Half of The Lost Continent area of Islands of Adventure has already been flattened. The Sindbad stunt show theater is gone, along with the Mystic Fountain and more. Demolition has already moved on to the other half now with Poseidon’s trident knocked over and smashed. Universal Orlando says this area is being prepared for a new land in the future, but what will it be and how long will it take?

Let’s check in on work happening around The Lost Continent in today’s news update. See the video version of this story below for additional visuals.

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The Missing Half of The Lost Continent

In the three months since work walls first went up around the area, all of the former theater for The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad has been completely demolished, along with some of the surrounding buildings and structures.

All that remains in this area, on this side of the guest pathway, are the restrooms and connected first aid.

After the Sindbad theater was carefully leveled, the arch that separated it from the rest of the land followed suit.

The All Hallow’s Eve retail space was demolished next.

And finally, just days after closing, the Desert Kebab House quick service location was also demolished.

Thanks to aerial photography by Bioreconstruct we can see that all that remains visible in the area where the Sindbad theater once stood are some deep foundations in the center of the plot.

These deep foundations were for a pool, where for the finale of the show a stunt performer would be lit on fire and perform a high fall into the water.

Now, that pit is filled with mud and debris from a months-long deconstruction of the stage.

Another element that was completely removed from this area was the Mystic Fountain.

Fans have been hopeful that the beloved interactive fountain could find a second life, and be transplanted elsewhere on property.

While the fountain itself was, for the most part, demolished, it’s interesting to note that a key element was preserved before it was pulverized.

The face of The Mystic Fountain was carefully removed prior to its demolition.

We can see the preserved face of the fountain lying on the ground here, before the fountain was ultimately destroyed.

In what may be a case of the Ship of Theseus, perhaps this face could be transplanted onto a new fountain somewhere else? Could we see a new one built in Port of Entry at this park, or perhaps added to Celestial Park in Epic Universe?

Or, is it more likely that the face was retained for posterity, and could someday in the future be seen as part of a museum exhibit like the original Lil’ Boo, which can currently be found on display at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

The final element that was removed from this side of The Lost Continent was a tower at the back corner closest to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade. It was themed to match the visual theming style of the Hogsmeade train station, as it was visible from that side of the park.

The base of the former tower is still in place, with steps still here leading to its foundation.

Demolishing the Front Half

With major demolition complete on the top half of The Lost Continent, work is making its way to the front portions.

The first thing to be removed here was the tall trident statue in front of Poseidon’s Fury.

As if it had been cut down like a tree by a lumberjack, the entire arm and trident can be seen here, smashed into thousands of pieces.

The steel armature could be spotted exposed, exploded out from inside the structure, seemingly upon impact.

In the couple weeks that have passed since this moment, it appears that most of the trident’s shattered remains have been cleaned up.

Some of the base and the framing is still visible, as well as a single tip leftover from the trident’s top.

A digger is shown here devouring the last pieces of rock from the immediate area.

Other statue elements in the courtyard still remain, like the feet closer to the building, and the head closer to the pathway. Select sections of concrete have been removed in certain locations though. Poseidon’s Fury itself remains intact.

All of the trees along the left side of the Poseidon courtyard area have been removed, but trees blocking the area as seen from Seuss Landing have remained.

It took several weeks for crews to remove all wiring and pipes from the Sindbad theater before it could be demolished, most notably the gas lines used for pyro effects. Perhaps crews are awaiting the same for this structure now before it can be demolished?

It is not known if the entire Poseidon’s Fury building will be flattened the way that Sindbad’s theater was. Permits indicate that the structure will at very least be partially demolished, if not completely.

The same type of safety fencing that was erected around the theater has also been installed around Poseidon ahead of work.

Mythos and the Rest of The Lost Continent

Across from Poseidon’s Fury, the Mythos restaurant has officially been announced to remain open to guests throughout the remainder of 2026. It will close permanently in 2027.

It is possible that all of the structures on the same side of the guest pathway as Mythos may be able to remain open as well.

This includes things like the snack stand, Fire Eater’s Grill, and a small retail location currently offering How to Train Your Dragon merchandise.

The meet and greets that were happening in front of a backstage access gate have ended for The Lost Continent.

