Marvel’s superheroes will hit the road next year with “The Marvel Experience,” that will go on tour next year.
The $30 million attraction will feature dozens of the comicbook company’s iconic characters and utilize various multimedia storytelling techniques — including a 4D motion ride, 3D animation, digital projectors, motion comics, virtual reality and holographic simulations.
Overall experience is designed as a “first person” superhero adventure in which they become part of the story and action.
Design of the attraction involves a a traveling dome complex the size of two football fields developed by Hero Ventures that will visit around 20 cities in its first year.
“Hero Ventures is developing a themed entertainment concept that we expect will be a transformative, traveling destination that will deliver to fans and families an exciting, groundbreaking and unique experience,” said Marvel’s VP of business development, Sean Haran.
Hero Ventures, co-founded by sports and entertainment entrepreneurs Rick Licht, Doug Schaer and Jason Rosen, is producing the themed experience. Michael Cohl, former Live Nation chairman, and “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark” co-producer and PRG founder Jeremiah “Jere” Harris serve as lead producers.
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The themed tour comes as Disney owned Marvel is firing on all cylinders. “Iron Man 3” has earned over $1.2 billion since May, while “Thor: The Dark World” is out in November, followed by “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” next year.
“The Marvel Universe just keeps getting hotter, as seen by the massive world-wide box office and merchandise success of their characters,” Michael Cohl said. “We can’t wait to bring our Marvel vision to life in this first-of-its-kind event.”
The Los Angeles-based firm recently locked down a round of financing to develop the Marvel attraction.
Initial “A” round investors include film producer and co-owner of the NFL’s New York Giants, Steve Tisch; Roy P. Disney and Shamrock Holdings; Guess Jeans co-founders Maurice and Paul Marciano; WWE; Vista Equity Partners president Brian Sheth; Ross Hilton Kemper and Enlight Media.
Tisch, Shamrock’s Stanley Gold, Maurice Marciano, WWE’s Basil V. DeVito, Jr. and Enlight’s David B. Miller will serve alongside Licht, Schaer, Cohl and Harris on Hero Ventures board of directors.
“The dynamic creative elements we’re developing are going to enable anyone to feel like a superhero like Spider-Man or Captain America,” said Hero Ventures’ CEO Rick Licht. “We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Marvel.”
Marvel has a similar attraction inside Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in London, featuring Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and other characters, along with a nine-minute animated 3D film that involves 4D effects like blasts of wind and water and vibrations. The project was produced with Marvel and involved animators in India and Los Angeles.
