The flying theater is still a fairly new attraction concept compared to most others. We can trace it back to Disney’s Soarin’, an opening-day attraction at Disney’s California Adventure in 2001.
It served as a sort of merger of a theme park motion simulator attraction (first really popularized by Disney’s Star Tours back in 1987) with an OMNIMAX projection screen system.
While many have heard of IMAX, the OMNIMAX concept is a bit rarer, projecting the large-format IMAX film images onto a large-scale domed screen, with the first said to be the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego back in 1973.
Technically, while Disney is typically credited as creating the first flying theater with Soarin’, if you really break it down, you could almost say that Universal’s insanely popular Back To The Future - The Ride attraction that opened in 1991 might have qualified as being the first.
Disney’s US parks are celebrating America’s 250th birthday with the new Soarin' Across America attraction
That's because it also used the same IMAX-style projection and screen system to create a flying experience for guests seated inside one of the film’s Flying DeLorean Time Machine vehicles.
The main differences between the two attractions are the kind of experience they deliver.
While the experience of Soarin’ is more of a gentle, relaxing flight over various landscapes, Back To The Future was a wild twist, turn, and bump-into-everything-along-the-way style experience, more typical of the cabin-based motion simulator rides of the era, which matched the style of motion base it used.
The funny thing is that as the flying theater genre continues to expand over the years since the creation of Disney’s Soarin’, we are starting to see more “action” themed adventure experiences developed and marketed as flying theaters.
The size of the theaters and style of projection system used is no longer exclusive to the size and scale of the original IMAX/OMNIMAX sized projection systems.
As ever, technology is always marching forward with new ideas and ways to do things… though I would love to see someone showcase the original Back To The Future - The Ride film on a Disney-style ‘Soarin’ ride system, just to see how it would look by today’s standards.
Back in 2020, I set out to create a list of all the different flying theaters experiences that had opened around the world, and I was impressed at just how many had been built.
Not just seen as a theme park experience, there were a number of stand-alone attractions created at various important tourist locations, as well as the adoption of a few into museums.
Today was a good time to look at all the new ones that have been added since then to create a new list showcasing the best flying theater attractions, both traditional and a couple of offshoots of the technology that show off how the concept has begun to evolve into new forms and shapes.
24.Flying Over Saudi - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2025
Flying Over Saudi debuted in Riyadh in 2025 featuring ride tech from Brogent
Image courtesy of Brogent
This is one of the newest flying theaters in the world, having opened in Riyadh on December 24, 2025.
The attraction was created using Brogent’s i-Ride flying theater system in combination with the first 8K projection system to be designed specifically for a flying theater attraction, shown on a 26-meter domed screen.
Up to 90 riders at a time are taken for a 7-minute flight over the kingdom’s major iconic sites and landmarks, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra.
23.Niagara Takes Flight - Niagara Parks, Canada, 2025
Niagara Takes Flight is one of the newest flying theatres on this list of the world's bestImage credit Niagara Takes FlightThis new flying theater design is Brogent’s debut of a new o-Ride X Flying Theater system, described as a merger of a traditional flying theater-style seating experience, but mounted to a more robust motion simulator platform in order to offer a more high-action motion profile.
The new attraction is also noteworthy as it marks the first time a flying theater attraction has been installed within a world-renowned natural park setting like Niagara, taking guests on a tour of the real natural beauty and sites around the Niagara area.
See also: How Niagara Takes Flight takes a fresh look at a natural wonder
22.Air Cruise the Ride - Huis Ten Bosch, Japan, 2025
Air Cruise the Ride is a flying theatre experience at the Dutch-themed Huis Ten Bosch park in Japan
Image courtesy of Brogent
The opening of this Brogent flying theater attraction in Japan’s Huis Ten Bosch theme park set out to deliver not only a new attraction to the Japanese market, but also one with a new visual experience, as it features a stunning 8K LED dome screen.
Africa is the focus of the ride-film here, taking guests on a colorful tour across 17 different African nations, featuring a variety of landscapes and environments, from deserts to waterfalls, along with an assortment of 4D effects enhancements.
