Film Studio Lionsgate is planning to gain a stronger footing in the theme park market by licensing its
Hunger Games and other film franchises to under-development theme parks in Macau, Atlanta and Dubai.
Lionsgate has already confirmed that
Hunger Games will play a part in Dubai Parks and Resorts’ Motiongate theme park, and now additionally, the company is backing Chinese developer Lia Fung for the construction of a 22,000sq m (236,800sq ft) entertainment centre in Macau, China and a theme park development in the US.
Motiongate Dubai and Lionsgate revealed more details about the upcoming attraction at the World Travel Market in London this week, saying that the park – which is scheduled to open this year and will include areas dedicated to movies from Lionsgate, DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures – will be heavily influenced by
Hunger Games in the Lionsgate zone.
According to the team behind the development, visitors will be placed in a recreation of District 12, where costumed characters will welcome them and they can explore real-life versions of Peeta Mellark’s bakery and the Hob black market. In addition, a rollercoaster will be designed to resemble the movies’ high-speed Capitol trains, while a simulator ride will take people on a hovercraft tour of Panem.
The Lai Sun theme park, slated to open in 2018, will include six additional Lionsgate IPs, according to
The Hollywood Reporter and will operate as an entertainment centre rather than a traditional theme park.
The Atlanta attraction in Georgia – the location where the
Hunger Games franchise was filmed – has a set opening date of 2019. The attraction will include rollercoasters and other rides based on the brand to anchor the development, while all three deals also feature attractions based on the
Step Up,
Divergent,
Now You See Me and
Twilight franchises.
