Get Your Spidey Senses Tingling at Islands of Adventure

Spider-Man came to the rescue again--of the nascent summer movie season. The third installment of the hugely popular comic superhero franchise set a new box office record by bringing in $148 million worth of ticket sales in its first three days. Never underestimate the lure of a man in red and blue tights, I guess. If you really want to get your Spidey sense tingling, however, head to Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is the marquee ride at the theme park, and it is still the most amazing theme park attraction in the world, even though it debuted in 1999. Melding 4-D, roving motion-base simulation, and dark ride technology, the multi-sensory Spider-Man blurs the line between virtual and reality so well that riders emerge slack-jawed and awe-struck. The Universal folks have virtually ignored Islands of Adventure since its auspicious debut, but something big is finally brewing at the Florida park. As I reported back in January (before the rumor mill really began cranking), expect an announcement soon about a major makeover of one of the islands. The din from the chatter that Harry Potter will be the theme for IOA's reconstituted island is getting pretty hard to ignore. Turning back to the multiplexes for a moment, Spider-Man 3 took the 3-day box office crown from another park-related movie: last summer's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

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