21.Green Lantern: Galactic Odyssey - Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2018
Green Lantern Galactic Odyssey at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi brings the world of the super hero to life
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi
A unique flying theater concept was created for the Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi theme park in order to bring the animated super-hero world of the Green Latern Corp. to life.
The attraction features Brogent’s i-Ride flying theater hardware and places riders in front of a massive 124-foot-diameter half-dome screen.
The animated footage is projected at 60 frames per second by Christie 4K projectors and enhanced by special lighting and audio effects, wind, and scents to bring the action of soaring to different worlds with the Green Lantern to life.
20.SkyFly: Soar America - The Island in Pigeon Forge, USA, 2021
Built in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, not far from the world-famous Dollywood theme park, this new flying theater attraction was designed, built and owned by Dynamic Attractions.
This is a stand-alone attraction built within the heart of a popular dining and retail center within the heart of the local tourist district.
Riders are taken on a flight path that travels over nearly two dozen iconic locations from across America, including New York City, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls… and, of course, the Tennessee Smoky Mountains.
19.Independence Day: Defiance - Genting SkyWorlds, Malaysia, 2022
This is one of the more action-oriented flying theater attractions, which goes along with the expectations of any attraction themed to the Independence Day film IP.
It served as one of the opening-day attractions for the much-delayed Genting SkyWorlds theme park, with the rights to use the film’s IP going back to the park’s original intent to open as 20th Century Fox World back before Disney purchased the rival studio.
The ride film follows in the footsteps of the original film’s sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence.
The action is set several decades after the events of the first film, with the riders sent out to take a test flight on a new human-alien technology spacecraft when those pesky aliens show up once again to launch a new attack on Earth.
18.Panem Aerial Tour - Motiongate Dubai, UAE, 2016
Preshow experience for Panem Aerial Tour at Motiongate Dubai, set within the world of the Hunger Games franchise
Image courtesy of Holovis
While most of the original flying theater attractions were based on the concept of peaceful flight over amazing landscapes, this one follows the more recent trend of the past decade of bringing feature film IPs to life as attractions.
The Motiongate Dubai theme park created an entire themed area set within the world of The Hunger Games film series.
The ride, developed by Holovis, is supposed to be a nice, peaceful tour of the capital of Panem… until things go wrong and the aerial tour is contacted by the rebel forces of District 13, putting you right into the middle of a fight for control of Panem.
17.Vuela México Por El Mundo - Aztlán Parque Urbano, Mexico, 2025
Vuela México Por El Mundo is another flying theater using a Brogent system on our list of the world's best
Image courtesy of Brogent
This new Brogent creation, which also serves as the first flying theater in Mexico, is located in Mexico City on the site of the former Chapultepec Park.
The attraction's name roughly translates to “Fly Mexico Around the World,” and, like many other flying theaters, the concept is to showcase many of the world’s greatest locations and iconic sights, all packed into one world-tour adventure film.
16.Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice - SeaWorld Orlando, USA, 2026
Strangely enough, the first version of Expedition Odyssey opened at SeaWorld Orlando in 2025, but the premier version of the attraction was short-lived and replaced by an all-new ride film one year later that features more dramatic footage of both volcanic and harsh winter landscapes.
Expedition Odyssey is also said to be the first installation in the Western world of the Mack Rides Airific flying theater ride system.
This uses a rotating system that allows riders to load onto one set of seats while the other side rotates into the projection dome and experiences the ride, allowing for more efficient use of space and increased capacity.
15.Flying over Jiangsu - Wuxi Sunac Land, China, 2019
While this amazing-looking new flying theater attraction opened in 2019, it did so with the use of an amazing new 8K LED screen system that offers very bright, clear and vibrant footage.
The attraction itself takes riders on a flight over the colorful Chinese landscape and through areas that both look real and include some fantasy-looking animated sequences.
14.HyperSphere 360º - SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2023
This amazing new concept at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is a bit of a departure from anything we’ve ever seen before in terms of attraction hardware.
Instead of dangling riders suspended over a dome-like screen, this attraction is the first Dome Ride Theater from Intamin, which seats riders in a large ring of seats set within the center of a huge sphere-shaped 6K LED video screen.
The ring can rotate as well as tilt while suspending riders in the middle of the action all around them, as well as above and below them.
