‘Ghostbusters,’ Playstation and Anime Rides Could Be Coming to a Theme Park Near You, Suggests Merlin Boss as World of Jumanji Opens in U.K.
variety.comK.J. Yossman Bringing dreams to life is the fastest growing frontier in entertainment. Or if not exactly dreams, then movies, shows, even toys (see: the new World of Barbie immersive experience, which opened in Santa Monica last month) and music (RIP the short-lived Britney Spears-themed The Zone, which launched in LA just two months before the global pandemic hit).
The official name for these pop culture encounters is “location-based entertainment” (or LBE for those who work in the field).
And as Merlin Entertainments CEO Scott O’Neil and Sony Pictures partnerships EVP Jeffrey Godsick told Variety ahead of the official opening of World of Jumanji in the U.K.
this week, with the developments in technology, licensing and audience appetite for IP there’s never been a better moment to be in the LBE business. “The technology is merging with IP which is merging with imagination,” says O’Neil, who joined Merlin last November from Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. “And it’s a pretty special combination that’s unlocking entertainment that we couldn’t even imagine ten years ago.” It was O’Neil’s predecessor, Nick Varney, who began the journey to “Jumanji” with Godsick around three years ago.
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