I've been waiting for them to revamp security on CW for a
long time. Unfortunately, there's just not enough room to daisy-chain the parking structures together like they have it in Orlando. Which means that instead of one security checkpoint at the entrance of the park that only runs during park hours, they'd need to staff potentially as many as
twelve security checkpoints (assuming that they don't close or combine any of the current entrances to CityWalk) that would have to be staffed for much longer periods, possibly 24/7 to account for nightlife and for park employees.
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There are certainly ways that it
can be done (re-routing walkways and funneling people into a few, centralized points), and the hotel at the entrance to the park is going to allow for some reorganizing, but it's going to be a big lift when it finally happens. I think it's one of those chicken-and-egg decisions that ties up projects like this for ages, where the bean-counters don't want to green-light the project unless there's a demand for it, but the lack of security on CityWalk is part of what's preventing them from re-establishing the things that would create the demand.
As others have said, the contract is currently set to expire in 2028. That doesn't just mean shuttering the ride, though. It means removing basically any trace of The Simpsons from the park. No character likenesses, no themed facades, no merchandise, no references to The Simpsons at all. So the ride and land would have to close prior to the contract expiration to ensure that they're able to get everything wiped clean before the expiration date. It is
possible that they could seek and be granted an extension on the contract, but I don't see a world in which Disney wouldn't extort every penny they could out of Universal over it. And, who knows? Maybe Universal would be willing to pay that extra cash to make sure they have something there during the 2028 Olympics and then clear it out afterwards. But my guess, and this is purely speculation, is that Simpsons will close for good in early 2027, pretty much as soon as 2026 Christmas season ends. Hollywood Drift is set to open in early 2026, then almost a full year of those crowds, with Simpsons closing once it gets quiet again.