To my knowledge, HyperSphere 360º is currently the only ride of its kind at the moment; I think we’re going to see more of these roll out in the future as a possible new branch of flying theater design.
13.FlyOver America - Mall of America, USA, 2017
FlyOver America is a stand-alone flying theatre attraction in Minnesota's Mall of America
A stand-alone attraction built inside the massive Mall of America in Minnesota, this is one of the older FlyOver attraction theaters from Pursuit, which made headlines as the entire line of Flyover Attractions was purchased by Brogent Technologies in 2026.
While different ride-films are now being rotated through the space, this location was known for showing the FlyOver America ride film that sought to take riders on a coast-to-coast tour of America.
The offerings at this location are typically expanded with one of many different secondary film offerings such as Fly Hawaii or Fly Norway that rotate on a regular basis.
12.Wonders of the American West - FlyOver Las Vegas, USA, 2021
One of the newer stand-alone FlyOver attractions can be found in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.
FlyOver delivers a very high-tech flying theater experience featuring some of the best 8K visuals projected onto a 52.5-foot spherical screen, while seated in multi-degree motion seats, with the experience enhanced by an assortment of 4D-style environmental effects, such as scents, wind and mist sprays.
As one of the largest installations from the FlyOver brand, this theater regularly offers up to 4 different ride-film experiences from the company’s catalog that you can try.
This includes the premier experience Wonders of the American West, which has breathtaking footage you won't want to miss.
I’d also recommend a viewing of the Iceland experience if they are offering it, as the quality is stunning, and it makes for a fun combo experience to go from the dry American West to the intimidating landscape of Iceland.
Another unique feature of the Las Vegas location is the inclusion of a bar where you can sit and relax while waiting for your ride experience, and they often pair beverages with discounted ticket specials.
Partners for this project included Brogent, Kraftwerk Living Technologies, Christie, Moment Factory, and Sound Sculpture Inc.
11.Sky Voyager - Dreamworld, Australia, 2019
This is yet another brilliant installation from the team at Brogent, paired with a beautiful ride film that showcases the variety of landscapes native to Australia.
From the incredible beaches to the dry desert inner landscape of the continent, you’ll get to see it all during your 5.5-minute journey within what is said to be the first flying theater in the entire Southern Hemisphere.
10.Godzilla the Ride - Great Clash - Seibuen Amusement Park, Japan, 2025
Godzilla the Ride: Great Clash is a new flying theatre attraction that brings the iconic IP to lifeImage courtesy of Brogent
Get ready for something really different here, as the Japanese Seibuen amusement park set out to replace the park’s former Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle attraction with an all-new and modern version of Godzilla.
This time, the action-adventure is told through the use of a Brogent i-Ride flying theater attraction system, and while working with Toho Co, Ltd (owner of the Godzilla IP), they were also able to acquire the help of Takashi Yamazaki, who won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on Godzilla Minus One.
Yamazaki was asked to write, direct and produce this all-new Godzilla: The Ride that puts the guests right into the middle of an epic battle between the legendary king of the Kaiju and a sleek new Mechagodzilla (G-Breaker) while riding on a drone ship.
9.Flying Dreams - Ferrari Land, Spain, 2017
Flying Dreams at Ferrari Land, where visitors fly along behind classic Ferrari models
This is another flying theater with the hardware provided by Brogent, built for the Ferrari Land second gate mini park next to the PortAventura theme park in Spain.
The riders find themselves flying along behind several different Ferrari cars built over the decades as they maneuver through a variety of different landscapes from around the world.
Think of this as another of the global Soarin’-style flying theater clones, but with the added flair and stylings of having a Ferrari along with you every step of the way.
8.L'Extraordinaire Voyage - Futuroscope, France, 2016
This is a fun flying theater that starts off by breaking out of the building it is contained in within Futuroscope and then takes riders on a wild ride around the world.
Guests travel through desert landscapes, fly between skyscrapers so massive that tops are hidden above the clouds, past animals, colorful balloons, kites and much more.
If there is a weakness to this one at all, it is that the footage is entirely animated… but it looks so good you probably won't care.
