One of the largest theme park developments in the history of the Middle East is celebrating its grand opening, with the launch of Yas Island's latest addition – Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi.
Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, inaugurated the indoor theme park on Monday (23 July) ahead of its official launch today (25 July).
Featuring six immersive lands and covering 1.65 million sq ft (153,000sq m), the US$1bn (€808m, £703m) indoor attraction has been developed by Miral, with AECOM and the Thinkwell Group working on the landmark project.
A wide range of Warner Bros brands feature at the park, including DC Comics characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, as well as cartoon favourites such as Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo.
Inside, visitors can experience a selection of 29 rides, shows and attractions, including thrill rides, family attractions and live entertainment spectacles.
The DC universe makes up two of the six worlds, with Metropolis and Gotham City – the homes of Superman and Batman respectively – designed to draw fans of the comic book franchises to the attraction.
The next world, Cartoon Junction, brings together popular Warner Bros characters, placing them in a stylised cartoon world.
For fans of Hannah-Barbera’s
The Flintstones, a recreation of Bedrock makes up the fourth world, while Dynamite Gulch features both
Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters.
The final part of the park is the Warner Bros Plaza – an area celebrating Hollywood and telling the rich history of the Warner Bros brand.
"With my brother Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, we have launching the Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi – a new milestone for our capital," said Rashid.
"We are developing the tourism sector to position the UAE among top global destinations for family entertainment and leisure.
"This is a new destination for our families and a key hub to boost the tourism sector for our national economy."
Warner Bros Abu Dhabi is the third theme park to come to Yas Island, joining Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld at the entertainment destination. A fourth theme park is scheduled for 2022, with
SeaWorld’s first orca-free attraction.
Also owned by Miral, Yas Island has quickly become one of the Middle East’s major leisure and entertainment destinations since first opening Ferrari World in 2007. Now attracting 25 million visitors a year, Miral predicts those numbers to rise to 30 million, with the now open Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi.
