Lionsgate Unveils Plans For Outdoor Theme Park At Korea’s Jeju Shinwa World

Katniss Everdeen is taking her bow and arrows to South Korea. Lionsgate is developing its first branded outdoor theme park there, with immersive movie zones based on its biggest franchises, the studio said today. In partnership with Landing Jeju Development Co, Lionsgate Movie World will be the centerpiece of Jeju Shinhwa World, a new resort destination on Jeju Island. Construction on the theme park is expected to begin next year for a 2019 opening.

This will be the avid and sophisticated moviegoing nation’s first international theme park, and the first built exclusively around global movies (Paramount previously eyed building there while Universal has also made in-roads). It’s also a nod to the current business-as-usual situation in Korea despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region.

Lionsgate Movie World will be set on 1.3M square feet, repping the studio’s largest destination to date in a growing network of branded theme parks, entertainment centers and other attractions in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The themed zones will include The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga and Now You See Me as well as the upcoming Robin Hood starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Dornan and Jamie Foxx which releases in March. There will be rides, attractions and 4D-reproduced streets and towns. Each zone will also feature themed restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and entertainment performances. Although the Korea market wasn’t massive on the Hunger Games titles, it was a strong performer for the Twilight series and especially the NYSM movies.

Jeju Shinhwa World is a 2.5M square foot resort that began opening progressively from earlier this year. It houses Four Seasons, Marriott and Somerset hotels, condominiums and villas and high-end retail for international and K-fashion brands. Other attractions include a waterpark, theme parks, a destination spa, an international-style casino and a K-pop entertainment center.