7.Flying Over America - Window of the World, China, 2010
With an amazing ride film created by Super 78, this is one of the oldest flying theaters on this list, but the footage itself is so well crafted that the attraction really holds its own against the newer kids on the block.
Riders are taken on a grand tour of the major icons of the American landscape, but as a fun little side note, you will often find yourself flying along with a CGI-animated wingman in view, flying a vintage aircraft.
6.Flight of the Dragon - Happy Valley, China, 2010
While the previous entry on the list took Chinese riders on a tour of the American landscape, Flight of the Dragon takes them on a just as grand tour of the wonders of China.
Flight of the Dragon is just as old as Flying Over America, and your flight is also joined by another CGI companion… this time a highly detailed Chinese dragon. By no coincidence, this attraction was also put together by Super 78.
5.FlyOver Iceland - Reykjavik, Iceland, 2019
The FlyOver Iceland flying theatre experience also includes an immersive preshow
Image courtesy of Moment Factory
Perhaps the most stunning ride film of all the Pursuit/FlyOver locations, this was the original creation for the FlyOver Iceland attraction itself, which was designed to lure in and entertain tourists visiting Reykjavik, either by air or by cruise ship.
The attraction serves the purpose well, as cruise ship visitors don’t have time to really go deep into their explorations of Iceland’s wonders, so being able to take a virtual flight over the landscape is a fantastic alternative option.
As I mentioned before, many of the FlyOver locations elsewhere in the world occasionally show other films, and if you come across this one play, as I did when visiting the Las Vegas location, it is definitely worth your time.
See also: A new way to experience Iceland with Volcano Express
4.Soarin’ Around the World - Shanghai Disneyland, China, 2016/Soaring: Fantastic Flight - Tokyo DisneySea, Japan, 2019
Soarin’ Around the World was created for Shanghai Disneyland, and sparked several other localised versions
Image courtesy of Disney
When Disney opened Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, it built a new version of Soarin’ that would open with the park, making it the first (and only) Soarin’ attraction constructed inside one of the Magic Kingdom-themed parks.
However, at the time, the only version of Soarin’ that existed in California and Florida was the original ride-film, Soarin’ Over California, which was a little too focused a concept for the new Chinese theme park.
So there was a need to create an all-new ride-film for the new park, one that had more of a global focus, which opened as “Soaring over the Horizon” in China.
Within the same week, a slightly altered version of the new ride-film would also open at the California and Florida parks as Soarin’ Around the World.
The main difference was that the finale scene of each film was altered to feature a park-specific ending for each location, so the California version would end by flying over Disneyland and the Florida version would end by flying over Epcot.
A few years later, a fourth version of the attraction would open in Tokyo DisneySea, which became known as Soaring: Fantastic Flight.
As with the original California version of the attraction, the segments featuring iconic landscapes and modern wonders of the modern world are fantastic to see on the large format screen, with the exception of the flyby of the Eiffel Tower, which ends up looking a bit curved due to a combination of the domed screen and the camera lens used to film it at the time.
While the two US versions of Soarin’ have been updated in 2026 to a brand new experience, the versions in China and Japan have kept this version in place.
3.Avatar Flight of Passage - Disney’s Animal Kingdom, USA, 2017
Avatar Flight of Passage invites guests to ride their own Banshee over the world of Pandora
Image courtesy of Disney
This is a unique attraction created by Walt Disney Imagineering that exists only at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World, within the Pandora - The World of Avatar land, which is themed to James Cameron’s Avatar film series.
At the time it was first announced, Disney had not yet bought the 20th Century Fox studio, and only the original film had come out in 2009.
Unlike your typical flying theater, Flight of Passage was designed so guests could feel like they had climbed onto the back of one of the flying Banshee creatures from the film.
They set off on a flight across the various landscapes of the world of Pandora, including a look at the ocean setting that was to be a primary setting used in the second film that was in the works.
While capable of some gentle flight manuvers, Flight of Passage was also engineered to deliver some more high-action-style dynamic movements to convey the wilder action, turns and aerial dives performed by the Banshees.
The final result is both thrilling and breathtaking to behold, and I really can’t believe that after 9 years, Disney still hasn't replicated this attraction at any other park in the world. Let’s hope that changes sooner rather than later.
