Marvel superheroes to tour the US: The Marvel Experience Tour

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Marvel superheroes to tour the United States; Other countries such as Australia interested to get in on the Hollywood action...

The Marvel Experience will bring movies and interactivity to around 20 cities beneath a massive dome, while Bradley Cooper has been tapped to play an anthropomorphic raccoon from outer space in Marvel's new movie, Guardians of the Galaxy...

The Avengers, Spider-Man and the X-Men will soon be sweeping across America as part of a new Marvel characters tour of the nation, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The $30m Marvel Experience, which is due to kick off in spring 2014, will be hosted under a 50,000 square foot dome which will visit between 20 and 24 cities. Attractions include a "4D" motion ride, original 3D animated features and holographic simulations similar to Disneyland's current Iron Man 3 attraction.

Confidence in the project is high, with the huge box office success of recent films such as The Avengers, Iron Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man feeding into newfound popularity for superheroes. Marvel and its partner, Los Angeles-based entertainment company Hero Ventures, are already planning a second tour of the nation with a revamped attraction once the current run is over.

"The dynamic creative elements we're developing are going to enable anyone to feel like a superhero like Spider-Man or Captain America," said Hero Ventures' Rick Licht. "We couldn't be more excited about our partnership with Marvel. Kids and adults are going to be absolutely inspired, empowered and thrilled from start to finish, with an immersive experience that is not just memorable, but unforgettable!"

Meanwhile, Marvel's film-making arm, Disney-owned Marvel Studios, is reportedly offering Bradley Cooper the key character of Rocket Raccoon in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film. An anthropomorphic raccoon from outer space, Rocket is being tipped to line up alongside a cavalcade of exotic heroes in what looks like the studio's most outlandish project so far. The Guardians team already features Chris Pratt as half-human, half-alien interplanetary policeman Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as green extraterrestrial assassin Gamora, Vin Diesel as talking tree, Groot, and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, a human resurrected as another green alien by a mysterious space deity to take revenge on his supervillain killer. The film, directed by Super's James Gunn, will hit cinemas in August next year.

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The Marvel Experience Tour to Hit U.S. in 2014...

Marvel and Hero Ventures, an L.A.-based entertainment company, are teaming to bring a $30 million themed interactive tour called The Marvel Experience to the U.S. with a 4D motion ride serving as its centerpiece.

The Marvel Experience, slated to kick off in spring 2014, can be seen as a Con, with aspects of a theme park (i.e. the 4D motion ride) thrown in. Original 3D animated features will also debut, along with digitally-projected animation, motion-comic origin stories, virtual reality/holographic simulations, merchandise and integrated social media.

The experience itself will sit under a 50,000-sq. ft. dome that will travel to 20-24 cities; it will stay in each city for several days. Locations and a list of U.S. cities taking part will be announced in weeks to come.

There are already plans to bring The Marvel Experience around for a second U.S. leg, wherein a new themed experience will be set up inside — a "sequel," of sorts.

Hero Ventures founders Rick Licht and Doug Schaer have brought on former Live Nation chairman Michael Cohl and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark co-producer/PRG founder Jeremiah "Jere" Harris as lead producers, with Hero Ventures partner Jason Rosen.

The Marvel Experience has also attracted a slew of industry heavyweights as investors, including New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, Shamrock Holdings' Roy P. Disney and WWE. Other investors include Guess co-founders Maurice and Paul Marciano, Vista Equity Partners' Brian Sheth, Enlight Media, Ross Hilton Kemper and others.

Hero Ventures' board of directors include Tisch, Stanley Gold, Maurice Marciano, Basil V. DeVito Jr., David B. Miller, Licht, Schaer, Cohl and Harris.

“Hero Ventures is developing a themed entertainment concept that we expect will be a transformative, traveling destination that will deliver to fans and families an exciting, groundbreaking and unique experience,” says Marvel’s vp business development Sean Haran.

Added Hero Ventures CEO Rick Licht: “The dynamic creative elements we’re developing are going to enable anyone to feel like a superhero like Spider-Man or Captain America. We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Marvel. Kids and adults are going to be absolutely inspired, empowered and thrilled from start to finish, with an immersive experience that is not just memorable, but unforgettable!”

Though there are currently no plans to bring The Marvel Experience to international waters, how it performs in the U.S. could serve as a test ground.
Ticket information will be available in coming weeks.

The news comes after a Thor attraction was announced on the Disney Parks blog, promising Disneyland visitors will "come face-to-face with the Mighty Avenger, Thor." Disneyland currently has the Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries special exhibit.

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Spider-Man Producers and Hero Ventures Will Launch "The Marvel Experience," a Super Hero Adventure...

Hero Ventures, a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, announced Aug. 22 that it is teaming up with Marvel Entertainment and Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris to create "The Marvel Experience" — described as "an innovative, traveling experience, featuring dozens of Marvel's iconic Super Heroes" — set to launch in 2014.

Founded by sports and entertainment industry entrepreneurs Rick Licht and Doug Schaer, Hero Ventures is dedicated to producing unique themed entertainment experiences. Cohl, former Live Nation Chairman, and PRG founder Harris will serve as lead producers. The team is rounded out by co-founding partner Jason Rosen.

The Marvel Experience is described as "a 'first-person' Super Hero adventure in which audiences step into the Marvel Universe to become a part of the story and the action. Innovative tour elements include a one-of-a-kind, traveling dome complex the size of two football fields developed exclusively by Hero Ventures. In addition to the 4D motion ride and 3D animated features, other components will include digitally projected animation, motion-comic origin stories, virtual reality and holographic simulations, original merchandise and integrated social media touch points all carefully woven into the rich narrative story line."

"The Marvel Universe just keeps getting hotter, as seen by the massive world-wide box office and merchandise success of their characters," said Cohl in a statement. "We can't wait to bring our Marvel vision to life in this first-of-its-kind event."

Marvel's VP of business development, Sean Haran, added, "Hero Ventures is developing a themed entertainment concept that we expect will be a transformative, traveling destination that will deliver to fans and families an exciting, groundbreaking and unique experience."

For more information, visit www.TheMarvelExperienceTour.com

Websites

Marvel.com
www.marvel.com

The Marvel Experience Tour official website
www.TheMarvelExperienceTour.com

Madame Tussauds London YouTube: Making of Marvel Super Heroes 4D Experience at Madame Tussauds London
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiU1HlRzEAM

Media Man Int
www.mediamanint.com

Media Man
www.mediaman.com.au