Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is a steel roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. With a height of 167 feet (51 m), a length of 3,800 feet (1,200 m), and a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), it is the largest X-Coaster ever built by German manufacturer Maurer Söhne. Announced on March 19, 2008, the coaster officially debuted on August 19, 2009, despite original plans to open several months earlier in the spring. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit features on-ride music, LED lighting, and on-ride photos and videos captured from cameras mounted in each passenger row.
During the second week of January 2008, Universal Destinations & Experiences filed a Notice of Commencement with Orange County, Florida, indicating that they were to construct a ride system that they had code-named "Project Rumble." The notice also stated that the contractor was "Maurer Rides GmbH," located in Munich, Germany.
The new attraction was officially announced by Universal Studios on March 19, 2008. Although the layout was not revealed, the original press release stated that the roller coaster's vertical lift hill would be 167 feet (51 m) tall, and that the trains would reach a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). It also mentioned that each train would be equipped with a multi-media package, LED lights, built-in video recorders, and the option for riders to choose a song from a list to be played during the course of the ride. The ride would also include six near miss encounters. At the time, the new roller coaster was scheduled to open in Spring 2009. In the months following the announcement, Universal Studios surveyed guests on which songs should be included on the roller coaster. Guests could choose from artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, and Johnny Cash.
Construction began in May 2008 with preliminary land clearing, including the removal of some of Twister...Ride it Out's outdoor extended queue. The first track pieces were installed during the week of December 7, 2008. In February 2009, Universal launched a website for the attraction, which included a construction blog and photographs chronicling progress of the attraction's construction. The track layout was completed at the end of April 2009 with the crowning of the lift hill.
In April 2009, Universal confirmed that the roller coaster's opening would be delayed until the summer. While Universal did not specify the cause of the delay, newspapers suggested it was due to issues with the lift hill's anti-rollback devices.
After the issues with the ride were resolved, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit began public previews in mid-August 2009. On August 19, 2009, Universal Studios Florida officially opened the attraction. It experienced technical issues early in its operation, with several features working sporadically or not at all. Operational challenges, such as slower-than-expected loading times, reduced capacity and caused long lines. One of the notable complaints was the rough ride experience, especially for guests sitting in the back seat.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit closed indefinitely in September 2010. Maurer issued an alert warning that stress testing of its X-Car ride vehicles had found that the coupling bars holding the trains together would not be "fatigue endurable." It reopened on October 28, 2010, with refurbished trains to improve the ride experience.
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. On December 27, Universal confirmed through a social media reply that Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit would close in early September 2025.
Guests first enter either the main queue, the express queue, or the single rider queue. As of 2015, riders must pass through a metal detector in order to board, and may not board with any loose items on their person or in pockets. Lockers are provided for storage of these items. In each of the queue lines, there are several large screen displays that explain how to pick a song to play during the ride and important safety instructions. In the video, characters called "Video DJ's" are used as demonstrators to provide a visual explanation.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit uses a rolling loading station, in which trains slow down but do not stop. There is a moving sidewalk on both sides that moves at the same speed as the train allowing riders to board. Riders have approximately 45 seconds to take their seat, lower their lap bar, and make their song choice. Guests can 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 can enter a three-digit code to instead apply one of sixty alternate songs. However, on-ride videos cannot be purchased while an alternate song is active due to licensing restrictions.
After dispatching from the station, the train climbs the 167-foot (51 m) vertical chain lift while the song selected by the rider begins 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 starts recording. At the top of the lift, the train descends to the ground, reaching a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). It then enters a 103-foot (31 m) wide non-inverting loop, nicknamed "The Double Take," followed by an upward right turn into the first mid-course brake run. The train drops down once again, passing through a hole in a wall, and enters a left-hand upward helix, nicknamed "The Treble Clef," which and resembles the musical symbol of the same name when viewed from above. Following this, the train descends once more before entering a second set of mid-course brakes. Next, the train makes a small, left-hand drop to the left before the track straightens. The train then makes a right turn, a left turn, then another right turn, forming an element nicknamed "The Jump Cut." This is 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 drops for a final time before traveling over a small hill, then entering the final brake run as the song playing ends.
The steel track of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long, and the height of the lift is approximately 167 feet (51 m). Because the lift hill is vertical, a special evacuation system is used in the event that a train stalls on the lift. Additionally, the track is filled with sand and gravel to reduce noise while a train is on the track. The roller coaster's layout features six sets of brakes that regulate the trains' speed.
The roller coaster operates with seven stadium-style seating X-Car trains. Each train has two cars that can hold six riders each for a total of twelve riders per train. On the headrest of each seat, there are two speakers that play music during the ride. The speakers are designed to make only the rider's selected music audible. On the restraint is a touch screen where riders can choose which song they want to listen to during the ride from popular musical genres such as pop and hip-hop. The trains are also equipped with multi-colored lights visible at night.
On August 1, 2013, an unidentified woman received minor injuries when the ride came to a sudden stop. On November 24, 2023, riders were stuck in a near vertical position and had to be rescued by the local fire department. No injuries were reported.