Universal Studios Hollywood Launches “Mega Movie Summer” with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and a 34-Foot Trojan Horse

Universal City, California — Theme parks in the dead of summer are a brutal test of human endurance. It is a battlefield of melting asphalt, endless queues, and $8 bottles of water.

But if you’re willing to brave the infamous Southern California heat, Universal Studios Hollywood is throwing a massive, unyielding wall of intellectual property at your face to make you forget about your aching feet.

Starting Saturday, June 13, and running daily through Sunday, August 9, 2026, the park is resurrecting its Mega Movie Summer campaign.

To sweeten the bitter pill of ticket prices, they are running a Buy a Day, Get a 2nd Day Free promotion online. You have until December 16, 2026, to use that second day, which honestly makes the whole ordeal significantly more digestible.

The undisputed heavy-hitter of this year’s lineup is Christopher Nolan’s upcoming mythic action epic, The Odyssey, which hits theaters on July 17.

Because this is a Nolan film, everything has to be scaled to an almost absurd degree. Universal is bringing one of the actual, screen-used wooden ships from the movie straight to the world-famous Studio Tour.

While you ride the tram, behind-the-scenes filmmaker interviews will play on the overhead monitors.

And if you wander over to CityWalk starting in July, you’ll run directly into a jaw-dropping, 34-foot-tall Trojan Horse parked right in front of the AMC Cinema.

It’s big, it’s dramatic, and it’s a brilliant way to market a film that is bound to be three hours of intense, IMAX-shot cinematic history.

Meanwhile, the Fast & Furious franchise is hitting its 25th anniversary. While the park is frantically finishing up its highly anticipated “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift” roller coaster (slated to open later this summer), they are keeping the hype train moving at Universal Plaza.

You can check out a collection of actual, rubber-burning picture cars from the movies, watch a hip-hop performance by the “Street Racers” dance crew, or eat your feelings at Hollywood & Dine, which has been temporarily renamed “Drift & Dine.“

To give you an idea of the culinary madness Executive Chef Julia Thrash has cooked up for this event, the food options are wildly thematic. Some of these combinations sound like they were generated by a chaotic food AI, but they are very real:

If you have kids, you probably won’t be able to escape the pull of Illumination’s Minions & Monsters (launching in theaters July 1).

Universal is introducing two new Minion characters, Henry and James, to Super Silly Fun Land for an energetic, high-volume Minion Dance Party.

And yes, there is plenty of plastic merchandise to drain your bank account, including a “Goomi” monster shoulder pal, blind box figures, and custom apparel.

But the absolute, undisputed champion of bizarre branding this summer has to be the crossover at Studio Scoops on the lower lot.

For reasons that defy logical explanation but are incredibly cute, they have combined Sanrio with classic cinematic horror to create the Hello Kitty Jaws Blueberry Cheesecake Sundae. I

t is exactly what it sounds like—a sweet, blue-tinted dessert honoring a killer shark and a cartoon cat. You can even buy a matching Jaws-themed Loungefly crossbody bag to complete the look.

If you prefer magic to sharks and muscle cars, Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked and Wicked: For Good are also returning for meet-and-greets near the DreamWorks Theatre, complete with some exclusive Spirit Jerseys.

It’s a massive, colorful, slightly overwhelming checklist of pop culture. Whether you are there to stare at a giant wooden horse, eat an elote corn dog, or take a selfie with a green witch, Universal has made sure that there is literally no corner of the park left untouched by the blockbuster machine.