Epic Universe Annual Pass Reveal Scrapped? Why Did Universal Delay Its EPIC Universe Documentary?
Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks has now been rescheduled three different times. The first delay was in July of 2025, and was moved to September 29th, 2025. Now, it has been delayed again, until November 17th, 2025, according to Attractions Magazine.
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Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks will now premiere on Nov. 17, 2025. This 3-part docuseries celebrates the history and legacy of Universal Destinations & Experiences. Through unprecedented access, rare archival, and intimate interviews with directors, producers, executives, and A-list celebrities, the series will explore Universal’s iconic film and theme park history as well as provide an exclusive behind-the-scenes countdown to the opening of its groundbreaking new theme park, Universal Epic Universe.
Why then was the Epic Ride Documentary rescheduled? While Universal has not provided an official reason, two distinct and compelling theories are circulating behind the scenes.
Theory 1: The Tragic Incident at Stardust Racers
The most sensitive and immediate possibility centers around a tragic incident at Epic Universe’s newest attraction. As previously reported, a guest died from ‘multiple blunt injuries‘ after riding the Stardust Racers coaster.
While there has been no official confirmation linking the fatality to the delay, the timing is undeniable. A three-part series meant to celebrate the park’s history and future excitement would be difficult to air immediately following such a high-profile, tragic event. It is possible the delay is necessary to address the tone of the series, or even edit out any specific footage of the Stardust Racers attraction to avoid being seen as insensitive.
Stardust Racer is still not operational 14 days after these events happened, and no timeline has been announced for when or if the attraction will reopen. We will not speculate further on the cause of the accident until there is official word from Universal, the Investigators, and all parties involved.
Theory 2: The Annual Pass Announcement
The second reason we are hearing from inside sources concerns a major announcement regarding the Epic Universe Annual Pass.
We understand that Universal Orlando was reportedly set to announce the availability of Epic Universe Annual Passes. This news was apparently slated to be a featured segment, either a commercial-like reveal or an official press release, during the three-part documentary.
This was all set to happen up until the moment the premiere of Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks was delayed. It is highly plausible that a last-minute internal change in the Annual Pass rollout strategy required the documentary, which was integral to the announcement, to be pulled and rescheduled.
Would delaying the announcement of the Epic Universe Annual Pass play a part in the decisions to delay the show? Probably not, on its own merit. But, add in the accident investigation and the loss of the major attraction, Stardust Racer roller coaster, and you have a perfect storm to delay.
