Sony to open theme-park in Thailand

Bloomberg

Sony Pictures Entertainment will open a theme and water park based on popular characters from films produced by Columbia Pictures next month in Thailand as it seeks to cash in on a rebound in tourism.
The Columbia Pictures’ Aquaverse will open on October 11 in partnership with local developer Amazon Falls Co, in Bangsaray, about 90 minutes from Bangkok, according to a joint statement. Attractions will include characters from movies ranging from “Ghostbusters” to “Jumanji” to “Hotel Transylvania,” they said.
The opening of the park, initially scheduled to start operations in phases a year ago, coincides with a revival in global tourism and scrapping of most pandemic-era travel curbs. The Southeast Asian nation expects to attract as many as 10 million tourists this year and about 30 million visitors next year.
The licensing partnership is a low-risk way for Sony to exploit popular characters from its library of movies and TV shows, which include megahits like “Jumanji” and “Men in Black.”
The 14-acre park, located in an area already home to five-star beach resorts and restaurants popular with tourists, will continue to open new attractions in the future, they said.