CHONGQING –  Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia has inked a deal with the developers of Mall of China, Jiayuan Group, China Creation Group and Triple Five Group. The collaboration will see all parties co-develop Nickelodeon’s first indoor theme park in Asia and Nickelodeon’s largest indoor theme park in the world when it targets to open in December 2020.

The new Nickelodeon indoor theme park will occupy about 28,000 square meters (equivalent in size to nearly four football fields) in the center of the 468,000 square meters Mall of China (MOC) complex in Chongqing.

The developers will invest over US$750 million in The Mall of China, which is part of a 2000 mu (about 1.34 square kilometers) mixed-use development, expected to also include a residential enclave of about 40,000 residential units, an international K-12 school and an international hospital. The total area will cost over US$4.2 billion to develop.

“Creating immersive on-the-ground consumer experiences remains an important part of our business. As we continue to grow the footprint of Nickelodeon theme parks, I am confident this will also open up new opportunities for the Nickelodeon brand and for our partners across multiple platforms in this important Chinese market,” said Mark Whitehead, President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Viacom International Media Networks.

The park will showcase 14 of Nickelodeon’s most iconic properties like Paw Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dora the Explorer across 29 Nickelodeon-themed attractions, of which the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles launch coaster is anticipated to hold four world records for an indoor roller coaster ride – the longest track, the highest drop, the most number of inversions and the fastest maximum speed. It will also feature the first tilting drop tower attraction in Asia.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Jiayuan Group, China Creation Group and Triple Five to open Nickelodeon’s first indoor theme park in Asia as we continue to expand on our location based experiences across the world,” said Gerald Raines, Senior Vice President, Location Based Experiences for Viacom International Media Networks. “This is testament to the power of Nickelodeon and our iconic characters that fans, kids and families have come to love, which in turn, enables our ability to further boost the Nickelodeon entertainment experience for them.”

Strategically located about 15 minutes from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, the Mall of China which broke ground in September 2016, is led by a ‘retail-tainment’ concept and will not only serve the Chongqing market, but is expected to be a major tourism draw for Central China with an anticipated footfall of nearly 30 million visitors annually.

“Nickelodeon’s wide recognition in China will be instrumental to the success of Mall of China in attracting families of all ages from across the country to dine, shop and play at our project,” said Linda Dong, President of China Creation Group. “Our partnership with Nickelodeon is also a key component to our ability to deliver a world-class theme park product to compete in this fast-growing industry.”

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Nickelodeon at The Mall of China.  Having worked with the number one global entertainment brand for kids, at both Mall of America and American Dream (opening in Spring 2019), we will deliver a one of a kind experience to this market,” said Nader Ghermezian, Chairman of Triple Five Group.

Triple Five is well-known for its experience in combining retail with entertainment, especially with their two North American malls – the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta and Mall of America in Minnesota.

The indoor theme park in Chongqing, China will join several other Nickelodeon branded attractions and parks around the world. In addition to Nickelodeon Universe in Minneapolis’ Mall of America, SeaWorld on the Gold Coast (Australia), Wet n Wild Sydney (Australia), Nickelodeon Land at Pleasure Beach Blackpool (UK), Nickland at Movie Park Germany, Nickelodeon Land at Parque de Atracciones Madrid (Spain) and Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon at Sunway Lagoon (Malaysia), there are Nickelodeon attractions at the Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida and Hollywood, California.