Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

History

In January 2008, Universal Destinations & Experiences filed a Notice of Commencement with Orange County, Florida, revealing intentions to construct a ride with the codename "Project Rumble". The notice also named German company Maurer Rides GmbH, located in Munich, as the manufacturer.

Over the next several months, Universal Studios surveyed park guests asking for opinions on the music selection that should be featured on the ride. Guests could choose from a narrowed list of artists including The Black Eyed Peas, the Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, and Johnny Cash.

Construction began in May 2008, beginning with preliminary land clearing that included the partial removal of Twister...Ride It Out's outdoor extended queue. The first pieces of track were installed later that year in December. In February 2009, Universal launched a dedicated website for the attraction, which included a construction blog and photographs chronicling the construction's progress. The coaster's track layout was finished by the end of April 2009 with the completion of the lift hill. The same month, Universal announced that the roller coaster's opening would be delayed until the summer. The suspected cause of the delay was linked to issues with the lift hill's anti-rollback devices.

After the issues with the ride were resolved, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit began ride previews to the public in August 2009. The ride officially opened on August 19, 2009.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit closed abruptly in September 2010, with Maurer issuing an alert that warned about the coupling bars that held trains together. Stress testing revealed that these coupling bars would not be "fatigue endurable". The coaster reopened on October 28, 2010, with refurbished trains to improve the ride experience.

Over its history it was known for its many issues. Sometimes when it first opened, the ride would not open until later in the day or early evening. It was also known for its rough ride experience as well especially for guests sitting in the backrow. The ride would also not be able to operate in rain or in high winds

Originally, riders on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit could choose from a list of thirty songs, divided into five genres with six songs each. In August 2023, the playlist was reduced to five songs, one per genre.

In December 2024, Universal Studios submitted plans to the South Florida Water Management District proposing the removal of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and its replacement with a new attraction, including two buildings. In late December, Universal confirmed on social media that Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit would close in early September 2025, although the date was later expedited to August 18. During the demolition of the coaster, the track on the lift hill caught on fire.

Construction of a new attraction began shortly after the ride's removal. It was later confirmed in January 2026 that the replacement would be Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, a spinning roller coaster similar to the one being built at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Ride experience

Queue

Guests first entered either the main queue, the express queue, or the single rider queue. From 2015 to its closure, riders had to pass through a metal detector in order to board, and could not board with any loose items on their person or in pockets. Lockers were provided for storage of these items. In each of the queue lines, there were several large screen displays that explained how to pick a song to play during the ride and important safety instructions. In the video, characters called "Video DJ's" were used as demonstrators to provide a visual explanation.

Station and song selection

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit used a rolling loading station, in which trains slowed down but did not stop. There was a moving sidewalk on both sides that moved at the same speed as the train allowing riders to board. Riders had approximately 45 seconds to take their seat, lower their lap bar, and make their song choice. As of September 2023, guests could choose between five songs: "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance from the Classic Rock/Metal category, "Waterloo" by ABBA from the Pop/Disco category, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" by Shania Twain from the Country category, "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar from the Rap/Hip-hop category, or "Sandstorm" by Darude. By pressing and holding the coaster's logo on the song selection screen, guests could enter a three-digit code to instead apply one of sixty alternate songs. However, on-ride videos could not be purchased while an alternate song was active due to licensing restrictions.

Ride

After dispatching from the station, the train climbed the 167 ft vertical chain lift while the song selected by the rider began to play, accompanied by as a male voice stating, "Hold on tight, baby, 'cause we’re taking you skyward. You ready to Rockit?" The on-ride video recorder also started recording. At the top of the lift, the train descended to the ground, reaching a maximum speed of 65 mph. It then enters a 103 ft wide non-inverting loop, nicknamed "The Double Take," followed by an upward right turn into the first mid-course brake run. The train dropped down once again, passing through a hole in a wall, and entered a left-hand upward helix, nicknamed "The Treble Clef," which resembles the musical symbol of the same name when viewed from above. Following this, the train descended once more before entering a second set of mid-course brakes. Next, the train made a small, left-hand drop to the left before the track straightened. The train then made a right turn, a left turn, then another right turn, forming an element nicknamed "The Jump Cut." This was followed by a third set of mid-course brakes and an s-bend turn leading into a helix and a fourth set of brakes. Finally, the train dropped for a final time before traveling over a small hill, then entered the final brake run as the song playing ends.

