I understand their is been some discussion in creating Lionsgate themed indoor entertainment centers around the US, Asia and the Middle East and it is will feature several attractions to John wick, divergent, mad men, etc. do you think this will be popular in the US if it comes to other cities? And possibly VR theme parks which a company is looking to come to Philadelphia to build a Virtual Reality themed center their with attractions and rides.
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Oh ok well the one indoor entertainment center that is coming to New York City Times Square is called Lionsgate Entertainment City scheduled to open fall 2019. So that’s the first U.S City. And this so called VR theme park company all from what I heard is eyeballing the Philly Area that’s all I know.
The Void has announced VR centers coming to Philly, NYC, Minneapolis, Dallas, Washington, DC, and more. They're the same company running the complex at Disney Springs, and owns licenses for the Star Wars and Wreck It Ralph experiences.
I'm not aware of Lionsgate expanding in the US beyond the Times Square location, which sounds like a flash in the pan IMHO like many Times Square experiments. I think you're confusing this with The Void.
I understand some of the VR venues have shut down due to expense, but I was completely blown away by the Void. I have not heard of any of them closing, though. The Star Wars VR may have been one of the most compelling experiences I have ever had. I do not think these will take over media in any way, shape, or form, but it was completely amazing. If they could make them about an hour long, that would be about perfect.
I know the Lionsgate thing will have a John Wick, but from what I understand, the Void is all proprietary and affiliated with Disney properties in some fashion, although they did have a Ghostbusters experience. I could actually see these things being too good. If they did an Alien one, for example, I might crap my pants. The Star Wars had you really feeling like you were right there. It was that compelling.
The downside to these things are the cost. It is expensive to take part in it, and I am sure it is dreadfully expensive to run it. You have a maze, props, staff, and the equipment for each participant, which was much more sophisticated than just normal VR. I bet the profit margin on it is very low. It is basically extremely high dollar co-op lazer tag. I would love it if this took off, but I bet it will only be in very select markets.
The Lionsgate/Discovery Channel has partnered up to create these immersive indoor entertainment centers across North America, Asia, and Europe sorry not Middle East. Here’s the link...NYC is the only US city mentioned so far-
https://www.parquesreunidos.com/en/parques-reunidos-and-discovery-communications-partner-to-develop-themed-entertainment-centers/
I've experienced The Void and Dreamscape here in Los Angeles. Both opened last December. There's a very distinct difference between the approach each VR experience offers. The Void appears to have been designed by a Gamer, and it feels like it is pitched to an older, teen audience: it's a violent -- albeit bloodless -- First Person Shooter scenario where you end up slaughtering Stormtroopers. (NOTE: They also offer a Wreck-It Ralph scenario which I didn't try.) Dreamscape's three different adventures are designed for families and there are no weapons or shootout scenarios. Also, Dreamscape has Imagineer Bruce Vaughn behind it, so it contains all the usual attention to detail you'd expect from Disney. The Void feels like something you might come across currently in a Tokyo arcade. I've heard there are plans to open more Dreamscapes in several U.S. malls and even some movie theaters.
For me, the complications have to do with donning the equipment. The Void only requires a somewhat heavy backpack (containing a computer) and the VR goggles. Dreamscape incorporates motion capture technology, so as well as a (lighter) backpack and VR goggles, you must also wear sensors on each hand and each foot.
Because putting all this on takes up precious time and the equipment often malfunctions and needs to be reset or swapped out, you're faced with tech problems that slow things down. If the technology can somehow be simplified so that anyone from a child to a senior can get it on or off swiftly, then I could easily imagine this immersive VR being incorporated into a major theme park attraction. But achieving that goal is going to first take solving that huge challenge.
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The Void seems to have the market cornered for VR complexes, and is already expanding into pretty much every major metro area. Other arcade facilities like Dave and Busters are slowly adding VR experiences to their offerings, so I don't think there's room right now for another player in this still emerging market. With the proliferation of escape room concepts any other immersive entertainment facilities, there's not much room right now, especially if you're going to be limited to niche IP like John Wick, Divergent, and Mad Men.