EXCLUSIVE: It’s George R.R. Martin’s world and Meow Wolf wants to live in it. The Game of Thrones author is the new Chief World Builder for Meow Wolf, the Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment collective behind the House of Eternal Return and other next-gen immersive experiences and interactive exhibitions. In the new…

As Universal nears the June release of its sequel to The Secret Life of Pets, it has announced plans for a ride spawned from the Illumination animated franchise that will open in 2020 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Pet adoption is the main concept of the ride, whose subtitle is “Off the Leash.” Theme-park guests will…

Disney has unveiled a short clip on the progress of its planned Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast ride for Tokyo Disneyland, the first ride-through attraction featuring the characters from the wildly popular film. The big reveal of the clip was the first look at the transformation of the cartoon characters into…

Disney’s Consumer Products and Interactive Media group has undergone a minor round of layoffs. The unit posted a decline in revenues and in operating income in the most recent quarter, as a result of lower licensing income and a drop in retail store sales. It’s unclear how many people lost their jobs, but a source…

Disney CEO Bob Iger said he sees “opportunities to expand” the company’s theme parks in China and other parts of the world. Iger was asked during the company’s second quarter earnings call if Disney might consider building parks in other parts of the world as a “brand beacon.” “We think there’s opportunities to expand…

Disney CEO Bob Iger said in November that Shanghai Disney Resort would open “next spring” — and the June 16 date it announced today just barely makes the deadline. The entertainment giant and its partner, Shanghai Shendi Group — which owns 57% of the park — says that customers will begin to visit on that date…

Off the back of a decade of Harry Potter movies being shot in the UK, entertainment-related tourism has boomed in the past few years and developers of the £3.2B London Paramount Entertainment Resort project say they expect 15M visitors per year once it’s fully established. The project got a jolt in the arm today as…

Malaysian casino operator Genting’s resort unit is investing $300M in Fox‘s first-ever international theme park. Dubbed 20th Century Fox World, the park will include rides and attractions based on films including Ice Age, Rio, Alien Vs Predator, Planet Of The Apes and Night At The Museum. A ground-breaking ceremony…

Universal Studios Hollywood is eyeing wealthier patrons’ pocketbooks as the summer swings into season. A new $299 per-person VIP ticketing option gets you into the park for a day with valet parking, continental breakfast, an unlimited front of line pass, catered gourmet lunch, and a seat on a cozy 16-person trolley…

Disney CEO Bob Iger let the frog out of the bag at the company’s annual meeting in Kansas City today. “Somewhere in my mind I know that work is being done on a sequel,” he said, before stopping himself saying he didn’t know how much has been disclosed about a second ‘The Muppets‘ movie. Iger added, in response to a…

Comcast CFO Mike Angelakis says that The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter was so successful for Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure that it became “a reset mechanism” for the theme park. But he stopped short of confirming reports that the company plans to bring Potter to Universal Studios Hollywood, even as he…

Will ‘Avatar’ From Fox Provide Disney With The Theme Park Hit It Needs? Disney and Fox Unveil Plan For ‘Avatar’ Theme Park Attractions Disney’s newly announced Avatar theme-park attraction is “a perfect example of something that could be a needle mover” for the company’s parks operation, CFO Jay Rasulo said today at…