Autobots, Harry Potter characters collide in Beijing with new Universal Studios theme park set to open

Optimus Prime looms large over anyone who walks by, forcing you to crane your head up to see the full stature of leader of the Autobots.?

Hundreds of minions — small, yellow creatures shaped like pill capsules — are posed in various photogenetic positions, right out of the Despicable Me films.

A gigantic, animatronic Indominous Rex chases down adventurers speeding away as part of Jurassic World.?

And Hogwarts castle gets a spectacular light show as evening sets in around the park, with Hogsmeade and the world of Harry Potter just around the bend.?

The Autobots, minions, dinosaurs of the Jurassic Park franchise and fan-favorite characters from the Harry Potter books and films are just a part of seven themed lands filled with 37 rides that is Universal Studios Beijing.

Last week, Universal Studios Beijing theme park and resort launched its trial opening, giving park visitors access to select rides and shows before the scheduled September 20 grand opening, which coincides with this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from September 19 – 21.

"Whoever thinks that China’s love of Hollywood intellectual property is somehow diminished clearly has not taken into account theme parks and their ability to attract tourists," says Bobby Afshar, managing director at LehmanBush.?

Universal Studios Beijing is world's fifth Universal Studios theme park.

The park’s opening date has been postponed for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The park is located in the capital city’s Tongzhou district, which lies around 20 kilometers east of central Beijing.

Built at an estimated cost of $7.7 billion USD, the park itself spans four square kilometers.

The Beijing iteration has many of the popular attractions found at its counterparts in Singapore, Osaka, Los Angeles and Orlando. But there are some Universal firsts as well, including the Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness.

Guests of the park have two resort hotels to choose from — the Universal Studios Grand Hotel and the NUO Resort Hotel. Nearby is the restaurant-filled Universal CityWalk, which doesn't require a ticket to enter.

Four kinds of tickets will be available for a one-day tour in the park — 418 RMB (about $65 USD), 528 RMB (about $80 USD), 638 RMB (about $100 USD) and 748 RMB (about $115 USD) — from the off season to peak season.

The park is a joint venture between Comcast Corp's Universal Parks & Resorts and state-owned Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co.

Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co. is owned by five Beijing state-owned companies, including Beijing Tourism Group, one of the country's biggest tourism firms.

Talks between the Beijing government and the consortium behind the project started as early as 2001, but it was not until 2014 that authorities finally approved Universal Studios Beijing.

"Disney did the heavy lifting in terms of getting a western theme park into Mainland China," says Jimmie Jeremejev, managing director at LehmanBush. "But since 2016 with Disney’s foray into the market, you’ve now got Universal, Six Flags is currently building a theme park in Tianjin, and construction recently begun on a Legoland theme park in Shanghai, which is scheduled to open in 2024."