Warner Bros theme park gets its opening date

Tickets for July 25 opening of Yas Island theme park are on sale now

The park’s shops will offer high-end memorabilia, some of which will not be available anywhere else

An indoor theme park seven years in the making will open in Abu Dhabi this summer as the emirate looks to boost its year-round tourism attractions and entertain families throughout the summer.

The US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island will have 29 rides spread over more than 14.8 hectares and will open on Wednesday, July 25.

It contains six zones featuring live performance shows and superhero characters.

Tickets went on sale yesterday for visitors who want to be the first to see Superman’s Metropolis, Batman’s Gotham City and the Flintstones’ Bedrock.

“The launch of Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi is yet another milestone in the emirate’s journey to further enrich its tourism offering, and help establish it as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations,” said Mohammed Al Mubarak, the chairman of Miral asset management, the developer.

“We are thrilled that fans will be able to enjoy the outcome of this partnership and the massive fun and engaging park offerings in a few months.”

Costumed actors will mingle with visitors as they make their way through the huge complex.

Mr Mubarak said the park would provide a big boost for Yas Island.

“We definitely expect more than the 27 million visitors that visited Yas Island last year,” he said.

He said the huge financial outlay would take many years to recover but it was a long-term investment in Abu Dhabi’s future.

“It is a business that is everchanging and continues to need equity [to stay] ahead of the game, so you are always injecting cash to make sure you are getting the most advanced rides and creative new worlds,” he said.

Dubai Parks and Resorts, which is on the outskirts of Dubai and is largely outdoors, had a difficult year last year, posting substantial losses – more than Dh1bn.

It has since been restructured and managed to boost visitor numbers, particularly targeting the Gulf states. More than 850,000 people passed through its gates in the first three months of this year, a 45 per cent increase on the previous year.

“I expect to perform very strongly – even as we have been in a tough market in 2017, we’ve seen over 10 per cent growth in tourism numbers,” Mr Mubarak said. “We’ve seen markets grow in the Emirates, from China to India to Saudi Arabia, continuing sustainable growth from the UK and from France.”

Mark Gsellman, general manager of Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi, said the growth of superhero culture and films made the park a big draw.

“Superman, Batman, Gotham City, Metropolis – people grew up with these characters and so did their children,” he said.

The park’s shops will also offer high-end memorabilia, some of which will not be available anywhere else.

“There is plenty of opportunity to buy whatever your heart desires,” Mr Gsellman said.