Lionsgate has just announced plans to open two new movie-rollercoasters at Motiongate theme park in Dubai, and we really wish they’d come to the states.
“John Wick: Open Contract” will [obviously] be based on the hit Keanu Reeves assassin action movie, and “Now You See Me: High Rolling Casino” will be based on the magician-heist flick.
Jenefer Brown, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Live, Interactive and Location-Based Entertainment at Lionsgate said of the news:
“You’ll get two different experiences depending on which path through the queue you choose to get on the ride. I think what’s going to be amazing for fans is to have the opportunity to walk through the lobby of the Continental and experience different key moments in the settings that took place in the films,” Brown said. “This attraction in particular is really about setting the story by putting people in this very immersive environment, and then you really get the action as you get on the coaster. It’s 10 stories high, so there’s definitely a level of intensity that’s befitting of the ‘John Wick franchise that guests will experience.”
‘John Wick’ is definitely an intellectual property that we feel is perfect for location- based entertainment. Because the world is so rich and the characters are so intriguing. There’s a lot of story that we can tell there in an experiential way. ‘Now You See Me’ is the same way, as magic is incredibly popular and universal. Doing this first ride in Dubai I think will establish what we can do in other places around the world, and we’re interested in expanding our portfolio of film franchises and TV series, in outdoor theme parks.”
What about the liklihood of fans seeing a John Wick coaster in the states at somepoint you might ask? (Because seriously, how great would that be?)
“We would love to bring these types of experiences and attractions here,” Brown said. “I think that there has just been more opportunity to date internationally. But I think that that is changing and we’re certainly exploring possibilities in North America. Hopefully in the not too distant horizon, we’ll be able to bring some of these larger scale experiences here. In terms of these larger footprint outdoor theme park/ indoor theme park type of experiences, it’s something we’re incredibly interested in and focused on. It’s just really a matter of finding the right opportunity and in mature markets like North America or Europe, those aren’t as frequent as in other parts of the world.”
Both coasters are set to open at Motiongate in Dubai sometime in 2021.
