Aquaverse: Columbia Pictures to open its first theme and water park – in Thailand

Rides and attractions will be based on some of the world's favourite family-friendly films

Columbia Pictures' Aquaverse is the US film studio's first theme and water park, and it will be located in Thailand. Courtesy Amazon Falls

Fans of popular films such as Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Bad Boys, Men in Black and Hotel Transylvania will now get the chance to enjoy those movies in a whole new way, as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Thai developer Amazon Falls are building the first Columbia Pictures theme and water park.

Called Columbia Pictures Aquaverse, the 14-acre attraction is in the seaside town of Bang Saray in Thailand, 20 minutes from Pattaya and 90 minutes from the capital, Bangkok.

Sony Pictures and Amazon Falls announced the project on Wednesday, and said rides and attractions will begin opening from October. These will be themed on the aforementioned films, plus plenty more, including Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and The Emoji Movie.

Eight themed zones

The park will cater to visitors of all ages and will have eight themed zones, which will feature water and land-based attractions, as well as a programme of live shows, "immersive" entertainment, interactive props, restaurants and retail outlets.

The zones include: Men in Black Thrill Rides, where there are water coaster rides, including a 12-metre free-rall ride that sends you down an MIB Wormhole; Ghostbusters Supernatural Experience, where visitors will find the "world's first and only" fully enclosed water dome in a family raft ride; Bad Boys Raceway, which will have outdoor go-kart tracks in a neon-hued Miami-themed racecourse; Jumanji Jungle Adventure, with its jungle-themed water slides and splash pool; and Hotel Transylvania Kid-Friendly Zone, where children can enjoy the biggest water park in Aquaverse, with more than 100 features.

There's also Surf's Up in Surfer's Paradise, where there's a dual Flowrider, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Swallow Falls River Adventure, with its lazy river, and the Vivo Wave Pool, where developers plan to host celebrities and performances by international DJs.

The opening comes as part of Sony's strategy to develop more location-based entertainment and attractions that draw on its film and TV brands.

“We are creating opportunities for all audiences around the world to immerse themselves deeper into our stories through water parks, touring exhibitions and theme park attractions,” said Jeffrey Godsick, Sony's head of location-based entertainment.

Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor

Liakat Dhanji, chief executive and chairman of Amazon Falls, said the park's launch "represents a first step in what we envision to be a broader collaboration that will pioneer the future of an integrated entertainment destination as part of the Eastern Economic Corridor's smart city".

This will include more projects, for accommodation, technology, retail and food and beverage, among others.

The EEC straddles three eastern provinces of Thailand – Chonburi, Rayong, and Chachoengsao – and the country's government has been working for years to turn this 13,285 square metres into an economic and business hub.