The parent company of Universal Orlando is trying to squeeze as much magic as it can out of Harry Potter's wand.
Less than six months after announcing plans to build a clone of Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter at its Universal Studios Hollywood in Southern California, NBCUniversal's theme-park division announced Thursday that it will build a copy of the wildly popular attraction at its Japanese theme park, too.
The Wizarding World at Universal Studios Japan is scheduled to open in late 2014 — more than a year before the California version is expected to debut.
Universal executives have also said they will soon "significantly expand" the Wizarding World at Universal Orlando — likely by extending the boy wizard's presence, which is currently contained solely in the resort's Islands of Adventure theme park, into Universal Studios Florida next door.
The Japanese project was announced at a ceremony Thursday in Osaka that included executives from Universal Parks & Resorts, Warner Bros. Entertainment and local government leaders, as well as actors from the Harry Potter films.
Universal said the Wizarding World in Japan will be similar to the Orlando version, with a replica of Hogwarts castle, Hogsmeade village and multiple themed attractions. The project will cost about $500 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Universal Orlando version cost about $265 million, according to a person familiar with the budget.
"I was delighted to experience and enjoy the attention to detail, creativity and superb craft that went into the first Wizarding World in Orlando," J.K. Rowling, author of the book series that spawned the Harry Potter phenomenon, said in a prepared statement. "I am equally delighted that the same level of expertise and enjoyment will translate to the new park in Japan."
Asia is an important source of traffic for the big theme parks on the U.S. West Coast — Disney, for instance, says Asian travelers are a key market for Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., where international traffic is now approaching 10 percent of overall resort attendance.
But a spokesman for Universal indicated that the company is not concerned about new Wizarding Worlds in both California and Japan competing for similar pools of travelers.
"Universal's theme parks across the globe have long complemented each other," Universal Parks & Resorts spokesman Tom Schroder said. " Each destination thrives in its market and is able to attract guests from a wide area. Beyond that, the stories of Harry Potter are a global phenomenon"
The Harry Potter franchise has been hugely successful for Universal.
Although the original Wizarding World opened nearly two years ago, company executives say it is still driving attendance and guest-spending gains at Universal Orlando.
NBCUniversal's parent company, Comcast Corp., reported earlier this month that its total theme-park revenue climbed 7 percent during the first quarter of this year — to $412 million — thanks primarily to continued interest in Wizarding World as well as a 2-year-old King Kong attraction in California.
Operating cash flow for Comcast's parks jumped 17.1 percent to $157 million.
"We … continue to be very bullish about Orlando, where you've got Harry Potter over a year old and doing great," NBCUniversal's chief executive officer, Steve Burke, said when the earnings were released.
jrgarcia@tribune.com or 407-420-5414
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