Universal Studios Theme Park Loses Key Marvel Rights

Comcast's  (CMCSA) - Get Free Report Universal Studios and Walt Disney Co.'s  (DIS) - Get Free Report theme parks have huge rivalries competing for guests to fill their respective parks in Florida and Southern California.

The two companies' rivalry has a unique twist in that the two theme park operators have claims to some of the same Marvel Comics intellectual property that Disney purchased in 2009. Over 10 years before Disney made its Marvel acquisition, Universal Studios obtained rights to Marvel IP to utilize with the opening of its Islands of Adventure theme park at Universal Orlando resort in 1999.

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Comcast purchased 51% of NBC Universal from General Electric in 2011, then the remaining 49% in 2013. With the purchase, it also gained the Marvel licensing rights.

Islands of Adventure is a theme park featuring a Marvel Super Hero Island land based on Marvel Comics superheroes, with rides including Transformers: The Ride 3-D, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom's Fearfall and The Amazing Adventurers of Spider-Man ride. It also has character encounters with Transformers and Spider-Man greeting guests in the park.

Universal Studios Hollywood has a smaller Marvel presence in its theme park with just the Transformers: The Ride 3-D and some character encounters.

Universal Orlando Can Keep Marvel Licensing in Perpetuity

What's interesting about Comcast's 1994 contract for Marvel IP that it inherited with its purchase of NBC Universal, the contract is valid in perpetuity, as long as Universal Studios doesn't close Marvel Super Hero Island. With so many successful Disney-produced Marvel films being released, it's not likely that Comcast will ever give up that contract.   

Disney cannot use Marvel characters used by Islands of Adventure at its parks east of the Mississippi River under the original agreement. On the other hand, the House of Mouse has been able to use Marvel IP not licensed to Comcast in its California parks. California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort answered the Marvel craze by opening Avengers Campus, featuring Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission:Breakout!, Avengers Headquarters and Doctor Strange's Ancient Sanctum. These are all Marvel themes not used at Universal Hollywood.

At Disney World's Epcot, guests are lining up for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster ride, and that's about it for Marvel at Disney World for now. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of the IPs not covered under the Islands of Adventure contract.

Comcast Losing Universal Japan Marvel Rights

Comcast, however, is on the verge of losing some of its Marvel IP, as Universal Studios Japan said on May 16 that it will close its Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride permanently on Jan. 22, 2024, when its 20-year contract expires, Theme Park Insider reported. The ride opened in Osaka on Jan. 23, 2004.

Once Universal Japan closes Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Disney will be free to bring Spider-Man, Avengers and any other Marvel superhero to the Tokyo Disney Resort. This will make Disney World in Orlando the company's only theme park resort without unlimited access to the Marvel characters that it owns.

While Disney World cannot use the characters depicted on Islands of Adventure rides, like Spider-Man, Hulk, Doctor Doom and Transformers, Marvel fans can expect Disney World to use characters Universal Studios has not been using.