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CBS Films enters into an exclusive national partnership with Six Flags Entertainment for a unique Halloween theme park experience that brings horror flick Hell Fest to life in CA, NJ, and IL. New themes areas include The Mausoleum, an increasingly narrow hall that forces guests to feel the touch of death; The Mask Room, a room filled with floating white faces that come alive; The Doll Room, filled with dolls; and The Torture Chamber, a display of disassembled, dissected, and disemboweled bodies. Six Flag’s Fright Fest celebration open Sept. 15 through Oct. 31t while Hell Fest hits screens Sept. 28.
Koko Rose Media brings its arts & lifestyle property Deer Little Forest to five indoor activity theme parks across Asia in an agreement brokered by Tokyo-based Honmoku File. The first park is scheduled to open in Bangkok in June 2019 with subsequent parks in Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore slated through 2020 and 2022 and farther-out plans to expand into China. The indoor attractions will include a section of cafés, shops, and grownup hangout areas and will allow kids to explore different professions alongside a newly-designed range of animal bakers, pilots, doctors, shopkeepers, construction workers and chefs.
eOne and Alibaba Pictures Group will co-produce Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year, Peppa Pig’s debut Chinese movie. The film releases Feb. 5, 2019, coinciding with Chinese New Year celebrations in the Year of the Pig. The film’s storyline was developed specifically for young families and incorporates New Year traditions like dragon dancing and dumpling wrapping. The film introduces brand new Panda twins characters, who will be featured on limited-edition panda-themed merchandise to be released exclusively through Ali Fish, the licensing and entertainment business unit under Alibaba Pictures.
Bandai Namco’s classic 1981 arcade game, Galaga Chronicles, is getting an animated 12-episode sci-fi adaptation. The Nuttery produces with the help of veteran film and TV writer/producer Roberto Orci and Emmy-award winning animation studio ShadowMachine.
Funko is looking at opening three flagship-style B&M locations in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago by late 2019 or early 2020, CEO Brian Mariotti revealed to the Puget Sound Business Journal. The company is looking for at least as much space as its Everett, WA (17,000 rentable sq. ft., of which 14,000 is usable for retail) to replicate its “elevated experience level”.
The Jake Paul x ComedyShortsGamer (Olatunji) and Logan Paul x KSI boxing matches—a “perverse mix of brazen commercialism and the infliction of genuine pain” proving that “shameless boorishness, materialism, and sexism are popular” per The Verge—between two sets of YouTube’s most villainous siblings attracted 15,000 in-person U.K. spectators as well as over 800,000 paying streamers (through YT at $10 each) and over one million estimated illicit pirates (mostly through Twitch).
For the record: Jake Paul won his fight against Olatunji, and celebrated by challenging Chris Brown to fight him next (he didn’t respond favorably). Between Logan Paul and KSI, the fight was a draw—and the sequel is expected to take place in the U.S. Paul used much of time in the limelight to launch his new brand, RNBO (“Rise n’ Be Original”). The brand’s dedicated Instagram @shoprnbo boasts over 640,000 followers.
MGA Entertainment is bringing a portion of its plastic manufacturing to the U.S.; CEO Isaac Larian said that the toyco is scouting for an injection and blow moulding manufacturing expert to help with the move. MGAE has a factory in Ohio.
Separately, Hasbro chairman Brian Goldner shared plans to bring more manufacturing to the U.S. The toyco aims to carry out 40% of all production outside China.
Genius Brands raises $4.5 million in a funding round led by financier Robert Wolf of 32 Ventures. The money will drive preschool property Rainbow Rangers, set to launch Nov. 5 on Nick Jr. and in late Spring in retail.