Paramount Park Project at Alhama de Murcia in Spain is Dead

Remember this big Paramount Park project at Alhama de Murcia in Spain that i told you about last month - see HERE ? Well, i'm afraid to say that the project is probably dead as Premursa "the Developer and Promoter behind the Paramount Murcia theme park project - also the President of one of the Investment companies behind the €50 Million development" filed for bankruptcy! Tumbit Spain add that "following yesterday's news, Jesus Samper declined to make any comment to journalists, instead suggesting that they speak with Santa Ana Alicante - the co-investors who had assumed responsibility for the promotion of the development".

In two words, the project is probably dead, it's a pity as it looked interesting but the concept itself is probably copyright Paramount so we might see it appear in others Paramount Park projects. Although the project at Alhama de Murcia received the green light of the city council last month what is happening is not very surprising considering the real estate situation right now in Spain. Good news, though, for DLP as it's also one less European competitor for Disneyland Paris, let's see now if the other Paramount Park project, the one in London will happen or not...

Picture: copyright Paramount parks

Paramount Park at Alhama de Murcia, Spain - Full Review With All Artworks - Part Two

Here is the part two of my report on the upcoming Paramount Park at Alhama de Murcia, in Spain. If you've missed the part one posted yesterday you MUST read it before this one to understand better what this park will be and you'll find the part one HERE.

Let's move to the next land of this Paramount park, and this one is called "Woodland Fantasy" and it will be a mix of Fantasyland and Harry Potter land - in the "spirit" only of course as the rides and attractions will be unique. In Woodland Fantasy "kids will find all the fantasy included in some of their favorite movies and it will be the headquarter for every young fans of magic. Thanks to the Stardust's Magician Workshop they will be able to improve their techniques to become the best ones."

The big E-Ticket ride of Woodland Fantasy will be "Spiderwick Chronicles" inspired by the famous children books and movies, and it'll be an interactive attraction using cutting edge technology in which the visitors will use their magic wand to gain the most possible points as they ride through a series of 3D projected fantasy scenes.

In "Fairy Tale Voyages" visitors will travel on a boat all over different places to discover whether fairy characters exist or not and where to find them.

Woodland Fantasy will also include a play zone with a maze and others children rides like a carousel with fantasy creatures...

The other big attraction should be Sleepy Hollow, a movie "in which 3D audio effects and holographic projections will join forces with the Headless Horseman so as the visitors will not be sure if what they hear is real or is the Horseman is in the room with them..."
I have the feeling this one might use the 3D audio technology previously used by WDI Imagineers in WDW "Alien Encounter" attraction...

Let's move to "Plaza Futura", the "Tomorrowland" of this Paramount park! Plaza Futura "will be dedicated to science fiction and to that uncertain future that many movies have described, with thrilling outer space adventures".

The special effects will have the major role in each corner of Plaza Futura and the big E-Ticket ride will be the Star Trek attraction, which will use state of the art technology and launch riders in a thrilling journey into the stars. Below, artworks of the pre show and show itself and it looks like it'll be a big simulator ride.

On the "Warp Speed" coaster riders will blast through the most thrilling ride in the galaxy! A catapult launch seems to be guaranteed on this one.

At "Quasar Force" kids will have a space activity where they will come space heroes in a more colorful and inviting version of outer space. The ride itself looks like a mad mouse coaster...

And that's the end of the artwork report but you can see more about the paramount Park Murcia project in the presentation video below. The park was supposed to open in 2015 but i think it's better to bet on an opening not before 2016.




The big question for DLP fans is: will this new park be a competitor and have an effect on Disneyland Paris attendance? Considering that Paramount Park Murcia will be located in the south of Spain at more than 1400 km from DLP and is smaller than DLP it won't be a daily competitor as Universal can be to WDW in Orlando. But is it going to hurt DLP attendance? Yes, it probably will, i think Paramount Park Murcia is a bad news for DLP, and here is why.

As you know the WDC gave to DLP six months ago a huge amount of money - 1.332 billion euros - to allow DLP  to refinance its debt with the banks. The operation was done to avoid DLP to continue paying the huge debt interests, but now of course DLP owe the 1.332 billion euros to the WDC.

What you probably DON'T know is the other part of the deal and from what i have been told it is this one: the WDC gave 1.332 B € to DLP and DLP have the money to pay for the WDS Ratatouille ride but the park will have to find by itself the money to finance all future attractions. This is why DLP don't communicate yet on the Ratatouille ride opening next year, because from now each visitor to DLP parks count more than ever and DLP definitely don't want anyone to wait until the Ratatouille ride open to come to the parks. If the parks attendance is falling, then the resort revenues will, then the benefit will be smaller. And it's precisely on the benefit that, from now, the park will take - and save - some money each year to pay by itself the future rides.

Now that you know this you will understand why the Paramount Park in Spain might be a danger for DLP. Paramount is already a well known movie studios and when the park will open they surely will do a big marketing operation all over Europe, and you can be sure that spaniards as well as some of the millions of tourists who go on vacation each summer in Spain will consider to have a visit at Paramount Park Murcia, where they will find plenty of new rides they've never seen before. Sure, Paramount Park Murcia won't "take" million of visitors to DLP but even if it is 300.000 or 500.000 less visitors per year it would be catastrophic for Disneyland Paris as it is precisely these "last" 500.000 visitors on which DLP makes its benefit.

