Landmark Entertainment Group is known for creating theme park attractions like Kongfrontation, Terminator 2 3D, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man 5D at Universal Studios. Now it has developed a design concept for the L.I.V.E. Centre (Landmark Interactive Virtual Experience).
Source: Landmark Entertainment Group
This concept combines virtual reality and augmented reality elements into a theme park that is slated to open in China within three years.
In an interview with Fortune Magazine, CEO Tony Christopher says that the company has spent the last 14 months exploring how to use virtual reality and augmented reality in addition to traditional entertainment elements. The company is looking at creating a concept that can be duplicated in China multiple times. Each complex will include an interactive museum, a virtual zoo and aquarium, a digital art gallery, a live entertainment stage, an immersive movie theater, and themed retail experience.
Landmark plans to build 20 to 30 L.I.V.E. Centres in China in coming years. The project is supported by Chinese investment as well as the Chinese government. The centres will add to cultural installations such as museums, theaters, etc. As Christopher said, China is investing in about 2,000 museums to be built over the coming ten years and the complexes are part of this initiative.
Each center will be around 200,000 square feet (20,000 m² and about three US football fields) and use AR and VR components in about 30% of the complex. Compared to the Shanghai Disney park, which cost around $5 billion, each center will cost only about $200 million. This means for the same amount of money the company could build about 25 L.I.V.E. Centres. They estimate that each centre would attract about 3 to 5 million visitors per year, totaling anywhere from 75 million to 125 million visitors per year. This compares to the Disney park which expects 20 million visitors per year.
Part of the project is to develop new content going forward to keep the attraction of the L.I.V.E. Centres current. This is a very interesting concept and another way to familiarize consumers with AR and VR technology. – NH
