Viacom’s Viacom International Media Networks Asia unit has struck a deal for a Nickelodeon indoor theme park in China.
It will develop Nickelodeon’s first indoor theme park in Asia, and its largest indoor park in the world, with the developers of the planned Mall of China in Chongqing, Jiayuan Group, China Creation Group and Triple Five Group. The companies signed the agreement during a ceremony Thursday, with the park’s opening set for December 2020.
The park will showcase 14 of Nickelodeon’s properties, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Paw Patrol, across 29 attractions. That lineup will include a Ninja Turtles ride that is expected to set four world records for an indoor roller coaster – the longest track, highest drop, most inversions and fastest maximum speed. It will also feature the first tilting drop-tower attraction in Asia.
The developers are expected to invest more than $750 million in the mall, of which the theme park will occupy about 92,000 square feet. The approximately 1.5 million-square-foot Mall of China complex is part of a mixed-use development that will also include a residential enclave of about 40,000 residential units, an international K-12 school and an international hospital. The total area will cost over $4.2 billion to develop.
Located about 15 minutes from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, the Mall of China broke ground in September 2016 and is designed to not only serve the local area but also be a major tourism draw for Central China.
“Creating immersive on-the-ground consumer experiences remains an important part of our business, especially in Asia,” said Mark Whitehead, president and managing director, Asia Pacific, Viacom International Media Networks. “As we continue to grow the footprint of Nickelodeon theme parks across Asia Pacific, I am confident this will also open up new opportunities for the Nickelodeon brand and for our partners across multiple platforms in this important Chinese market.”
“Nickelodeon’s wide recognition in China will be instrumental to the success of Mall of China in attracting families of all ages from across the country to dine, shop and play at our project,” said Linda Dong, president of China Creation. “Our partnership with Nickelodeon is also a key component to our ability to deliver a world-class theme-park product to compete in this fast-growing industry.”
Nickelodeon-branded attractions and parks around the world include the Nickelodeon Universe in Minneapolis’ Mall of America, SeaWorld on the Gold Coast and Wet n Wild Sydney in Australia, Nickelodeon Land at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in the U.K., Nickland at Movie Park Germany, Nickelodeon Land at Parque de Atracciones Madrid in Spain and Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon at Sunway Lagoon in Malaysia. There are also Nickelodeon attractions at the Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando, Florida.