Track

The steel track of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was 3800 ft long, and the height of the lift was approximately 167 ft. Because the lift hill was vertical, a special evacuation system was used in the event that a train stalls on the lift. Additionally, the track was filled with sand and gravel to reduce noise while a train was on the track. The roller coaster's layout featured six sets of brakes that regulated the trains' speed.

Trains

The roller coaster operated with seven stadium-style seating X-Car trains. Each train had two cars that could hold six riders each for a total of twelve riders per train. On the headrest of each seat, there were two speakers that played music during the ride. The speakers were designed to make only the rider's selected music audible. On the restraint was a touch screen where riders could choose which song they wanted to listen to during the ride from popular musical genres such as pop and hip-hop. The trains were also equipped with multi-colored lights visible at night.

Incidents

On August 1, 2013, an unidentified woman received minor injuries when the ride came to a sudden stop.

References

References

1. Garcia, Jason. (June 27, 2009). "New Universal coaster spinning its wheels". Orlando Sentinel.
2. [https://blog.universalorlando.com/things-to-do/complete-guide-to-hollywood-rip-ride-rockit-at-universal-studios-florida/ Complete Guide to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida]
3. Bevil, Dewayne. (April 23, 2009). "Universal pushes back opening of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster". Orlando Sentinel.
4. (August 1, 2008). "Worldwide Highest Vertical Lift: Record-Breaking, Multi-Sensory Roller Coaster". Roller Coaster Database.
5. (January 12, 2008). "Universal Orlando's 'Project Rumble". NewsPlusNotes.
6. Roller Coaster Database. (March 19, 2008). "Universal Orlando Resort Announces Brand-New Roller Coaster (Press Release)". Roller Coaster Database.
7. Powers, Scott. (August 27, 2008). "Musical choices for Universal's next roller coaster, the Rockit". Orlando Sentinel.
8. "Rip Ride Rockit Construction Photos (page 75)". Orlando Rocks.
9. (December 11, 2008). "Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit is Vertical". NewsPlusNotes.
10. (10 January 2020). "Site Follows Progress of Universal Studios Hollywood Rip Ride RockIT Roller Coaster".
11. (February 21, 2009). "Rockit's New Website". NewsPlusNotes.
12. "Rip Ride Rockit Construction Photos (page 22)". Orlando Rocks.
13. (May 1, 2009). "Rockit Complete". NewsPlusNotes.
14. (August 15, 2009). "Universal Studios' Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster finally opens to guests – Video and Photos". [[Orlando Attractions Magazine]].
15. (August 19, 2012). "Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster now officially open". [[Orlando Attractions Magazine]].
16. (September 20, 2010). "Universal's Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster closed indefinitely".
17. (November 2, 2010). "Rip Ride Rockit Now Re-open! - Orlando Tourist Tips".
18. (July 6, 2009). "Sample the full Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit song list".
19. Bevil, Dewayne. (August 31, 2023). "It's a Rip Ride Rockit remix: Universal cuts coaster to 5 songs".
20. Roseboom, Matt. (August 29, 2023). "Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster song choices reduced from 30 to five".
21. Osorio, Mateo. (December 27, 2024). "Universal files permits to remove Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster".
22. Lafferty, Abigail. (December 27, 2024). "Goodbye Hollywood Rip-Ride Rockit: Permits reveal the planned removal of Universal Studios rollercoaster". FOX 35 Orlando.
23. Schecker, Justin. (December 27, 2024). "Universal Studios Florida to close Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit in 2025".
24. (June 2, 2025). "Universal Orlando moves up roller coaster's closing date".
25. Johnson, Dacia. (2025-10-10). "Video: Closed coaster catches fire at Universal Studios".
26. (January 20, 2026). "New 'Fast & Furious' coaster coming to Universal Studios Florida".
27. (April 22, 2015). "Metal detectors become permanent at 3 Universal rides".
28. Bevil, Dewayne. (June 16, 2009). "Universal shares Rip Ride Rockit coaster details". Orlando Sentinel.
29. (July 1, 2009). "Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Queue Video". coastercrew (YouTube).
30. "Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida". Orlando Informer.
31. (November 7, 2009). "Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit Front Seat on-ride POV Universal Studios Florida". wwwCOASTERHorsecom (YouTube).
32. (January 24, 2012). "Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Maneuvers". Universal Orlando Resort.
33. {{Cite RCDB
34. (28 July 2021). "Universal roller coaster closed after rider is injured - Orlando Sentinel".