Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen — Former Show · History & Timeline

Former Show · the memorial record

⚰ Permanently closed · Sep 2, 1999operated 2 years · 1997–1999

↩ On the former site of Murder, She Wrote Mystery TheatreReplaced by Transformers: The Ride-3D →

This show is gone, but its history stays documented — the full lifetime log is below.

Show history

the lifetime record

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2013

◆ Latest milestone

ChangedJun 20, 2013#

Transformers: The Ride - 3D opened to the general public in Production Central on the former Soundstage 44 site on June 20, 2013.

site reused: Hercules and Xena→Transformers: The Ride - 3D

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
2012

Area UpdateJun 2012#

Soundstage 44, the building that had housed the show, was demolished in June 2012 to clear the site for a new attraction.

The Transformers article says "The soundstage was demolished in June 2012"; the Universal Studios Florida article gives the day as June 24, 2012. Filed at the month both sources agree on rather than asserting the uncorroborated day. Construction of the replacement building began in July 2012.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1999

RefurbishmentSep 2, 1999#

Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen closed permanently, with its final performance recorded as February 20, 2000.

The closure in 2000 is solid and the show never returned. The exact day rests on one chain: Wikipedia states February 20, 2000 citing the Orlando Sentinel article of August 12, 1999, which - published months earlier - can only have reported a planned final date, and that article could not be opened for confirmation. The Hercules: The Legendary Journeys article corroborates only the year, giving the run as 1997 to 2000.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
UpdateAug 12, 1999#

The Orlando Sentinel reported on August 12, 1999 that the show would be ending its run at Universal Studios Florida.

Headline ("Hercules, Xena Bite Dust At Universal"), byline (Tim Barker) and the August 12, 1999 date are confirmed from the citation metadata in the Wikipedia article's source text, but the Sentinel page itself could not be opened (paywalled, archive mirrors unreachable), so the article's wording is reported at second hand.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1997

New1997#

Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen opened in the summer of 1997 in the Soundstage 44 building, replacing Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre with a live show that demonstrated how the two television series were produced and put audience volunteers on stage to fight stunt performers.

Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre→Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen

The Orlando Sentinel reported the swap on March 6, 1997 ("Universal Replaces 'Murder'"); Lakeland Ledger attraction listings of May 30 and July 5, 1997 already carry the new show, and the linked Google News Archive page resolves to the Lakeland Ledger issue of May 30, 1997. The Transformers article identifies the building as Soundstage 44, which had housed both shows. No source records an exact opening day, so this is filed year-only.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes

Questions & answers

When did Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen open?

Per the documented record, Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen at Universal Studios opened in 1997.

When did Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen last close for refurbishment?

The most recent closure/refurbishment documented for Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen is dated Sep 2, 1999: Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen closed permanently, with its final performance recorded as February 20, 2000.

What changed recently on Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen?

The latest documented change (documented Jun 20, 2013): Transformers: The Ride - 3D opened to the general public in Production Central on the former Soundstage 44 site on June 20, 2013.

How many changes are on record for Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen?

5 documented changes, dating back to 1997 — the fan-kept show changelog nobody else keeps.

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