- The immersive virtual reality experience is available for the first time in Saudi Arabia following its successful launch in UAE in 2019
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and Dreamscape, the immersive virtual reality entertainment company, inaugurated the first Dreamscape experience in Saudi Arabia at Riyadh Park Mall as part of their regional partnership. The opening comes three years after Dreamscape debuted in the Middle East at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.
The official opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Prince Bandar bin Khalid F. Al Saud, President of Unified Real Estate Development, senior management from Majid Al Futtaim including Alain Bejjani, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Holding, Ignace Lahoud, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas and Mohamed Al Hashemi, Country Head, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment, Cinemas & Lifestyle, Joe Abi Akl, Chief Corporate Development Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Holding and Aaron Grosky, President and COO of Dreamscape.
Combining the emotional power of Hollywood storytelling with the visceral excitement of great theme park rides, Dreamscape’s revolutionary, full-body tracking technology powers heart-pumping, dynamic adventures that offer a deep level of immersion. Pushing the limits of virtual reality, guests young and old (ages 10 and over) are invited to experience the magic of full sensory storytelling in realistic and interactive virtual worlds. Founded in 2017, the immersive VR destination is backed by some of Hollywood’s most successful studios and talent, including 21st Century Fox, WarnerMedia, Viacom, Steven Spielberg, and Hans Zimmer.
“Entertainment is fast becoming a pillar in the Kingdom’s economy, and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas remains committed to investing in the prosperous future of Saudi Arabia. We are a leading supporter of Vision 2030’s Quality of Life Program and are determined to deliver innovative entertainment experiences for residents and visitors alike, as well as supporting local job creation,” said Ignace Lahoud, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas. He continued, “We are extremely excited to join forces once again with Dreamscape given our shared goal to take entertainment to new heights with game-changing concepts. Combining powerful storytelling with cutting-edge technology, Dreamscape enables guests to step into futuristic adventures, which blur the boundaries between reality and imagination.”
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Majid Al Futtaim as it expands our next generation immersive experiences across the region,” said Aaron Grosky, President and COO of Dreamscape. “Dreamscape was founded to be a place where people make lifelong memories by exploring fantastical worlds with their friends and family. We believe in pushing creative boundaries, and Dreamscape VR combines premium technology with awe-inspiring, breathtaking content to fully engage our audiences in the experience like never before.”
Dreamscape Saudi Arabia is integrated with Majid Al Futtaim’s entertainment concepts VOX Cinemas, Yalla! Bowling and Magic Planet, and complemented by F&B options, making it the ultimate family-friendly destination. It houses four free-roaming and free-flying virtual reality experiences, which transport guests to a whole new world. Guests are invited to soar to new heights and perform a daring rescue mission in DreamWorks Dragons: Flight Academy; journey to a wildlife refuge of intergalactic creatures in Alien Zoo; leap into a daring adventure to find a cursed treasure in Curse of the Lost Pearl: A Magic Projector Adventure; or suit up as agents and save the universe from the extraterrestrial world in MIB: First Assignment.
Dreamscape currently has locations in Dubai, Riyadh, Geneva, Los Angeles, Dallas, Ohio and New Jersey. The new location marks the continued growth of Dreamscape’s business and
Majid Al Futtaim’s expansion across the Middle East.
Dreamscape in Saudi Arabia is located on the 1st floor of Riyadh Park Mall next to VOX Cinemas. For more information or to make a booking, visit dreamscapemena.com.
About Majid Al Futtaim
Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
A remarkable business success story, Majid Al Futtaim started from one man’s vision to transform the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure to ‘create great moments for everyone, every day’. It has since grown into one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and successful businesses, spanning 17 international markets, employing more than 43,000 people, and obtaining the highest credit rating (BBB) among privately-held corporates in the region.
Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 29 shopping malls, 13 hotels and four mixed-use communities, with further developments underway in the region. The shopping malls portfolio includes Mall of the Emirates, Mall of Egypt, Mall of Oman, City Centre malls, My City Centre neighbourhood centres and five community malls, which are in joint venture with the Government of Sharjah. The Company is the exclusive franchisee for Carrefour in over 30 markets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, operating a portfolio of more than 375 outlets including City+, the region’s first checkout-free store, and an online store.
Majid Al Futtaim operates more than 600 VOX Cinemas screens, as well as a portfolio of world-class leisure and entertainment experiences across the region, including Ski Dubai, Ski Egypt, Dreamscape, Magic Planet, Little Explorers and iFLY Dubai. The Company is parent to a Fashion, Home and Specialty retail business, representing international brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, AllSaints, lululemon athletica, Crate & Barrel, and THAT, a Majid Al Futtaim fashion concept store and app. In addition, Majid Al Futtaim operates Enova, a facility and energy management company, through a joint venture operation with Veolia, a global leader in optimised environment resource management.
About Dreamscape
Dreamscape is a world-leading VR company, pioneering immersive experiences for entertainment, enterprise, and education.
Dreamscape was founded in 2017 by cinematic heavyweights, live events experts, gaming veterans and medical researchers who came together under a collective mission: to leverage singular VR technology with Hollywood-certified storytelling to create unforgettable virtual reality experiences.
The company’s location-based VR venues began rolling out across the US and Middle East in December 2018 to unprecedented audience enthusiasm with additional domestic and international locations coming soon. The company currently services the defense and intelligence sector through immersive training and guided simulations for mission-critical skills. Most recently, Dreamscape introduced Dreamscape Learn, a new partnership with the nation’s leading innovator in education Arizona State University, to transform learning through exploration.