2.Voletarium - Europa-Park, Germany, 2017
Europa-Park's answer to the growing flying theatre trend was the Voletarium
Image courtesy of Europa-Park
Over the years, it has been no secret that Germany’s popular Europa-Park has sought to build its own attractions that pay something of a homage to the attractions of the Disney theme parks.
The park’s founder, Franz Mack, was inspired to build the park after a trip to the US and visits to Disney’s theme parks in 1972, which could also serve as a showcase for the Mack Rides products.
As a result, many attractions at Europa-Park built over the years did indeed feel like they were inspired in look, theme or style by more than a few Disney attractions.
So, it wasn’t surprising to see the park open Voletarium in the summer of 2017, clearly inspired by the idea of Disney’s “Soarin’” flying theater attraction concept.
The park worked with Brogent to create its own take on the ride hardware side of things, and tapped the MackMedia division to travel across Europe to film stunning footage at 15 different locations, with cameras mounted to both helicopters and drones.
The final product you see on the ride is one of the finest ride-films I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying, flying across the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Italy, through the Alps and past the Matterhorn and more.
With two separate flying theaters built into the structure, the result was the creation of the largest flying theater attraction in all of Europe.
See also: The team behind the magic of Europa-Park
1.Soarin’ Across America - Epcot and Disney California Adventure, USA, 2026
Soarin' Across America is a refresh of the classic flying theatre experience, which opened at Disney's US parks in 2026
Disney’s latest flying theater ride-film just launched in summer 2026, with the new Soarin’ Across America ride film premiering in Epcot on 26 May and at Disney California Adventure on 2 July.
Launched as part of the 250th Anniversary celebration of the United States, the new version of the attraction features a complete sea-to-shining-sea coverage of United States landmarks and iconic locations.
In an inspired moment, the attraction kicks off by syncing the rising motion of the ride vehicles into the dome with the visuals showcasing the launch of a NASA SLS heavy-duty rocket from Kennedy Space Center that is also rising into the sky.
This transitions into a sunny flight through the clouds, and as the classic Disney Soarin’ music theme fades in, you begin your journey across the nation.
You’ll fly past iconic locations like the Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, the New England coast, Washington DC, through a bayou, and over colorful mountains, over endless plains, sunny coastlines, and through the Grand Canyon.
Finally, you head back towards your home destination… either Disneyland or Epcot for a red, white and blue fireworks finale before landing once again.
Before I finish, I’d like to point out a few honorary attractions not on the list that are worth remembering:
Batman Dark Flight - Studio City Macau (China) - 2015
Dynamic Attractions was tapped to help the new Studio City Macau casino resort open in 2025 with a bit of Hollywood flair by creating a unique flying theater attraction in the Warner Brothers Fun Zone area.
The attraction features a large 72-seat flying theater ride system with a multi-4K projector system to bring the dark gothic world of Batman to life as you head out into the streets of Gotham.
Unfortunately… it seems that Batman Dark Flight had closed down at the start of the COVID pandemic in China (late 2019) and never reopened. I’m unsure if the ride hardware attraction theater space is still there waiting to be revived or if it was gutted and used for something else in the years that followed.
Soarin’ - Disney California Adventure (USA) - 2001
While the original Disney flying theater film (Soarin’ Over California) that created this new concept was retired long ago, it is worth keeping an eye on the California location in the mid-Spring to early-summer months, as Disney has been known to revive it for a limited return window over the past couple of years.
In fact, Disney California Adventure did just this very thing in 2026, returning the original ride film to the attraction from 6 February through to 1 July, ending the run just in time to premier 2026's new Soarin’ ride film.
… and finally, following up on the idea that Back To The Future: The Ride was sort of an advanced prototype in flying theater design, it is worth mentioning that the follow-up attraction that took its place.
The Simpsons - The Ride, showing at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood parks (USA) since 2008, may very well close down forever in the next year or two.
The original IP license Universal had with 20th Century Fox is rumored to be coming to an end, and with Disney being the new rights owner to The Simpsons IP, they are unlikely to offer a renewal.
For those wondering, the third Back To The Future attraction that opened at Universal Studios Japan was converted into that park’s Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem attraction in 2017 and will continue to operate.
