The Magic Kingdom's Main Street U.S.A. Theater project cancelled?

Feb 01, 2018 in "Main Street, U.S.A."

Gallery / 1 Photo
New Main Street U.S.A. theater concept art

Posted: Thursday February 1, 2018 2:35pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

It appears that the Magic Kingdom's new theater to be built off Main Street U.S.A. has now been cancelled, although Disney is yet to officially announce the change of plans.

New Main Street U.S.A. theater concept art

Construction was about to begin, with various areas cleared backstage to allow the work to get underway behind the existing Town Square Theater and Tomorrowland, but word comes to us from sources familiar with the matter that the construction project has been cancelled with immediate effect.

MK1 shows the location of the planned theater

Originally announced at D23 in 2017, the new entertainment venue was to be based on the iconic Willis Wood theater in 1920s Kansas City, where Walt lived after he left Marceline.

At the original D23 announcement, it was described as:

“Across Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, we’ve been upping the game in Entertainment with shows like Frozen Live at the Hyperion,” Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts said. “It’s been a huge hit at the Disneyland Resort, and I’m sure many of you have seen it. This new theater at Walt Disney World continues that streak by bringing a new venue for world-class entertainment to the world’s biggest park.”

It isn't yet clear if plans have changed and a theater will be built elsewhere, or if the idea of a new theater has been completely abandoned.

As always, this information should be treated as speculation until officially announced by Disney.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

JoeCamelAug 26, 2022

Yes, in an appropiate place

Dear PrudenceAug 26, 2022

I still want a new theatre

JoeCamelAug 25, 2022

How's that cube working out? You settling in? Lots of dust in the break room?

capsshieldAug 25, 2022

I don't understand how universal gets so much love. IoA is awfully cheap looking especially superhero Island and toon lagoon. The rides are no better than 6 flags Spidermans que is El cheapo and really takes the ride down a notch or two. I stayed at a on site hotel and had free fast pass access Harry Potter and Spiderman do not a park make. I've been to Universal parks 3 times and every time I felt I should have gone to a Disney park. I've never left a Disney park not wanting to return. I will go see the new park eventually but not at expense of any Disney park time. I think Disney knows this will happen with 70 percent of their guests

JoeCamelAug 25, 2022

I got $20 in the bungalows, the recruiter let me lie on the application so he could go home, I guess they had a quota.

lazyboy97oAug 25, 2022

Most I’ve been offered is a $25 gift card. Back when it was over in New York it was a crisp $20 bill. Either way, I’ll take a meal in exchange for watching TV in a well conditioned space.

Animaniac93-98Aug 25, 2022

I almost did that for a $50 gift card, but I wasn't selected because I didn't pass the initial screening questions. They kept asking about streaming services (like Peacock) that are not available in Canada, lol.

lazyboy97oAug 25, 2022

If you’re there on the right day, Universal will pay you to watch television. They do audience testing at the NBC Preview Center.

Animaniac93-98Aug 25, 2022

IoA and Volcano Bay are the main reasons I'm a Passholder. I really love those parks. Universal Studios Florida is actually my least favorite of the Universal Studios parks I've visited. Both Japan and Singapore are better IMO.

Dear PrudenceAug 25, 2022

I haven't been to the latter two, so that makes sense!

UNCgolfAug 25, 2022

There are some good non-screen attractions at Universal (Jurassic Park River Adventure is great, as is E.T.), and some are combination screen and physical sets/AAs. With that said, as much as people love Forbidden Journey, I found it far too screen heavy, and in a relatively boring way. The non-screen parts were pretty good but most of the broom flight was a snore, and it's the majority of the ride. The ride system is also miserable (as in it throws you all over the place), which doesn't help. Flight of Passage is entirely screen based, which I generally don't like, and yet I enjoy it far more than Forbidden Journey. The attraction lineup at USF (not IoA) was much better in the 1990s than it is today, at least for me.

Animaniac93-98Aug 25, 2022

Islands of Adventure isn't majority screen rides, and dismissing Spider-Man and Forbidden Journey as just that is a bit over the top. When people say they don't like Universal I think they really mean the Studios because so much of the criticism doesn't make sense for IoA or Volcano Bay.

ToTBellHopAug 25, 2022

Imperfections CONFIRMED for Magic Kingdom! Overcorrections CONFIRMED for Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Erections CONFIRMED for Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Imagine the floor tiles!!!

the_richAug 25, 2022

It just doesn't offer me or my family enough. I have people who love world showcase and don't care about rides. I get motion sickness and am afraid of heights. So for me even if someone said I could go to universal for free, I would still pay to go to Disney instead.