The fire that destroyed sets and film and music archives on the back lot
of Universal Studios could inflict tens of millions of dollars in short-term
damage on corporate parent General Electric Co.
The biggest casualty was the New York streetscape set, a favorite among
filmmakers who pay tens of thousands of dollars a day to cast it in blockbusters
such as "Spider-Man 2" and "Transformers" along with popular TV shows.
The studio also lost its popular King Kong attraction; an undetermined number
of film and music recordings; and a full day of revenue when it didn't open for
visitors on Sunday.
The damage has not yet been tallied but will likely exceed the estimated
US$25 million caused by a fire in 1990 that also destroyed the streetscape and
caused minor water damage to the King Kong attraction.
Authorities initially put the size of Sunday's fire at 3.5 acres. NBC
Universal spokeswoman Cindy Gardner said Tuesday the blaze approached five
acres. The 1990 fire charred about three acres.
Universal has said the studio and theme park were already back to business as
usual.
"We're very grateful there was no loss of life, and no serious injury,"
Gardner said. "It was tragic and iconic, but it can be replaced and it can be
rebuilt."
None of the studio's 30 sound stages was damaged, and all 10 film and TV
productions scheduled for the lot proceeded as planned, he said.
