There’s magic in the air as Universal Studios Hollywood decks the halls for the holidays.
A wintry calendar of festive holiday experiences is being rolled out across the theme park including the addition of nightly glistening snowfall to Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Making a welcome return is the crowd-pleasing and frankly dazzling spectacular light show that transforms Hogwarts castle into a breathtaking seasonal spectacle.
The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will burst into life with a mix of colorful imagery and impressive animations that dance across the castle in time with a musical arrangement from the Harry Potter movies.
The quaint, and impressively detailed, town of Hogsmeade has also been festooned with festive décor uniquely themed to each of the individual storefronts. Newly introduced holiday-themed food and hot Butterbeer complement the overall experience.
With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald currently in theaters, and the Harry Potter and Wizarding World franchise having raked in $8.64 billion in the box office worldwide, J. K. Rowing’s creations remain as popular as ever.
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which debuted at the park last year, kicked off on November 17, 2018, and will run through January 6, 2019.
Grinchmas also returns to Universal Studios Hollywood with a Who-lebration of fun fit for The Grinch, his faithful dog Max and a roster of Who-ville Whos.
The annual event, which has become something of an LA tradition, comes to life with a towering 60- foot tall whimsical Grinchmas tree where Martha May Who-vier and the Who Dolls take center stage performing energetic festive musical sets. The Who-liday Singers, a hip boy-band ensemble, also perform an acapella concert featuring a mix of Christmas favorites and pop rock.
Grinchmas will take place weekends on December 1 and 2, 2018, and December 8 and 9, 2018, then daily from December 14, 2018, through December 30, 2018.
Like the Wizarding World and Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss’ creation has once again staked its pop culture claim at the box office thanks to Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch striking gold at the box office. Since its release on November 9, 2018, the animated move’s taken $97.28 million at the domestic box office against a $75 million budget.
It’s been 18 years since Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas became seminal seasonal cinema and made $345.14 million at the world box office, unadjusted for inflation. It’s also the inspiration for Grinchmas, so its legacy lives on in more ways than one.
