After Facing Delays And Other Hurdles, Universal Studios Hollywood Finally Has The Fast And Furious Coaster Fans Wanted

If you have ever watched one of the Fast & Furious movies and wanted to experience the thrill Dom Toretto and his family feel when they get behind the wheel, now you can. After years of anticipation and months of test rides, Universal Studios Hollywood's Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is open. However, it didn't get to this point without a roadblock or two. Let’s talk about it.

The Delays And Hurdles Fast & Furious’s New Ride Went Through

Fast & Furious is Universal’s highest-grossing franchise, so it makes perfect sense for there to be a proper attraction to celebrate it. Now, there was a previous Fast & Furious attraction called Supercharged that opened in 2018. But the recently defunct ride never became a fan favorite. Now, it feels like the action series finally has the sort of ride that could become a hit.

It’s been only about a year since Universal Studios Hollywood gave us a first look at their vision for Hollywood Drift, but it’s been many years in the making. The coaster was built from 2023 to 2025, and was in the vehicle-testing phase through most of this year (which Vin Diesel was on hand for).

One marketing hurdle the ride went through was accidentally dropping an opening date that ended up being wrong back in June. Then, some of the residents of the nearby neighborhood of Toluca Lake complained about the coaster and the noise from it, with one person saying it sounded like “someone is getting murdered out there.” After all that, Hollywood Drift is here, and people seem to love it so far.

What Fans Think Of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift

While Wednesday, September 16, is the official opening day for the new Universal Studios Hollywood ride, for about a month now, guests who were part of the soft opening and media have been experiencing it. Here’s one reaction:

The spinning rollercoaster is a technical achievement for Universal Studios Hollywood and the first outdoor rollercoaster for the California theme park. Check out some of the comments about Hollywood Drift thus far (via Instagram):

• "It was AMAZING!! 😮🎢🚘🏁✨" - @travelmomoirs
• "The best ride in the park is now open" - @chase.wc
• "Such a great ride and a lovely addition to [Universal Studios} 🙌🔥" - @livingwithagoddress
• "LOVED THIS RIDE SMMMM 😍" - @hunnybunny.jpg
• "This coaster is SO FUN! What a RIDE 🤩🙌🏼" - @krystaleverdeen
• "The BEST ride I’ve ever been on! 🔥" - @always_adventuring_melanie

So many fans have been waiting for this, and the reactions show that the Fast & Furious coaster is being warmly welcomed at Universal Studios Hollywood. The ride is the first new attraction for the theme park since Super Nintendo World’s opening back in 2023. And an Orlando version of the rollercoaster is already on the way, too.

Happy opening day to Universal Studios Hollywood!