The $2bn Hollywood film franchise Jumanji is coming to the real world in a global deal to open themed attractions, rides, hotel rooms and retail outlets across Europe and North America.
The deal struck between Sony Pictures Entertainment and UK-headquartered Merlin Entertainments will involve the development of Jumanji-themed “lands” at theme parks to bring to life the films that have starred Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Karen Gillan.
Merlin, Europe’s largest theme park operator and the second biggest globally, runs more than 135 attractions in 24 countries including Alton Towers, Legoland, Peppa Pig World, Sea Life, the London Eye, Cadbury World and The Bear Grylls Adventure.
The first experience based on the franchise, the multimillion-pound Jumanji – The Adventure, will open next month at Merlin’s Gardaland resort in Italy. Described as a “dark ride for adventure lovers of all ages”, its opening coincides with the launch of Jumanji-themed hotel bedrooms at the resort.
The companies have had help putting together the ride from the London-based Framestore, the special effects wizards with Oscar wins for Gravity and Blade Runner 2049, and the US subsea engineering firm Oceaneering, which has worked on the Jaws, Jurassic Park and Transformers rides at Universal Studios.
Merlin and Sony are developing a second ride at another as yet unnamed theme park that is due to open next year.
The US and UK are the world’s largest and third largest markets in terms of the popularity of the film franchise by some distance – the second, China, is not covered by the theme park agreement – and so they are expected to be high on the two companies’ launch agenda.
The first Jumanji film, spawned from Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 children’s book and starring Dunst and the late Williams, premiered in 1995 to mixed reviews but proved to be a box office hit, grossing more than $260m globally, making it the 10th biggest film of the year.
A decision to reboot the franchise more than two decades later with 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, starring Johnson and Gillan as well as Kevin Hart and Jack Black, proved its enduring global appeal as it went on to take more than $960m. Jumanji: The Next Level, released in 2019, took more than $800m.
“Sony are one of the top movie companies on the planet and Jumanji is a multibillion-dollar brand which has appealed to guests of all ages for over two decades,” said Mark Fisher, the chief development officer at Merlin Entertainments. “Our Merlin team are already hard at work developing brilliant creative concepts, which will bring to life the blockbuster-famous Jumanji films across our theme parks and water parks.”
Jeffrey Godsick, a senior executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), said: “Merlin is the ideal company to bring the world of Jumanji to life. We always knew it was a much-loved franchise. Fans of Jumanji will be fully immersed into the worlds of our films and have an unforgettable experience.”
Merlin has previously worked with SPE to develop a ride associated with Ghostbusters at Heide Park in Germany, and an experience based on the same franchise at Madame Tussauds in New York.
The company has also developed partnerships for rides, experiences and attractions with brands including Lego, Disney’s Marvel, Peppa Pig and CBeebies.
Last month Merlin, which was taken private in a £6bn deal before the pandemic hit, struck a 50-year deal to take over the Cadbury World attraction at the chocolate maker’s Bournville factory in the West Midlands.
