Officially opening on June 7, 1990, Universal Studios Florida became the third major theme park chain (after Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando) to make its presence in Orlando, Florida.

Like its main rival, Disney's Hollywood Studios, the general public was also very critical when the Universal theme park first opened in 1990. Though the park had a lot of space and "E-ticket" attractions when it first opened, most of the rides were plagued with mechanical issues. It was common for major rides such as "Earthquake: The Big One," "Kongfrontation," and "Jaws" to operate for an hour before being down for a couple hours to re-open again later that day. Most of the main problems were resolved within a few months of the park being open for business, but "Jaws" suffered the fate of having to be completely rebuilt from the ground up by a different company and officially re-opening a few years later.

"Ride the Movies" was the park's slogan for a number of years, and with many rides being based on some of Universal's biggest movies, that was certainly true when the theme park first opened and that theme continues today.