'The Hunger Games,' 'John Wick,' And 'Mad Men' NYC Entertainment Centers Scrapped By Lionsgate
Drop your dreams of riding a John Wick-themed shooting ride or flying in a Hunger Games simulator attraction: the ambitious Lionsgate entertainment center that was set to open in New York City's Time Square has been scrapped.
Variety reports that the Lionsgate-branded indoor entertainment center, dubbed Lionsgate Entertainment City, has been abandoned by the studio. This center was one of several branded indoor entertainment centers planned by Lionsgate and the Madrid-based Parques Reunidos that would be themed around the studio's films like The Hunger Games, John Wick, and Divergent as well as shows like Mad Men, and built in high traffic urban areas in major U.S. and European cities. The plan was first unveiled in 2017, but the project has since been scrapped following Parques Reunidos leaving the partnership.
Here's what was planned to be in the entertainment center, per variety:
The Times Square location would have included a "Mad Men" themed dining-lounge experience, inspired by the show's 1960's décor. Other scrapped attractions include: a "Hunger Games" flying simulator attraction; the Dauntless Challenge Course, a Divergent themed obstacle course; the "John Wick: Chapter Two" shooting ride; a virtual reality motorcycle experience; a Lionsgate Café, the Hunger Games-inspired Peeta's Bakery and The Capitol Confectionery, along with the first-ever Lionsgate Studio Store.
Liongate seems eager to build theme parks and attractions from its franchises, despite films like The Hunger Games and Divergent being wholly unsuited for the concept (both are YA dystopias that feature children literally battling for their lives), but the studio has been slowly building a network of entertainment center locations around the globe: There's Lionsgate Zone of the Motiongate theme park in Dubai, the Saw Escape Room in Las Vegas, and the Hunger Gamez exhibition tour.
It's not surprising that a Times Square-located entertainment center was scrapped, however. The area is already overly crowded with stores, restaurants, and rude tourists — which makes it an appealing location but a hellish place to start any kind of construction project. So as popular as a Mad Men-themed dining lounge would be in Times Square (because of course it would), Lionsgate is better off for steering clear of the area.