Universal Studios Hollywood to open new King Kong attraction July 1

He's big, he's back, and he's angry. Universal Studios Hollywood will open King Kong 360 3-D on July 1.

The new attraction will take you to Peter Jackson's version of Skull Island, right into the middle of a battle between massive dinosaurs and one very misunderstood giant ape.

Following the 2008 fire at Universal Studios Hollywood that destroyed the King Kong attraction, it was rumored that Kong would not return.

However, Universal officials tell me Steven Spielberg was at the studios before the fire was even out, discussing how to improve the King Kong attraction, and Peter Jackson signed on almost immediately for the update to match his 2005 film.

"As a filmmaker, you're hoping to have the audience step inside your movie and become part of the experience. It's only within a theme park attraction like this that you have the opportunity to do that," Jackson said.

King Kong 360 3-D will use technology never before seen in a theme park setting. A pair of seamless, compound curved screens - each 187 feet wide and 40 feet high - will form a complete circle around guests.

The attraction's film will run at 60 frames per second, delivering significantly more detail than the typical 24 frames per second rendered in a feature-length film. Universal Studios Hollywood promises "visceral special effects" to enhance the experience.

This summer, Universal Studios Hollywood is also opening 13 city blocks of production facilities in area of the Universal backlot that burned in the 2008 fire, including four acres of newly built New York street locations.

Filed under: North America, United States