Lionsgate signs to open 'Hunger Games' theme park on Jeju Island

By Ko Dong-hwan

Audiences that raved about novel-based science fiction adventure film franchise “Hunger Games” will be able to experience the thrill at a theme park on Jeju Island.

Landing Jeju Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Landing International Development Limited, said Wednesday it signed with the United States’ Lionsgate, the franchise’s distributor, to build “Lionsgate Movie World” as part of recreational resort complex Jeju Shinhwa World now under construction.

The theme park, built over 122,000 square meters, will be Lionsgate’s first branded outdoor park and the biggest among the studio’s location-based entertainment businesses.

The park will have seven zones, each themed around different blockbuster movies and featuring reproduced streets and towns, rides, 4D experience halls, restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and entertainment performances. The thematic movies include the “Hunger Games,” “Twilight Saga” and “Now You See Me” franchises and “Robin Hood,” to be released next March.

The five “Twilight” films grossed more than $3.3 billion worldwide, while the four “Hunger Games” movies raked in $2.9 billion.

Yang Zhihui, chairman and executive director of Landing International Development Limited, said: “We are very excited to have the first Lionsgate Movie World at Jeju Shinhwa World, bringing Hollywood movies and their immersive environments to our theme park to deliver a premium guest experience.

“With Lionsgate’s success in the content creation industry, we strongly believe that Lionsgate Movie World at Jeju Shinhwa World will enhance our offerings and further strengthen Jeju Shinhwa World’s market position as a desired tourist destination in Jeju.”

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said: “Under the leadership of Tim Palen, Kerry Phelan and Jenefer Brown, and driven by a valuable portfolio of intellectual property, we have built a global location-based entertainment business in just three short years, and Lionsgate Movie World promises to become one of its crown jewels.”

The park’s construction will begin next year and it will be open for business in 2019.