The characters that could be seen here have found a new home near the entrance to DreamWorks Land, next door at Universal Studios Florida.

The backstage access road itself was mentioned in the land’s initial demolition permit, so we are unsure if it will be remaining, or re-routed in some way.

With Sindbad’s theater removed already, it’s possible we could see prep work on its replacement begin before Mythos is even closed next year.

New Land Rumors & Timing

The leading rumor for what will replace The Lost Continent continues to be Pokémon.

Earlier rumors for The Legend of Zelda taking over the area have faded after talk of it possibly going to Epic Universe instead took over. However, even those rumors have died down now that we know Potter and Dark Universe will be getting new rides first, thanks to official permit information.

As to when we may see the new land open, whether Pokémon or something else, we still have quite a bit of demolition to complete. The open air Sindbad theater will be the easiest of the land’s main three structures to remove after all.

Expiration dates for the current demolition permits fired with the City of Orlando range from October of this year to February of 2027.

It’s likely that demolition on the attractions will be completed by the end of this year, with demo work for Mythos to begin very early next year.

One thing we know for sure now, is that permits have finally confirmed this to be known as Project 555.

So far, all permits for this project have been related to the demolition and land clearing. None of them seem to be for the new land that will eventually take over the area, yet.

If they wanted to, they could start developing the replacement very soon, after all, they’ve demolished nearly half of The Lost Continent in just a matter of weeks, and carted it all off like it was nothing.

Jurassic Park River Adventure

Also happening in Islands of Adventure, the Jurassic Park River Adventure has been closed since January for a large refurbishment, and isn’t set to reopen until November 20th of this year.

Universal Orlando hasn’t revealed any details for the attraction’s closure, only saying it is “closed for planned maintenance,” although this is a much longer closure than its usual winter refurb.

It’s not expected that the ride will be converted to Jurassic World like the one in Hollywood. Instead, the leading theory has it being refreshed with major updates to the ride system and improved dinosaur animatronics.

The latest aerial views show how the first scene is remaining intact, with an updated ultrasaur animatronic, and is not being converted to the screen-based mosasaur scene from Hollywood.

Nearby, somewhat further down the river, which is currently drained in this part the ride, the baby stegosaurus has been receiving work as well.

Work is happening on exterior walls near here, as well as pumps for the ride itself.

The majority of the ride’s boats can be found staged in a lot located across the street from Epic Universe. This is also where track for the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is being stored before being installed at Universal Studios Florida.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift

This week the tallest point for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift was topped off.

The remaining two pieces of twisted track for the top of the 170-foot tall vertical spike for this drifting roller coaster was ceremoniously installed on the morning of Wednesday, July 1st.

Flags were added temporarily as part of the topping off ceremony, including one with the 25 years of Fast & Furious logo.

Replacing the former Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is set to open in 2027 at Universal Studios Florida.

Crews have been working fast to install track, not only along this CityWalk facing side, but now in the central areas of the ride as well.

The work walls for the ride have been updated with new posters showing all four of the cars that will act as the coaster cars for the attraction.

They are the same as the cars for the first iteration of the ride, opening soon at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The Hollywood version has seen Team Member previews this week.

Universal Studios Hollywood Team Member Preview are on the fast and furious Hollywood drift coaster. Saying the ride is Fast and Buttery Smooth#universalstudioshollywood #unistudios #universalstudios #fastandfurious #rollercoaster pic.twitter.com/8f1tFEQgrm

— Hector Magallanes (@TheVillainOn) July 1, 2026

We now have confirmation that the ride will have on board audio, but not music. Instead the cars have realistic car engine sounds. They accurately match the real life cars that they are modeled after, so each car will have its own sound effects.

That’s all for now, but be sure to follow along with Park Stop as we follow these stories and more. See the video version of this story for additional visuals. Big thanks to Bioreconstruct for the amazing aerial and on-the-ground views. You can follow him on social media and YouTube for more theme park photography.

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Subscribe to the RSS feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Official Art: Universal Destinations & Experiences | Aerial & Ground Photos: Bioreconstruct | Graphics: Alicia Stella | Permits: City of Orlando | Other Images as Captioned

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