NEWS: 20th Century Fox World Dubai announced!

Today Al Ahli Holding Group announced the development of a new 20th Century Fox World theme park in Dubai!

Al Ahli Holding Group (AAHG) in an international licensing partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products, announced today plans to build a Fox-branded theme park and resort in Dubai. This will be the second 20th Century Fox World theme park and the first Fox-branded resort. The deal allows for a roll-out of up to three additional Fox-branded resorts in territories outside Dubai.

 

20th Century Fox World, Dubai, an immersive entertainment destination, will encompass themed lands featuring unique attractions, rides and retail outlets that will bring to life the studio’s iconic film and television franchises. The licensing partnership with AAHG also calls for the creation of the world’s first Fox-branded resort, where themed rooms and dining opportunities will offer visitors a chance to further immerse themselves in the entertainment brands and rich history of 20th Century Fox.

 

Highlights of 20th Century Fox World, Dubai will include:

 

Theme park consisting of themed lands and attractions based on Fox properties, including, Ice Age, Rio, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Night at the Museum and Titanic, The Simpsons and Sons of Anarchy.

A broad attraction mix, ranging from media-based dark rides to thrill rides that will tell new stories based on Fox film and television brands.

A themed retail street featuring unique shopping and dining based on Fox properties.

The world’s first Fox-themed resort hotel.

 

“20th Century Fox World, Dubai is the second Fox theme park destination and marks an important step forward in our global theme park strategy. Fox World will be a world-class destination that will help fuel Dubai’s emergence as a global tourism destination,” said Jeffrey Godsick, President of Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. “This park builds on the foundation being laid by 20th Century Fox World, Malaysia, currently under construction.”

 

Mohammed Khammas, CEO of Al Ahli Holding Group said, “AAHG’s history in the genre of entertainment is replete with successful partnerships with top motion picture studios. We pride ourselves in understanding the pulse of the audience and catering to it with novel and breakthrough projects.”

 

“Fox's rich history of great entertainment-based intellectual properties from movies, television shows and animation concepts will help us spearhead this project and add value to our latest offering in the global entertainment space. As part of our international deal with Fox, we look forward to building these attractions and resorts globally starting with Dubai as the first location and additional Fox branded resorts that we hope to open across other territories in the future,” added Khammas about AAHG’s deal with Fox.

 

“We are thrilled to partner with Al Ahli Holding Group on this exciting project,” said Greg Lombardo, Senior Vice President of Global Live and Location Based Entertainment for Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. “20th Century Fox World, Dubai will provide an ongoing platform for immersive brand engagement with our consumers from around the world, including key international markets of Europe, Russia and China.”

 

“The synergy created by AAHG’s partnership with Fox will enable 20th Century Fox World, Dubai to offer the consumers in the Middle East and global tourists visiting Dubai to experience world-class facilities with unique attractions and retail outlets that will take themed entertainment to a different level,” said Manoj Aheeray, Director of Investment and Strategy for AAHG.

 

20th Century Fox World Dubai is slated to open in 2018, Design and Production services are being provided by Rethink Leisure & Entertainment.

Seems like Dubai is becoming more and more of a vacation destination fir theme park enthusiast.

Looks like a great development, for sure. Though, can we stop with the "[insert studio / I.P. here] World" stuff? Whatever happened to catchy theme park and attraction names?

...and Sons of Anarchy.

Wait what? A Sons of Anarchy themed ride?

...and Sons of Anarchy.

Wait what? A Sons of Anarchy themed ride?

Yeah. Probably a motocoaster that ends with you getting hit by a semi truck.

Sounds and looks good. Curious to see what they will do with the Simpsons. Seems like every month a new theme park is announced for Dubai. It's confusing which parks are actually being built and the ones that disappeared.

Impressive-looking concept art; then again, concept art is almost always impressive. I like the "town square" look of Springfield. I hope this park comes to fruition.

Seems like Dubai is throwing tons of money into theme parks again. I wonder if this one will actually get built? Fox has lots of properties that could make awesome theme park attractions, so I hope it pans out.

Complaining about IP based attractions at this point when they're the only thing that every big theme park company is developing seems dumb. Get a new hobby if it bothers you. As for this park: WTI is trading at around $46 a barrel. I'll believe this gets done when I see it.

Complaining about IP based attractions at this point when they're the only thing that every big theme park company is developing seems dumb.

Making a dig at the slightly unoriginal name, not the I.P.-based attractions. But then again, I am a big cheeseball so I'm probably the only one that appreciates corny / catchy names.

Complaining about IP based attractions at this point when they're the only thing that every big theme park company is developing seems dumb. Get a new hobby if it bothers you. As for this park: WTI is trading at around $46 a barrel. I'll believe this gets done when I see it.

It might be precisely why it gets done, a continued diversifiction of the economy where oil isn't the end all, be all. Correct me if I'm wrong but outside of the Universal and the Seaworld/Busch Gardens/Aquatica Island most everything that was a a stand still has started back up again on the theme park front. I would not be surprised if those two come back around. There's a clear strategy being played out, you see it via their airlines(Emirates and Eithad) and the massive hubs that continue to grow. Bring folks in as part of an extended layover or offer enough to have them stay a few days there as well. I think they are hot and heavy after biopharm and other start ups as well.

Complaining about IP based attractions at this point when they're the only thing that every big theme park company is developing seems dumb. Get a new hobby if it bothers you. As for this park: WTI is trading at around $46 a barrel. I'll believe this gets done when I see it.

 

 

It might be precisely why it gets done, a continued diversifiction of the economy where oil isn't the end all, be all. Correct me if I'm wrong but outside of the Universal and the Seaworld/Busch Gardens/Aquatica Island most everything that was a a stand still has started back up again on the theme park front. I would not be surprised if those two come back around. There's a clear strategy being played out, you see it via their airlines(Emirates and Eithad) and the massive hubs that continue to grow. Bring folks in as part of an extended layover or offer enough to have them stay a few days there as well. I think they are hot and heavy after biopharm and other start ups as well.

There were numerous projects (Six Flags Dubai, F1-X) that all got cancelled. Some even had rides delivered and are still sitting today in the desert. The truth is there's been far more announcements than actual openings. To this day, the only significant non-water park to actually make it to opening is Ferrari World, a place I hear is totally dead Sunday through Thursday. It sure as hell was a couple weeks ago when I was there.

When it comes to things like research, I know they'd like to diversify. Their issue is that high level researchers have no interest in going to work there. They could even build a Weizmann Institute of Science type facility, but they're still going to have a deeply difficult time luring elite Western researchers there because those people attract excellent paying private sector jobs in the West or tenure track faculty positions in Academia. They, the Saudis, the Qatari, etc. are going to have to settle for people ending postdocs and not distinguished professors.

But that's neither here nor there. The last time those park projects all crashed and burned was in the 2008 recession when oil prices fell through the floor when speculators realized the imagined demand wasn't there. Even with the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai government had to go to the more conservative Abu Dhabi pursestrings and beg for the cash to finish it.

Is it just me or does that yellow thing in the center-back of the conceptual art picture look like a Huss Jump 2?

Yep. Why Titanic, though? No idea...

I agree that Dubai "new park" announcements should be looked at a bit skeptically. Wouldn't mind seeing this one come to pass, though.

I agree that Dubai "new park" announcements should be looked at a bit skeptically. Wouldn't mind seeing this one come to pass, though.

Yeah.. after the "SeaWorld Island" thing kicked the bucket, I wouldn't mind seeing this as a homage to American parks.

This seems to be in the same area as the old universal studios that never got built.

Should be interesting