Bad Boys. The move represents Sony Pictures' entry into the world of theme parks, a space long occupied by the likes of Disney and Universal.
Disney's first foray into the world of theme parks came when they launched California's Disneyland, now known as Disneyland Park, in 1955. In 1971, they doubled down by introducing Disney World, a Florida resort that took much more space than the original Disneyland. A little less than 20 years later, in 1990, Universal launched their theme park, Universal Orlando Park, which was shut down last year due to COVID-19. Now, Sony Pictures will try to infuse their own properties into a must-visit destination for fans.
On Wednesday, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Amazon Falls announced that they reached a deal to develop land for Columbia Pictures’ Aquaverse theme park, which will be on 14 acres of land in Thailand's Bangsaray. The new park will include land-based and water rides based on Ghostbusters, Men in Black, Bad Boys and more. Jeffrey Godsick, who works as EVP of Global Partnerships and Brand Management and Head of Location Based Entertainment at Sony Pictures Entertainment, helped announce the news, saying:
We are delighted to be teaming up with Liakat Dhanji and Amazon Falls on launching Sony Pictures’ first theme and water park and are inspired by his vision of creating an immersive entertainment destination for Thailand. Columbia Pictures’ Aquaverse is the next step in Sony Pictures’ larger global strategy to grow and expand location-based entertainment by utilizing its strong global film and TV brands. We are creating opportunities for all audiences around the world to immerse themselves deeper into our stories through water parks, touring exhibitions, and theme park attractions.
The Men in Black thrill rides include a 12-meter fall down what they call "an MIB Wormhole." The Ghostbusters Supernatural Experience has rides that include family rafting and a water coaster. Meanwhile, the Bad Boys Raceway is go-karting adventure. Other Sony properties that will be featured for Aquaverse attractions include Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania. Rides and attractions will begin opening up for visitors this October.
This news arrives as businesses around the world still reel from the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which led to Disney theme parks temporarily shutting down, and as a result, losing billions of dollars. While they don't offer up an explanation for the timing of their decision to launch a theme park, it wouldn't be surprising to learn that this is a way that they can recoup some of the money they've missed out on with theaters closing around the world due to the pandemic. As COVID-19 vaccines have been released and some of the terror stemming from the virus has subsided, some theme parks have opened back up. On April 16, Universal Studios will re-open after being shut down at around this time last year.
Source: Sony
