, and will only include the Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge ride, as well as dining outlets and merchandise stores.(2022). Retrieved 12 April 2022, from https://www.rwsentosa.com/-/media/project/non-gaming/rwsentosa/press-release/pdf/en/2019/20190403-press-release--rws-embarks-on-mega-expansion-plans.pdf

Former attractions

Madagascar

''Madagascar'' was inspired by the DreamWorks Animation franchise of the same name. The zone featured a tropical

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

theming as well as two rides.Madagascar – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved 6 June 2010 from th
Official Site
. The majority of this land closed on the 27 March 2022, with the exception of the carousel King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round, which does not yet have a closing date as of December 2022. Character appearances included

Alex Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple p ...

, Gloria,

King Julien This is a list of characters from the DreamWorks Animation franchise of ''Madagascar'' films, and the TV shows. Concept and creation Tom McGrath explained in an interview that the intention of ''Madagascar'' was not to take a political stance ...

, Skipper, Kowalski,

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

and Rico.

Notes

References

External links

* {{navboxes, list= {{Universal Studios Singapore {{Universal Parks & Resorts {{Sentosa {{Major Tourist Attractions in Singapore {{NBC Universal Amusement parks in Singapore 2011 establishments in Singapore Amusement parks opened in 2011