This past weekend, Laughing Place was invited over to Universal Studios Hollywood for opening day of the 2026 iteration of the popular Southern California theme park’s Mega Movie Summer seasonal event, and below you can find my photos and videos from our experience.
First up, let’s take a look at video of the two new dance shows on the Upper Lot, including the Fast & Furious-inspired Street Racers, who perform in Universal Plaza.
Watch Street Racers dance show – FULL PERFORMANCE at Universal Studios Hollywood Mega Movie Summer 2026:
Next up is the Minion Dance Party, which takes place near the entrance to the Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! attraction.
Watch Minion Dance Party FULL PERFORMANCE at Universal Studios Hollywood during Mega Movie Summer 2026:
Rewinding time a little bit, we arrived at Universal Studios Hollywood around the 9:00 AM opening of the park on Saturday, and while walking through CityWalk we noticed that the famous 2D King Kong is currently holding a soccer ball (football?) in honor of the World Cup.
Out in front of the entrance to Universal Studios Hollywood, banners and signs for Mega Movie Summer adorn lampposts and archways.
Inside the park, we found plenty of new merchandise tied into Illumination’s new movie Minions & Monsters, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Fast & Furious franchise.
I was surprised to see that Universal is already selling merchandise themed to Sinners‘ inclusion as a walk-through haunted house in this year’s forthcoming Halloween Horror Nights events on both coasts.
Steven Spielberg’s smash-hit movies Jaws and Jurassic Park are also included among the Mega Movie Summer merch.
Outside of the gift shops near the park entrance, I found the Back to the Future DeLorean available as a guest photo op, and later on in the day I even spotted Marty McFly himself hanging out in front of the time machine for meet-and-greets, as a very welcome returning character from last year’s Mega Movie Summer.
Over in Universal Plaza, several cool picture cars from the Fast & Furious franchise are out on display.
That trend continues in front of the new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster attraction, and Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger from the original The Fast and the Furious movie is even included among the cars.
Unfortunately Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift itself is not quite ready to welcome riders, despite having an advertised launch period of summer 2026. Hopefully we’ll get an opening date announcement soon!
In Minion Land, there’s a new statue of Irene and James promoting Minions & Monsters, and throughout the day walkaround characters of Henry and James will appear for meet-and-greets in front of this photo op.
No visit to Universal Studios Hollywood is complete without a ride on the World-Famous Studio Tour.
During the Studio Tour, you may notice that the Hollywood Sign replica has been repainted with an attractive new sunset theme.
And Christopher Nolan fans will be excited to see one of the longships from the filmmaker’s highly anticipated new movie The Odyssey on display next to Falls Lake.
Above you can watch a short video of The Odyssey ship, and below are a few photos.
At the Studio Tour’s exit is a new Mega Movie Summer blue-carpet photo op.
And down in the Lower Lot area there’s another Mega Movie Summer photo op with a clapboard marking the occasion.
While down on the Lower Lot in the Jurassic World area, we spotted the baby Aquilops Dolores and the adult Triceratops Juliet.
Returning back to the Upper Lot, we spotted Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked and Wicked: For Good meeting and greeting with guests in front of the DreamWorks Theatre.
Now let’s talk food– there are Mega Movie Summer menu options available around the park, but we ate an early lunch at Mel’s Diner, where we tried the Jaws-themed Shark Bait Burger and Lifesaver Swirl for dessert.
For this year’s Mega Movie Summer, Hollywood & Dine has been transformed into Fast & Furious: Drift & Dine, with items like the Barbecue Corn Ribs and Quarter-Mile Funnel Cake that we grabbed before wrapping up our day at the park (a big thank you to Universal Studios Hollywood for providing us with a Dining Pass for the day).
I also have to mention Despicable Delights in Minion Land, which offers treats like the very tasty Irene’s Orange Banana Float.
On our way out of the park, we also spotted Hello Kitty in a nice-looking dress inspired by a film strip.
Mega Movie Summer 2026 runs from now through Sunday, August 9 at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California. For additional information, be sure to visit the theme park’s official website, and to book your Southern California vacation, Laughing Place always recommends MEI – Mouse Fan Travel (see the form below to start planning your trip.
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