Paramount plans British park to compete w/ DLP

[magicman1950]

I just read an online article by Sam Webb in the British Mail stating that Paramount Pictues has announced plans to build a 872 acre, 2Billion British Pound theme park outside of London to compete with DLP. The announcement included plans for the largest indoor water park in the world. Paramount anticipates a 2018 opening date. I didn't provide a link because I think that would be against the policies of this website. YES, this is my first posting after years of lurking and NO I have nothing to gain by posting - just passing along what I read.
Paul

 

[wdwmagic]

No problem with relevant links.

Here are the details
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ival-Disneyland-Paris-create-27-000-jobs.html

 

[Otamin]

The more competition the better, so bring it on!

Some of it does seem to be like absolute blatant copies of what's in Disney however.

 

[Omegadiz]

I kinda think that its pathetic what some of these companies do. Disneyland (as far as themeparks go) but southern california on the map. WDW put central florida on the map for themeparks (Uni, seaworld, legoland etc.com came a a result of Disney's success. Tokyo disney, though I'm sure it wasn't the regions first park, but it was the first big chain park in the region (uni came as a result) DLRP opened without trying to ruin other competition. Meanwhile other companies just sit around waiting for disney's success just to try to take away from it. Does it make sense? Yes. But it always seemed a bit underhanded. With Paramount, its especially ashame because they are essentially surrounding DLRP with 2 parks trying to pull away from 2 of the coutries that generally visit Disneyland paris. With this news, I truely hope DLRP makes a profit and can really start upping entertainment and attraction offerings by the time these other parks open.

 

[Lucky]

Is Paramount entering the theme park business, or will this just be another of its half-***ed amusement parks? Its amusement parks are not serious competition for a Disney or even Universal theme park.

 

[Omegadiz]

Is Paramount entering the theme park business, or will this just be another of its half-***ed amusement parks? Its amusement parks are not serious competition for a Disney or even Universal theme park.

Judging by the concept art of Paramount Park Spain and the possibly dead Paramount Movie Park Korea, it seems like its aiming for the themepark business.

 

[AndyS2992]

I kinda think that its pathetic what some of these companies do. Disneyland (as far as themeparks go) but southern california on the map. WDW put central florida on the map for themeparks (Uni, seaworld, legoland etc.com came a a result of Disney's success. Tokyo disney, though I'm sure it wasn't the regions first park, but it was the first big chain park in the region (uni came as a result) DLRP opened without trying to ruin other competition. Meanwhile other companies just sit around waiting for disney's success just to try to take away from it. Does it make sense? Yes. But it always seemed a bit underhanded. With Paramount, its especially ashame because they are essentially surrounding DLRP with 2 parks trying to pull away from 2 of the coutries that generally visit Disneyland paris. With this news, I truely hope DLRP makes a profit and can really start upping entertainment and attraction offerings by the time these other parks open.

Disneyland Paris is already in competition in Europe with Parc Asterix (France), Europa Park and Movie World (Germany), Legolands in Denmark, Germany and UK, Alton Towers (UK), Thorpe Park (UK), Chessington (UK), PortAventura (Spain) I can go on. Adding one more park in Europe won't affect Disneyland considering it is the number one attraction in Europe by miles. Bare in mind Disneyland is one of the newest parks in Europe.

Also, Tokyo Disneyland is located outside Tokyo in the Chiba prefecture, Universal Studios Japan is located in Osaka, a 13 hour drive away from Tokyo Disneyland.

 

[AndyS2992]

Looking at the concept, it doesn't really seem like a theme park, just a large entertainment district with a Paramount theme as it consists of cinemas, theaters, restaurants, a water park, live music venues, hotels. Doesn't mention anything about rides as such.

If it was a theme park everything would be inclusive.

In comparison to WDW, It appears to be just Typhoon Lagoon encircled by Downtown Disney.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It's kind of odd that Paramount is looking to get back into the theme park game despite selling off their own chain of parks in 2006.

 

[Omegadiz]

Disneyland Paris is already in competition in Europe with Parc Asterix (France), Europa Park and Movie World (Germany), Legolands in Denmark, Germany and UK, Alton Towers (UK), Thorpe Park (UK), Chessington (UK), PortAventura (Spain) I can go on. Adding one more park in Europe won't affect Disneyland considering it is the number one attraction in Europe by miles. Bare in mind Disneyland is one of the newest parks in Europe.

Maybe i should rephrase. I mean, yes, there were parks in that region. But those werent parks that disney or even Universal were going to compete against. those were just amusment parks. Disney built Paris as a way to go world wide and establish a park in Europe. Paramount has said "to compete with Disneyland Paris" with both of their proposed parks in europe. Do you see what i mean?

