Paramount-Branded Theme Park to Open in China, Includes Star Trek Area

A massive new theme park is coming to China, with rides and attractions based on various Paramount movies and properties. Earlier this week, Chinese authorities announced plans to build an $8 billion theme park resort in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province. The theme park will be the third largest in China, trailing only Universal Beijing and Shanghai Disneyland in terms of size. Also included in the park resort are several international art museums, designed to make the park an international tourist attraction. The total size of the theme park is estimated to be 643 acres.

Variety reports that the park will consist of six themed “areas,” many of which are focused on specific Paramount IPs. Paramount Boulevard will have theme hotels and retail and dining options. There will be two thrill ride areas called Adventure City and Wonderland, which will include Mission Impossible and Italian Job rides. Additionally, there will be an area featuring characters from Charles Schultz’s Peanuts, an area inspired by James Gurney’s Dinotopia, and a “Final Frontier” area themed after Star Trek. No other specifics about the park was provided. 

Paramount has a complicated history with theme parks. The company purchased multiple theme parks in the 1990s and either re-branded or opened themed rides based on their properties. However, Paramount sold off their theme park portfolio in 2006 to Cedar Fair. While Cedar Fair had the option of keeping the Paramount branding available, they opted to terminate the licensing agreement, keeping only a separate license for Nickelodeon characters for a few years. In recent years, Paramount has partnered with outside groups to license several planned theme parks. One is set to open in London in 2024, and another is set to open in Korea in 2025. 

There are a handful of theme parks that do include Paramount-themed rides. For instance, Movie Park Germany contains a Nickland with Avatar: The Last Airbender and PAW Patrol attractions, as well as a Star Trek: The Last Generation-themed roller coaster.

Completion of the unnamed Kunming Paramount park is targeted for June 2024.