Philadelphia, Wednesday, 27 August 2025.
Comcast NBCUniversal and The Franklin Institute will premiere a major Universal theme parks exhibition in Philadelphia on Saturday, offering an 18,000 m²-feet (approx. 1,670 m²) immersive showcase of design, engineering and storytelling behind attractions. For retail professionals, the most intriguing fact is the scale: 8 themed galleries, 25 interactive experiences and 100+ original artifacts from properties such as Jurassic World and Universal Monsters—delivered as a museum-grade IP activation outside park gates. This exhibition represents a deliberate play to extend guest funnels, test merchandising and licensing concepts in a non-park environment, and surface talent pipelines by spotlighting behind-the-scenes craftsmanship. Expect measurable benefits for retail strategies: new licensing windows, themed product assortments, experiential pop-ups, and data on consumer engagement that can inform assortment, pricing and omnichannel campaigns. The collaboration between a major studio and a cultural institution signals a replicable model for revenue diversification and brand reach—worth tracking now as a case study in experiential retail and IP monetization.
Scale and scope of the Philadelphia premiere
Comcast NBCUniversal’s Universal Destinations & Experiences and The Franklin Institute will open “Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition” in Philadelphia with a world-premiere run beginning on February 14, 2026; the exhibition occupies 18,000 square feet and is organized into eight themed galleries with 25 interactive experiences and more than 100 original artifacts drawn from Universal properties such as Jurassic World and Universal Monsters [1].
What the numbers mean for retail strategists
An 18,000 ft² exhibition footprint and an eight‑gallery structure make this a museum‑grade IP activation that can host layered merchandising schemes, pop‑up assortments and data‑gathering touchpoints—advantages that retail leaders track when evaluating off‑site brand extensions and test‑and‑learn product windows [1].
Experience design as a retail laboratory
The show’s mix of interactive experiences and original artifacts positions it to surface which characters, story beats and visual assets most engage non‑park audiences—information that can be translated into themed product assortments, limited‑run drops and licensing pilots sold outside park gates, and which therefore acts as a lower‑risk mirror to in‑park retail tests [1].
Operational and talent implications
By foregrounding the craft of theme‑park design—from concept art to ride engineering and show systems—the exhibition also functions as an outward‑facing recruitment tool, showcasing skills and workflows that can attract technical and creative talent to the themed‑entertainment pipeline while highlighting operational best practices that partner organizations can study [1].
The exhibition was developed in collaboration with creative design firm MDSX and lists Comcast NBCUniversal as presenting sponsor and PECO as associate sponsor, signalling a funding and branding model that mixes studio IP, museum curatorial authority and corporate sponsorship to underwrite an extended commercial lifecycle for theme‑park IP [1].
Conversion note and measurement transparency
The press release lists the footprint as 18,000 square feet [1]; using the standard square‑foot to square‑metre conversion factor (a general reference figure) yields an approximate metric footprint of 1,670 m²—calculated as 1672.254 and marked here with a general‑knowledge caveat [GPT][alert! ‘conversion uses the standard sq ft→m² factor from general knowledge rather than a value provided in the cited press release’].
Why this matters now for the industry
For retail and licensing executives, this Philadelphia premiere is an immediate case study in extending guest funnels beyond parks, creating ancillary revenue channels, testing merchandising concepts in a museum environment and leveraging cultural partnerships to broaden brand reach—each of these strategic moves is explicitly represented in the exhibition’s scope and presentation as described by Universal Destinations & Experiences and The Franklin Institute [1].
Bronnen