 

[RonAnnArbor]

It really doesn't matter what Paramount has announced at this point -- all it will do is continue to compete with the multiple other European Theme Parks, not with DLP -- but more likely, it will end up competing basically with British theme parks -- once you cross the English Channel, you are looking at a completely different tourist pool...DLP pulls in visitors who want to go the the park, but also tourists from around the globe that visit Paris.

While the new Paramount park will do doubt pull in people that visit London, its not going to pull in the global tourist trade in centrally located Marne le Valle at DLP

 

[peep]

You should probably make note that Paramount was asked to lend their brand to the entertainment park, it wasn't Paramount's idea to build this park. Considering all the other Paramount parks 'in the works' don't seem to be happening we have to wait and see just to see how likely this will actually be.

I think it has a good chance of happening though due to the amount of press it's getting here in the UK. Add on the fact that everyone is being very positive about it being built we may actually see it happen.

The entertainment park will also have a theme park which will include rollercoasters (there is an image somewhere, looks like they plan on having a large wooden coaster).

It'll be great for the UK because it'll also push the other London-based parks to up their game to keep up with the competition. 4 of the 5 biggest UK parks are owned by the same company which has made competition within the UK theme park industry a bit stale and boring, a big new resort like this will wake them up and make things interesting again.

I don't think this will effect Disneyland Paris in any way.

 

[wiigirl]

The more competition the better, so bring it on!

Some of it does seem to be like absolute blatant copies of what's in Disney however.

Very blantant copies...

 

[WDW1974]

Much like the previously announced Paramount-licensed park for Spain, I have significant doubts this will ever get built.

But I hope they both do. I love great theme parks (and even just very good ones) and the Spanish plans look amazing (I also have a friend doing work on it now).

DLP has its own issues from years of neglect. Hopefully, with the latest financial restructuring, DLP will finally be able to refurb so much that needs attention and start looking at adding attractions to the original park as well as DSP.

Oh, and as mentioned before, Paramount has nothing to lose by lending its name and IP and potentially many millions to be made if these parks get built. Totally different than when they dumped their small chain of regional amusement/theme parks in the USA.

 

[ScoutN]

Much like the previously announced Paramount-licensed park for Spain, I have significant doubts this will ever get built.

But I hope they both do. I love great theme parks (and even just very good ones) and the Spanish plans look amazing (I also have a friend doing work on it now).

DLP has its own issues from years of neglect. Hopefully, with the latest financial restructuring, DLP will finally be able to refurb so much that needs attention and start looking at adding attractions to the original park as well as DSP.

Oh, and as mentioned before, Paramount has nothing to lose by lending its name and IP and potentially many millions to be made if these parks get built. Totally different than when they dumped their small chain of regional amusement/theme parks in the USA.

Didn't Aqualandia purchase Terra Mitica?

A friend explained it to me as

Viacom split into CBS and another form of Viacom in 2006 and the original KECO parks (KD, KI, both CWs, and CGA) were slapped with CBS who thought that the parks were dead weight to their interests, so they sold them.

These latest park expansions are from the Viacom side, not the CBS side. It would also be nice to point out that there has been 4 proposed parks from all of this and 2 have been downright dead/cancelled (Korea, Dubai) while the other two haven't gotten much steam besides media publicity (Spain and Britain). I think they're just shopping for investors willing to hop on thanks to the media reaction in Britain, which was absolutely staggering.

This project is 6 years up the pipeline. There's a hell of a lot that can get in the way and bring this to a screeching halt, like it has much steam at the moment anyways...

 

[WDW1974]

Didn't Aqualandia purchase Terra Mitica?

A friend explained it to me as

Not sure any of that matters much, though.

The parks will either get built or they won't ... and funding for both (especially Spain as the UK is still basking in the post-Olympic glow) is up in the air.

Paramount won't stick a penny of its money into them.

But work is definitely happening on both now, which doesn't again mean much because parks all over the world from Paramount in South Korea to Sea World and Marvel's World of Superheros in Dubai to Disney Regional Entertainment ventures in Japan and Singapore have all been planned and designed and had millions spent on them and none will see the light of day. Such is the nature of the business.

 

[ScoutN]

Not sure any of that matters much, though.

The parks will either get built or they won't ... and funding for both (especially Spain as the UK is still basking in the post-Olympic glow) is up in the air.

Paramount won't stick a penny of its money into them.

But work is definitely happening on both now, which doesn't again mean much because parks all over the world from Paramount in South Korea to Sea World and Marvel's World of Superheros in Dubai to Disney Regional Entertainment ventures in Japan and Singapore have all been planned and designed and had millions spent on them and none will see the light of day. Such is the nature of the business.

And that is why I bring it up to you!