Or is your vision of the city more dark? Cutthroat masses, trying to survive in a hostile environment? Contract killers, roaming the streets looking for their next target?
Okay, that might not be the real New York City, but it all seems a fairly accurate description of what themed entertainment fans will find in the new Lionsgate Entertainment City that is slated to open in New York's Times Square 2019, with attractions themed to Mad Men, Hunger Games, and John Wick.
We told you last year that Lionsgate had contracted Parques Reunidos to develop Lionsgate-branded leisure centers around the world. The companies announced today that the first of those will come to Times Square.
"We're delighted to kick off our partnership with Parques Reunidos in midtown Manhattan, and we look forward to extending our alliance to other major U.S. and European cities as we continue to grow our location-based entertainment business around the world," Lionsgate Senior Vice President of Global Live and Location Based Entertainment Jenefer Brown said in a statement.
Attractions in Lionsgate Entertainment City will include:
Shopping and dining will include:
The $30 million project will occupy 125 feet of wraparound frontage on the corner of East 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, according to a statement from Parques Reunidos. In addition to Lionsgate's planned indoor entertainment centers, the studio has licensed its properties to Motiongate Dubai for a Lionsgate-themed land slated to open later this year. (That land includes a Hunger Games motion simulator that sounds just like the one announced for the Times Square project.)
The studio also has an indoor theme park under development in Hengqin, Zhuhai, China and an outdoor Lionsgate Movie World park planned for Jeju Island, South Korea.
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But yeah, I would be more surprised if it did not close in two years than if it did.
This would have a much better chance of success in Las Vegas than in NYC. Granted, I've always though the 2 movie theaters (Regal and AMC) right around the corner from this spot would never succeed (I actually watched a movie at the AMC one afternoon in a virtually empty theater when I was temporarily assigned to some NYC projects after 9-11), but they appear to be humming right along based on our recent trip earlier this year with tons of foot traffic pondering the screened selections over the oodles of live entertainment just steps away. Pricing this experience appropriately is going to be paramount, and hooking up with the various city passes will be essential to capture those tourist dollars. I don't see many "locals" frequenting this spot, even if they're nearby to see a show, but never discount the propensity of New Yorkers to throw money away on stupid stuff.
Mad Men is perfect for those who fear a return to the 1960s where women are not valued. They get some practice. The next attraction will be the Handmaidens Tale.
I would like to eat at a nice restaurant during the Mad Men era (but--granted--I'm a white, passably straight non-Jewish male). Caesar Salad prepared tableside with raw egg? Yes please. And another martini, beautiful.
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