Toluca Lake could hear the riders. Universal added two sound barriers, a city councilman got involved, and Hollywood Drift finally opened this week.
Universal Studios Hollywood opened its Fast & Furious coaster on Wednesday, several months later than planned, after a problem with people screaming.
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift began public operation Sept. 16. It runs 4,100 feet of track at up to 72 mph with vehicles that spin as they go, built by Intamin.
Why did neighbors complain about the new Universal coaster?
Because a roller coaster is quiet until you put people on it.
The ride went into technical rehearsals and soft opening on July 27, and that is when residents of Toluca Lake started noticing. Structure and trains had been there for a while. The screaming was new.
Universal had tested the ride plenty. What it had not tested at full volume was a train packed with guests reacting to a 72 mph launch, which turns out to carry a good distance across a neighborhood.
The opening was pushed back while Universal dealt with it.
What did Universal do about the noise?
Built two more sound barriers.
The company put out a short statement during the process. “We appreciate the community’s input and will continue to engage with our neighbors as the coaster remains in technical rehearsals ahead of its opening,” it said.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who pushed on behalf of residents, said in August that “recent sound testing has met the park’s requirements” and that the barrier construction was “expected to be completed by early next month.”
It was, and the ride opened about two weeks after that.
Can Los Angeles actually do anything about theme park noise?
Universal Studios sits outside Los Angeles city limits. The City Council has no direct authority over the park.
So everything Universal did about the screaming, it did so voluntarily.
That is a useful thing to understand about how the park operates. When neighbors have a problem with Universal, the fix depends on Universal deciding to fix it.
What did Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift replace?
Animal Actors on Location, the long-running show at the Special Effects Stage.
Animal Actors was one of the last holdovers from an earlier era of Universal Hollywood, back when the upper lot leaned on live shows and demonstrations rather than screen-based thrill attractions.
Hollywood Drift is the opposite of that. It is a spinning launch coaster with vehicles that rotate independently, the sort of ride that exists to be posted rather than watched.
Universal is putting Fast & Furious everywhere
Three Fast & Furious attractions have been announced across Universal’s parks in 2026 alone.
Hollywood has this one. Orlando has its own version in the works. And Universal Beijing Resort announced this week that its expansion will include a Fast & Furious dark ride, an indoor attraction rather than an outdoor coaster, plus a nighttime lagoon show. Beijing has not given an opening date or an investment figure.
Universal also still runs Fast & Furious: Supercharged as part of the Studio Tour in Hollywood, which is a different thing entirely and much less exciting.
The franchise has been good to the company. The films have pulled in billions worldwide, and the property gives Universal something Disney does not have much of, which is a car-based action brand that works for teenagers and adults without needing a princess or a superhero attached.
What else is new at Universal right now
Plenty, and most of it is on the other coast.
Halloween Horror Nights 35 is running at both Orlando and Hollywood. Epic Universe, Universal’s newest Orlando park, is open and drawing its own crowds. Over in Florida, Skull Island: Reign of Kong is closed indefinitely after Universal confirmed the King Kong animatronic was damaged during routine maintenance.
And in the United Kingdom, Universal named its first seven main contractors for the £5 billion Bedford park, a 476-acre project targeting a 2031 opening.
Hollywood Drift is open daily now, included with park admission.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
ABC7 Los Angeles, the Toluca Lake complaints, the two additional sound barriers, the Universal statement and the Nazarian quotes, and the detail that the park sits outside city limits
Wikipedia and MiceChat, the Sept. 16 opening date, Intamin as manufacturer, the 72 mph and 4,100-foot figures, the July 27 soft opening, and Animal Actors on Location as what it replaced
WDW News Today and Laughing Place, the Universal Beijing Fast & Furious dark ride announcement
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.