During our recent visit to Universal Studios, we came across a tribute store which was themed around an 80s shopping complex celebrating cinema and classic movies, eager to see what was inside we headed to the shop and had a wander around.
Celebrating Universal classic movies such as Jaws, E.T., Ghostbusters and Shrek the pop-up tribute store has some lovely details and set pieces that make this pop-up shop come alive.
From the moment you step inside you’re instantly catapulted into an 80s video store with VHS tapes lining the shelves and immediately I feel a sense of calm and childhood nostalgia as when I was young (early 90s) there was nothing better than going inside my local video store and picking up a movie to watch that week.
Known as the Mega Movie Rental Store there are easter eggs aplenty with lots of fun little details to discover and even a fake little section behind some beads for those who want a little behind-the-scenes look.
Universal offered certain packages to guests where you could have a photo of yourself on one of the VHS covers within the shop along with a pair of socks and a custom membership card. Just a fun and cool way of getting fans involved within the shop and a cool little thing to walk into the store and see your face in there.
Retro TVs lined the walls and lots of pop-ups and film details were everywhere, it was a blast from the past and that’s before stepping inside the retro arcade.
Yes, Universal has built an arcade complete with free-to-play retro games in an ultraviolet wonderland of fun, from the funky retro carpet to the lighting package this was such a chill space, I could have stayed in here all day.
What is so cool about the tribute store is that you completely forget the outside world exists and each room just gets better and better than the one previous. There are lots of Shrek-themed merchandise dotted around the arcade but it’s all building up to the big finale and that’s The Tribute Theatre.
Step inside this big set-piece room as there are some breathtaking scenes from iconic Universal films that line the walls.
E.T., Jaws, Ghostbusters and Back to the Future line the walls and you can see projectors ready to display some very cool effects but sadly they weren’t working when we visited which was a shame as the scenes are brought to life with projected effects.
Every part of my childhood was in one room and it was just a beautiful tribute to all four films. This tribute store was my first ever Universal experience and you can very clearly see the love and effort they put into their park to really bring these special fan moments to life.
Check out my first-ever Universal vlog below where you can get a glimpse inside the Universal Studios Tribute Store in video format for you to enjoy.
I am hoping and praying that one day I can get out there and see Halloween Horror Nights for myself, it would be a truly incredible experience and the effort they go to just within this pop-up shop was breathtaking, so what the hell do they do for their mazes?!
