Dubai’s Mega Theme Park Complex To Include Sony Pictures Studio, Smurfs Zone

Dubai Parks and Resorts, a Meraas holding company which is developing the company’s mega theme park development, announced that it has signed an agreement with a division of Sony Pictures to set up a Sony Pictures Studio and Smurfs Zone in the complex.

The new studio and zone will be located at Motiongate Dubai, the Hollywood inspired theme park coming up within the development, a statement said.

They will contain 12 themed attractions inspired by movies such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Hotel Transylvania, Ghostbusters, The Green Hornet, Underworld, Zombieland, and The Smurfs.

Raed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks and Resorts, said: “With their legacy of excellence in entertaining audiences, we are confident Sony Pictures and the Smurfs Zone will add an exhilarating new dimension to the Middle East’s entertainment landscape.”

Spread across four million square feet, Motiongate Dubai is anticipated to attract three million visitors annually.

Featuring four unique zones, including a DreamWorks Animation zone, the park will have a total of 27 attractions and use technology and new-generation rides to take visitors on a “cinematic journey”, the statement said.

It will also have retail, dining and entertainment options across all areas.

Located in Jebel Ali between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the overall Dubai Parks & Resorts project is a Dhs10 billion complex of five theme parks announced by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in November 2012. The project is expected to attract five million visitors in its first year of operation.

Phase one, set for completion in 2016, will comprise three theme parks: Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai, and Legoland Dubai. The development will also feature Riverpark – an entrance plaza featuring retail, dining and entertainment options and Lapita, a family themed hotel.

Last week, Merlin Entertainment, the operator of Legoland Dubai, confirmed that the park will feature over 15,000 Lego model structures made from 60 million Lego bricks including 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions set in six themed areas – Lego City, Adventure, Lego Kingdom, Create, Lego Factory, and Miniland.

Spread across three million sqft, it will be the first Legoland park in the Middle East and the seventh worldwide.