Halloween Marathon of Mayhem at Universal Orlando

The summer of 2018 saw the opening of Universal Orlando’s Cinematic Celebration, an epic nighttime spectacular that celebrates the heroic moments of cinematic storytelling inside the Universal park, and in the fall of 2019 the spectacular was transformed into the all-new Halloween Marathon of Mayhem show during the popular Halloween Horror Nights seasonal event (HHN 29).



Universal Orlando’s Cinematic Celebration is located on the central lagoon within the park. The lagoon comes to life lighting up the night with 128 fully programmable water fountains and a massive 300-foot (92 meter) wide set of water screens, creating a continuous panoramic image of the vivid worlds of the movies. The media consists of moments from both attractions and films, rebuilt entirely with new animation and visual effects to fill the panoramic view of the show. With multiple layers of projection, show elements leap forward from the screen, treating the entire lagoon more like a three-dimensional stage than a traditional two-dimensional film-clip-based show. Together with intelligent lighting and a barrage of concentrated pyro, the show’s elements work together to bring each moment to life like never before.



Halloween Marathon of Mayhem uses all the same show effects created for the original show, but developed to a very different emotional effect and designed specifically for HHN 29’s 1980’s inspired theme. Four IPs were chosen from various Halloween Horror Nights mazes to be featured within the spectacular, unified by an 80’s-inspired “synthwave” vibe transforming each IP into a neon hyperdrive of fun and excitement.



The Halloween Marathon of Mayhem extension was the highest-rated attraction among guests at 2019’s Halloween Horror Nights, and the show became an outstanding example of combining media and new technologies in creating an all-new immersive experience. The success of Marathon of Mayhem proved the unlimited potential of Universal Orlando’s Cinematic Celebration’s as a constantly evolving platform for creating new shows, now and into the future.