Columbia Pictures is getting into the theme park game with Aquaverse

After a rough 2020 for theme parks around the world, 2021 is starting to look up. More and more existing parks are opening their doors to guests. On top of that new parks and rides are finally coming to fruition, like Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Aquaverse.

This is the new park in the works in Thailand, and will be based on a variety of properties from Sony Entertainment and Amazon Falls. Columbia Pictures’ Aquaverse has to potential to be a top spot for theme park enthusiasts from around the world.

The legacy of Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures traces it roots back to the Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales Corporation which opened its doors in 1918. Eventually becoming Columbia Pictures, the company established itself as a major studio in the Hollywood system.

It bought several companies throughout its existence but it was also bought and sold a few times itself. At one point, Coca-Cola owned 80% of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc, a company made up of Columbia Pictures Industries and Tri-Star Pictures.

Then in 1989, Sony bought Columbia and became a major player in the business. The next few decades saw huge changes in the film industry, some good and some bad. But Columbia has continued to be a big part of everything going on.

Columbia Pictures’ Aquaverse

Currently under construction, Aquaverse will rest in the town of Bangsaray, Thailand. It’s actually an existing theme park that’s being redeveloped using various Columbia Pictures movies, settings and characters.

Aqauverse will be a hybrid theme park and water park, something that has been common in these kind of experiences for years. But putting it on the coast in Thailand will make it an even more engaging tourist destination.

Rides and attractions will be themed to a range of movies, including Men in Black, Hotel Transylvania and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Some of these intellectual properties have already been licensed to other parks like Universal Orlando Resort.

Aquaverse’s biggest rides

Aquaverse will cash in on the recent popularity of the Jumangi franchise with the Jumanji Jungle Adventure. It will feature wild jungle themed water slides. And riders will visit Jaguar Mountain while being chased by Mandrills, then plunge into an epic splash pool.

If you’ve ever wanted to ride Bad Boys themed go karts on a Miami themed track, then apparently Thailand is the place to go. Bad Boys Raceway will let visitors to just that, and it actually sounds pretty awesome.

Then, there’s the Ghostbusters Supernatural Experience, which is reputedly, “the world’s first and only fully-enclosed water dome in a family raft ride.”  But it will inevitably be a draw to any fans of the Ghostbusters franchise. There are people who will travel to Thailand for it

The people behind Columbia Picture’s Aquaverse are quite optimistic about the pandemic, and have targeted an opening of October 2020. Hopefully, that pans out because this park already sounds fantastic.