With the opening of Universal Epic Universe on May 22, 2025, we’re getting ready to experience a whole new level of immersion. Soon, we’ll have five new worlds to explore: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, and the all-original Celestial Park. This is a pretty big deal, if you ask me.
How are we preparing, you ask? By binging the most epic movie watch list, of course! Four of these exciting worlds are inspired by some of the most beloved media ever created. But to truly live the lore of these four worlds, you must first understand it. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to watch before the grand opening of Epic Universe.
What to Watch for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
If you’ve ever wanted to explore multiple eras of the wizarding world, then you’re in the right place. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe brings scenes from both “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” — a film series about Newt Scamander, a magizoologist and friend of a young Albus Dumbledore. We’ll not only take a trip down memory lane with a much-needed Harry Potter movie marathon, but we’ll also be making a pit stop at its prequel series. Raise your wands for a movie watch list that is nothing short of fantastic!
The “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise comprises three action-packed films. Our introduction to the wizarding world starts with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” released in 2016, and is followed by “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018), which takes Newt, Dumbledore, and their friends to wizarding Paris in the 1920s, filled with all the magic, beauty, and magical creatures you can expect. Here, you’ll see Le Cirque Arcanus, which will also come to life in the park, boasting a stunning show of live performers, puppetry, and special effects. You can engage with some beasts yourself in the streets of wizarding Paris with the Interactive Wand Experiences.
Now that we’ve had a blast in the past, we can take the Métro-Floo to the British Ministry of Magic in the 1990s where we’ll head off to watch Dolores Umbridge stand trial for her crimes during Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. What is she guilty of, you ask? You’ll need to be caught up on “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”(2007) and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2” (2010 and 2011, respectively) to find out. And while you’re brushing up on the ride lore with movie five, you might as well marathon all eight films!
What to Watch and Play for SUPER NINTENDO WORLD
It’s-a me! Bringing you yet another breakdown of media consumption integral to proper fictional world immersion at Epic Universe. The highly anticipated SUPER NINTENDO WORLD will truly be a sight to be seen with its vibrant array of towering castles and life-size versions of the Mushroom Kingdom and Donkey Kong Country.
Our SUPER NINTENDO WORLD watch list isn’t insanely extensive, but our gaming list certainly is. You’ll need every last one of your shell-throwing, ?-Block-punching, and Goomba-stomping skills, so fire up your favorite Nintendo console to play these exciting games before the grand opening. Important note: SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is not based on any particular video game, but it does draw inspiration from a variety of Nintendo games.
What better place to start than where it all began? “Super Mario Bros.” was first released in 1985 on the Nintendo Entertainment System. This 2D game is arguably as OG as it gets for Super Mario and is a great place to start when it comes to understanding SUPER NINTENDO WORLD as a whole. Enjoy its modern counterparts on the Nintendo Switch system, “New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe” (2019) and “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” (2023), ahead of your Epic Universe visit.
Make sure to brush up on:
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Yoshi’s Crafted World
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
As the kids say, “It’s on like Donkey Kong!” Donkey Kong has been its own video game franchise since 1981, and with the highly anticipated opening of Donkey Kong Country in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, it’s essential you give these games some love as well. “Donkey Kong Country Returns” has been a hit on the Wii and Nintendo 3DS and will soon be available on the Nintendo Switch system once it officially launches on Jan. 16, 2025. “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze” (2018) for the Nintendo Switch system also brings some chilling gameplay. Playing these games beforehand will make riding through Donkey Kong Country on Mine-Cart Madness to protect the sacred Golden Banana all the more thrilling.
What to Watch for How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Have you ever wanted to live as the Vikings do? Thanks to the upcoming How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk world at Epic Universe, you will soon be able to! Before jumping into the Viking lifestyle, you should watch and learn.
The How to Train Your Dragon media franchise is made up of three feature films: “How to Train Your Dragon” (2010), “How to Train Your Dragon 2” (2014) and “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (2019). If you want a strong understanding of characters like Hiccup and Toothless, as well as the land of Vikings and a variety of wild dragons, these films are all you need. Plus, they’ll make soaring on Hiccup’s Wing Gliders look like a piece of cake.
If you’re looking for an excuse to become a HTTYD superfan, you might also want to add the series to your ever-growing watch list. Known as “Dragons” and released in 2012, the series serves as a bridge between the 2010 feature film and its 2014 sequel. See just how serious the Vikings take the sport of dragon racing in this show — and then try it out for yourself on the Dragon Racer’s Rally ride at Epic Universe. There are eight seasons to catch up on, each one taking a deeper dive into the HTTYD lore. Having watched both the movies and television series growing up, I feel like How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk is a fan’s dream come true.
What to Watch for Dark Universe
While you wait for all new, year-round frights at Dark Universe — a world home to all the fearsome monsters we’ve come to know and love (and be afraid of) — take a deep dive down the rabbit hole of where it all began: the Universal Monsters franchise. Universal Studios Monsters is made up of horrific characters from films produced by Universal Pictures between the early 1910s and late 50s. I’m sure you know creatures like Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mummy all too well. You’ll soon know them and others on a much deeper level once you get your fill of these creepy classics!
You can’t face your fears riding front row on Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Curse of the Werewolf without having first watched “Frankenstein” (1931), “Werewolf of London” (1935) and “The Wolf Man” (1941). If you’re feeling adventurous and plan to ride these attractions back-to-back, I think “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” (1943) is worth a watch as well.
You’ll meet notorious residents of Darkmoor Village like Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s Monster, Invisible Man and Ygor during the character encounters. This means adding films like “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935), “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923) and “The Invisible Man” (1933) to your movie marathon is a must.
I loathe feeling out of the loop when surrounded by specific references to something(s). If this sounds anything like you, then please heed my warnings — or rather, suggestions. Dark Universe was bred from the legacy of the Universal Monsters, so it wouldn’t be right to experience it without knowing what inspired it. The rest of these classic films may not have quite as many direct references throughout the theme park as the above flicks, but they’ll do wonders with helping you recognize all the terrifying themes:
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1913)
“The Phantom of the Opera” (1925)
“Dracula” (1931)
“Dracula (Spanish version)” (1931) for my Spanish speakers
“The Mummy” (1932)
“Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1946)
“Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff” (1949)
“Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1953)
“Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954)
“Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy” (1955)
May 2025 feels so far away, but with this binge-worthy list of films to catch up on, Dark Universe will be ours for the taking in no time.
These movies and games should not only be enough to get you by until 2025, but it should also amp you up for when Universal Orlando Resort officially transforms into the ultimate four-park destination! A world where fiction and reality intersect is the place to be — and it’s closer than we could ever imagine.
(Info Courtesy of Universal Orlando)
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