20th Century Fox theme park in Dubai on hold
20th Century Fox-branded theme park, planned for construction in Dubai, is currently on hold, it has been confirmed.
Mohammed Khammas, chief executive officer of Al Ahli Group, said concerns about oversupply were the main factor behind holding off on the project.
Al Ahli Group had entered a global licensing deal with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products in 2015, which allowed it to “build four Fox parks anywhere outside the US”.
Among the first planned facilities was a 37ha theme park near Dubai Outlet Mall, which would feature Fox products such as The Simpsons, Ice Age, Night at the Museum, Planet of the Apes, and Titanic.
The project was due to complete by 2020, but work is yet to begin on the development.
“We’ve realised that there’s now a serious supply of theme parks in Dubai,” Khammas informed us.
“The developers have done an amazing job, and the existing offering is perfect, but right now people should stay away from developing another one, at least for the foreseeable future.”
In November 2015, Reuters reported that the development would be partly funded through project financing from a consortium of banks.
Khammas was said to have confirmed that the park would include 200 hotel rooms, and be designed and operated by California-based Rethink Leisure and Entertainment.
