Kurzweil Battles Competition to Boost Universal Crowds.

As new president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios Hollywood, Larry Kurzweil faces the formidable task of competing for customers in a region glutted with theme parks.

Responsible for running Universal's park, as well as CityWalk, the adjacent retail area, Kurzweil plans to employ everything from joint ventures to the fascination with Hollywood to increase business at a time when amusement park attendance is in decline nationally.

"We want to leverage the more magical aspect of the park, which is that we are also the largest working movie studio," he said, noting that marketing ventures are planned with chains like Burger King.

Kurzweil declined to release attendance figures, but said they have increased since the opening of T2:3D, the attraction based on the "Terminator 2" film. The park also is doing a major relaunch of its back-lot tram ride, which takes guests past renowned movie locations like Bates Motel from "Psycho."

Upcoming seasonal attractions include a Rugrats-themed "Snow-Zone," which will require the making of 40 tons of artificial snow a day, and a millennium dance party.

Meanwhile, construction continues on the second phase of an expansion of CityWalk. But a controversial change in Universal's master plan that would allow additional expansion is now on hold after company officials sought a delay of its consideration by county officials. Local residents have criticized the master plan, saying that growth will bring increased traffic and noise.

"We're focused on taking existing property and using it as best we can," said Kurzweil, citing the recent closure of the Marvel Mania restaurant to make room for new attractions.

Kurzweil was senior vice president and general manager of Universal City Walk since 1997, overseeing build-out efforts.