I’m not comics connoisseur. If you quizzed me on which characters belong in a Marvel or D.C. world, I’d have to call a lifeline help. What I do love, though, is interactive experiences. So maybe it’s time I start to figure out Iron Man from Aquaman, because The Marvel Experience is coming to a parking lot near you (well, just four parking lots for now).
“The Marvel Experience: The World’s First Hyper-Reality Tour will bring to life all the heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe and put throw them all together in a new, part film, part carnival and part interactive event that will cover 2 acres, 7 giant domes and the world’s only 360-degree, 3-D stereoscopic full-Dome attraction and a state-of-the-art 4-D motion ride,” Steve Buja reported for Game & Guide. “Digital versions of all your favorite characters (regardless of who owns the film rights to them) will fly, fight and live all around you. Want Iron Man and MODOK to fight? That will probably happen.”
I don’t know who MODOK is but that doesn’t matter. I’m in this for the interactive elements. Augmented reality, multiperson gaming, and RFID tracking? My heart’s all a-fluttered!
“With this dynamic new way to experience entertainment, you’re actually in the middle of the action from start to finish,” said Rick Licht, CEO of Hero Ventures, in a press release. “While I’m sure kids will eat this up, we know that there is an extensive Marvel fan base over the age of 25—and we’ve created this event with them in mind. The grown-ups are going to absolutely love The Marvel Experience!”
Hero Ventures is producing the event, and a preview will take place at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Phoenix, Arizona, from Dec. 12, 2014 to Jan. 3, 2015. A red-carpet event is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2015, at the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. Tickets go on sale October 10.
Buja reported that the largest dome stands 65-feet tall and that because the footprint is so large that is why it’s being place in parking lots instead of inside stadiums.
“The experience will never repeat itself, so every room you go into will feature a new gadget or gizmo of bleeding edge technology,” Buja wrote. “All of it will be seamlessly woven together to craft a ‘new world of storytelling’ where the action takes place not only in front of you, but behind, above and all around.”
The Marvel Experience: North American dates and venues (subject to change)
Phoenix, Arizona Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 12/12/14–1/3/15
Dallas, Texas The Cotton Bowl at Fairpark, 1/9/14–2/1/15
SanDiego, California Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2/7/15–2/22/15
SanFrancisco, California AT&T Park – Lot A, 2/27/15–3/22/15
(Image: The Marvel Experience)