And, as i've said, no DLP benefit, no new rides. And wait, this is without counting the possible opening of the other Paramount Park in London, which will make the situation even worse as DLP needs - and has - more visitors from the U.K than from Spain, specially now with the big economy crisis in Spain. My only advice is that no one at DLP underestimate this new Paramount Park which, without being as big as DLP, could very well be as good as a small Universal Studios park.

Your thoughts?

Artwork and video: copyright Paramount Pictures and Parks

Green Light For the Paramount Park at Alhama de Murcia, Spain - Full Review With All Artworks - Part One

A new theme park will open in Europe and this one is from a major entertainment company as it will be a Paramount Park. You've heard recently the announcement of a Paramount Park coming to London, but this one is another Paramount park project, located at Alhama de Murcia, in Spain.  Although the project was announced a while ago it took sometime to get the green light from the city council, and on May 9 a special session of Alhama de Murcia's city council formally approved the plan. The council had now concluded all the bureaucratic stages to be able to grant full planning permission and this will enable the construction of the park to start shortly.

As a matter of fact this Paramount park is part of an even bigger project which include the construction of another area called Lifestyle Center which will include condos and office buildings, leisure gardens, seven 4 or 3 stars hotels and one 5 stars hotels including a casino,  malls, dining and night life areas, business and convention center, an auditorium and exhibition hall for cultural events, etc...

So, the whole project is a pretty big one but we will concentrate on what is the most interesting for us, i.e the theme park itself as it will include shows and rides, some from famous license movies. Let's start with the park's map, and as you can see the park will include five lands.

Here is a picture of the park's model, the Paramount park entrance is here located at the bottom right. It certainly will not be as big as Disneyland Paris Magic Kingdom and my feeling is that it should be the same size, if not a bit bigger, than Universal Studios park in Singapore, which also has its lands placed all around a center lake. 

Let's start the visit of the park, would we, and in the grand Disney and more tradition i have for you all the artworks for each ride and attractions! As usual click on each of them to see them in big size. 

The first rendering below shows of course the entrance of the park with guests walking through the legendary Paramount gate.

Next, they will enter Paseo Paramount, a dining and retail spine that will run through the park... 

...and the key entertainment offering will be "Paramount Live!" a musical revue that will celebrate Paramount greatest movie musicals in a live stage spectacular.

"Adventure City" will be the next land on the left, here is an artwork of the main street.

In Adventure City, guests will find what should be a big E-Ticket ride, "Mission Impossible 4D".  The 4D virtual attraction will mix the best scenes of the movies and its most stunning special effects, including a similar set as the one appearing in Tom Cruise movies.

It seems that you can expect here a ride using a similar technology than Universal's Spiderman or Transformers ride - even the ride vehicle looks the same - with a mix of 3D movies on giant screens and additional "real" show effects! Below, the pre show and show artworks.

Always in Adventure City guests will experience at "Titanic, the Exhibition" the unforgettable story of the Titanic that took place 100 years ago, through artifacts, displays and special medias. This one will obviously be a walk-through attraction. I've seen the Titanic exhibition which is on tour around the world and it was already very good, and i expect the one in the park to be much better considering the decors wouldn't have to be designed to be "moved" in several locations, like the ones of the exhibition tour.

Also in Adventure City guests will find "Grease Lightning", "An attraction where cars will have a leading role. Classic bumpers cars are updated in this funny entertainment for all ages, without losing the essence of the famous musical movie".

In Adventure City's Osteria Corleone restaurant, inspired by the Godfather movies, visitors will know at first hand what food establishments from the italian immigrants in the U.S looked like during the 1940's.

Let's move to the next land: Rango's West, and this one seems to be the "Frontierland" of the park, but a funny one: "The Far-West will be the main character of this world within the Paramount park with a combination of performances, shops, rides and restaurants".

Rango the sheriff will be the main character in "How the West Was Sung" an attraction in which visitors will help the character to restore order in the city, and the 4D scenes will bring the guests to a world filled with legendary characters from the Paramount western movies.  This attraction seems to be a 4D theater movie and i have the feeling that the film might be inspired by the concept of DLP WDS Cinemagique attraction in which a character has been digitally include in real movie clips...

On Rango's Raging Rapids guest will embark for a wet and wild raft ride and shall overcome all the obstacles they will find on their way, unless they want to be completely wet at the end of it! 

The Spirit of the West Mine coaster will be Rango's West roller coaster "traveling around various landscapes at a locomotive speed".

Rango's West will also features a shooting gallery and close to the Spirit of the West Mine coaster a play area "where all the themed elements are delightfully larger than life". Think about a "Western Toy Story Land" and you should be close to what this play area will be.

The artwork visit of Paramount Park Murcia is not finished yet and there is more lands to come,  including what will be Paramount Park Murcia equivalent of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and the part two is now on line HERE with more great renderings!

All artwork and pictures: copyright Paramount Parks and Pictures