Universal’s Hopes Riding With E.T. : New Ride Is Step Toward Converting to a Disneyland-Type Park

The little bald guy from outer space is back.

And executives at Universal Studios Hollywood have bet $40 million that the sallow extra-terrestrial will point the way toward a more prosperous future.

“E.T. Adventure,” a ride based on the highest-grossing movie of all time, is the costliest and most grandiose amusement attraction to open in Southern California this summer. Moreover, it is the centerpiece of Universal’s bid to shed its image as just a tram tour through motion picture fantasyland. E.T. is to be the first of several rides that officials hope will convert the historic movie lot into more of a traditional, walk-around theme park.

If successful, that transformation should enable Universal Studios--nestled in the Hollywood Hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley--to lure more Southern Californians into joining the hordes of tourists that ascend to the hilltop complex every summer.

In E.T., the studio may have at last found a character as readily identifiable as Mickey Mouse.

“It is a symbol for the studio. It is their mouse,” said producer Steven Spielberg, who collaborated in development of the ride based on his 1982 movie.

It is uncertain whether E.T. the ride has as much drawing power as E.T. the movie. The public seemingly couldn’t get enough of the character--featured on magazine covers and in ads--immediately following the movie’s debut. But E.T. seemingly disappeared until the movie’s release on videocassette in October, 1988.

An E.T. ride has been popular at the year-old Universal Studios Florida, in Orlando near Walt Disney World. At Universal Studios Hollywood, officials say crowds have increased steadily since the attraction’s West Coast debut on June 21. The studio is heavily promoting the ride in ads and through a tie-in with McDonald’s.

Studio bosses were so confident of the ride’s drawing power that they raised ticket prices by about 10%, while other area theme parks are holding the line on price hikes this year because of the tourism slump.

Universal adult tickets now cost $24.50, up from $22 in May, and it raised admission for children and senior citizens to $19 from $16.50.

The E.T. ride should serve as a model for the major changes that have been made in recent years at the studio.

“What we recognized was that our park was not conducive to repeat visitation,” said Ron Bension, president of Universal Studios Hollywood. “What we’re trying to do is develop our park so it’s easier to visit.”

In the past year, the amount of the Universal Studios’ lot that visitors can see on a walking tour has been increased by about 30%.

By making more areas easier for visitors to reach on foot, the length of the tram ride has been cut from 2 1/2 hours to about 45 minutes. That allows visitors to linger in areas that most interest them, which makes them more likely to return to the 420-acre park, Bension said.

Other Disneyland-type rides are expected to be installed at Universal over the next few years. The next major attraction is expected to be based on the “Back to the Future” trilogy starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.

As with E.T. Adventure, the idea and technology for the ride is being transplanted from Universal Studios Florida.

With E.T. and the other attractions being planned, Bension said, “There’s no reason (Universal) cannot attract as many visitors as Disneyland does.” Maybe so, but Universal has a long way to go.

Universal had 4.6 million visitors last year, making it the nation’s third most popular theme park. But the Disney parks are by far the most popular in the nation, according to estimates by the trade publication Amusement Business magazine. Disneyland has an estimated annual gate of 12.9 million while Walt Disney World in Florida has an estimated 28.5 million visitors, according to the magazine.

Universal had record attendance of 5.1 million in 1989 when its earthquake simulation ride opened, a boost largely due to increased patronage from temblor-weary but nevertheless curious locals.

But in the past two years, the park has had a double dose of bad luck. An arson-caused fire last November devastated part of the back lot. Although the studio immediately started rebuilding, tourists stayed away in the mistaken belief that the damage was more extensive than it was. Then, the studio was hit full-force by a drop in tourism nationwide spawned by the recession, officials say.

Analysts and theme park consultants are generally upbeat in assessing E.T.’s chances of pushing up Universal attendance during the crucial summer season.

“Universal has realized that they have been a very tourist-oriented attraction and they see some benefit to the local market. They want to compete,” said John Robinett of Economics Research Associates in Los Angeles.

The highly sophisticated E.T. ride still is a challenge to keep running. Minutes after Spielberg proclaimed it a triumph of technology at a star-studded charity benefit last month, the ride broke down because of a computer glitch and stayed closed for several days.

The trouble was reminiscent of the shakedown troubles that parent company MCA Inc. has had with Universal Studios Florida, built near the Walt Disney World theme parks outside Orlando. There, the “Jaws” shark would barely nip, King Kong was downright docile and Earthquake: The Big One was anything but. The problems have since been fixed except for the Jaws ride, where the main character is being replaced by a meaner mechanical shark, according to Universal officials.

At least with E.T., the studio can take advantage of a ride that has proven itself at the Florida attraction, where it opened about a year ago.

The Southern California version moves patrons through scenes that make it appear that they are flying on bicycles through the heavens on a mission to return E.T. to his home planet. At the conclusion, E.T. thanks each rider by name--a feat accomplished by a “passport” in which the rider’s name is encoded on a card for a computer to read.

“It’s a masterpiece,” enthused 15-year-old Michael Philipps of North Hollywood after taking his fifth spin. “I’ve been on the Peter Pan ride (at Disneyland) and this is twice as neat.”