Probably apropos of nothing, and to be clear I have no inside information whatsoever. But I am an accountant, and if there is one thing that I’ve learned over the past few years of reading and learning about theme parks is that budgeting and marketing are two of the most important factors in the creation of these seasonal events.
With that being said, from purely a budget standpoint, here are some of my predictions.
Chucky Repeat or Gremlins: as has been said before, we are 100% getting another maze primarily with small animatronics. Reports seem to indicate they spent a shiny penny for the maze this year. My gut says they will run a repeat of Chucky this year, with Gremlins to come next year. 80’s nostalgia sells big at the event - as does “family-friendly” IP houses (whatever that means). This seems to check both boxes. The only question is if WB wants to play ball.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: I would be beating a dead horse to talk about this at length. We are getting this. 100%. Blumhouse and Universal are tight. This was one of the most successful horror movies of the year. The thing I will say is that doing this right would be incredibly expensive. Which leads me to next point…
The Thing: I can’t see this one coming in the same year that Five Nights runs. Too expensive. Especially with them still amortizing Chucky out over multiple years as they surely will.
Ghostbusters / American Werewolf: We will be getting an 80’s “comedy maze” (especially if Gremlins has to wait until next year). I would bet on a repeat. And a beat-for-beat repeat at that. The event is beginning to demand more mazes to absorb the crowds. The event seems to be reacting to this by running repeats. It is what it is.
Monsters: I am a huge Universal Monsters fan. Was not a fan of the maze this year. That being said, they seem to test high with audiences. I would bet on some more mainstream monsters this year. Murdy seems to like Frankenstein and his Bride best. And they have been sitting out for a few years. Would be cool to see them do it in B&W and/or include Creature in some capacity, but I’m not holding my breath.
Latin Monsters: Happening 100% and all but confirmed. If they are trying to save some money on this one I could see El Cucuy getting another run. Not sure. Chupacabras haven’t been represented very much at the event so I could see them factoring in in some capacity.
Scream: Rumors persist every year. The modern franchise is in shambles. Still popular to the public, though. Could see them making a maze based on the original, but I doubt it. It would’ve happened by now, if I’m being honest.