Universal has done it. Disney has done it – a lot. And now Sony Pictures wants a piece of that sweet, sweet amusement park spin-off pie.
The Hollywood studio has teamed up with Thailand-based attractions developer Amazon Falls to create a new theme and waterpark in Thailand. Columbia Pictures’s Aquaverse is scheduled ‘to begin opening from October’ – hopefully the water isn’t the bit that gets added later – in Bangsaray, a seaside town 90 minutes from Bangkok.
The Aquaverse will feature rides and attractions based on Sony’s most popular film franchises, including Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Surf's Up, Bad Boys, Men in Black and Hotel Transylvania. Sausage Party did not make the cut.
The park will have eight family-friendly themed zones with water and land-based attractions, as well as live concerts, themed restaurants, props and other forms of immersive entertainment.
The eight zones are ‘Men in Black Thrill Rides’, ‘Ghostbusters Supernatural Experience’, ‘Bad Boys Raceway’, ‘Jumanji Jungle Adventure’, ‘Hotel Transylvania Kid-Friendly Zone’, ‘Surf’s Up in Surfer’s Paradise’, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Swallow Falls River Adventure’, and the ‘VIVO Wave Pool’. Yep, sold.
According to the official site, the Surf's Up zone will open first in October, ‘with other zones re-themed throughout 2021 to the end of 2022’.