Read the news in 5 minutes…
Lindt’s Home of Chocolate, Comic-Con Museum, AREA15, Birmingham Museums Trust, Royal Academy of Arts, Legoland Belgium, Motiongate Dubai, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Super Nintendo World, Six Flags Darien Lake, Dreamworld, California Attractions and Parks Association, Disneyland Resort, teamLab Borderless Jeddah, Thorpe Park, NEOM, Hogwarts Legacy, Pinewood Studio Experience, PortAventura World and LaLiga.
Retailtainment
AREA15, an experiential art and entertainment complex, has officially opened in Las Vegas, literally blowing the doors off and ‘unleashing the extraordinary’. The immersive playground will launch further experiences throughout fall.
Museums
San Diego Comic-Con revealed its plans for the Comic-Con Museum, which is set to be a year-round attraction, scheduled to launch its first phase in Balboa Park in summer 2021.
Birmingham Museums Trust has appointed Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah as joint CEOs. They will be joining the charity in November 2020 and taking over from Dr Ellen McAdam.
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) plans to consult its employees on making 150 people redundant, equating to 40 percent of its workforce, due to a downturn caused by COVID-19.
Theme parks
The Walloon Government is in negotiations with Merlin Entertainments to create a Legoland theme park in Belgium, while Brick Or Treat is returning to Legoland Windsor Resort this Halloween.
Tokyo Disneyland has announced that its new expansions, shops, restaurants and attractions will open on September 28. These include ‘Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Happy Ride with Baymax’.
Dubai Parks and Resorts is reopening Motiongate Dubai and Lapita Hotel with enhanced safety measures and offers on September 23. Advance booking is now available with reopening offers for residents of the UAE.
TRON Lightcycle / Run hit another major milestone, as the first piece of canopy is installed at Walt Disney World Resort‘s Magic Kingdom Park. The high-tech, coaster-style attraction is scheduled to open in 2021.
Super Nintendo World may be delayed at Universal Studios Japan (USJ), but new footage unveils the expansion’s effects and reveals that construction is nearing completion in Japan.
Six Flags Darien Lake in Buffalo, NY has announced that it will remain closed for the rest of the 2020 season. In a statement on its website, Six Flags said that it remains committed to the health and safety of guests and staff.
Dreamworld and its sister park WhiteWater World have reopened in Australia’s Gold Coast for the first time in six months after closing in response to COVID-19. Dreamworld is implementing health and safety measures.
The California Attractions and Parks Association (CAPA) urged Governor Gavin Newsom to issue guidelines that would let theme parks reopen in California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom later said that an announcement is coming “very, very shortly” on issuing COVID-19 guidelines for reopening theme parks, and Disneyland Resort president said he’s “disappointed” in a lack of progress.
Technology
teamLab is heading to Saudi Arabia with the new teamLab Borderless Jeddah as part of a new 10-year collaboration agreement with the Saudi Ministry of Culture. It is set to launch by 2023.
The Luna Drive In Cinema is heading to Thorpe Park to coincide with its Fright Nights events for Halloween, with spooky movies including Hocus Pocus, The Shining and Get Out.
Aecom was appointed to design transport and utilities backbone infrastructure for Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion city of the future NEOM, a futuristic mega-city that will include entertainment venues and tourist destinations.
Warner Bros Games has released a first look at Hogwarts Legacy, the first ever open-world role playing game set in the Wizarding World, from Portkey Games. The console game is launching in 2021.
Brands
Pinewood Group launched a screen industries growth hub with an investment of £450 million, called Screen Hub UK, which will include a film-inspired attraction with 350,000 square feet of space, called Pinewood Studio Experience.
PortAventura World has announced a partnership with football league LaLiga to invest €150 million in football-themed attractions at the theme park resort in Spain. The project kicks off with The Beat Challenge.
Lindt launched its Willy Wonka-style chocolate museum called Lindt’s Home of Chocolate, featuring the world’s highest free-standing chocolate fountain, on September 13. It is located on Lindt & Sprüngli’s premises in Switzerland.
