Universal Studios Hollywood has set Sept. 16 as the opening date for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, ending months of technical rehearsals and putting the park’s first major outdoor thrill ride on the calendar. The coaster has been testing since late July and will move into daily operations after its extended trial run.
The timing matters because visitors have been waiting for a firm date on a ride that has already changed the look and feel of Universal Studios Hollywood. Designed by Universal and manufactured by Intamin, the coaster reaches 72 mph across 4,100 feet of track, with two towering inverted loops, a pretzel loop, four launch points and cars that can rotate 360 degrees. It is also the result of 10 years of work.
That scale is part of why the opening is drawing attention now. Universal has spent the last decade-plus reshaping the park with additions such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World, and Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is the latest piece of that overhaul. The ride has been visible in technical rehearsals long enough to build demand, and those test runs have already shown what the crowding will look like when the gates fully open.
During those rehearsals, afternoon waits routinely topped two hours, and some stretched longer than three hours and closer to four. Yet guests hoping for a shorter path in at launch will not find one. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will not be included in express pass offerings when it opens, which means everyone starts in the same line even as Universal says express access is expected later.
That decision leaves the opening day split between two experiences: the general queue for everyone, and a higher-priced option for a different kind of access elsewhere in the park. A daily ticket starts at $109.95, weekend dates are expected to land in the $150 range, and the R.I.P. Tour costs $479 per person. Guests on that tour will be able to ride Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, giving the coaster a premium lane of its own while the broader system waits for express access to arrive at a later date.
