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The Marvel Experience: The World’s First Hyper-Reality Tour was an ambitious mobile interactive attraction that aimed to bring the
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
to life through immersive experiences. Launched in late 2014, this touring event was a collaboration between
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
, Hero Ventures, and S2BN Entertainment. The attraction was set within a series of large inflatable domes, covering about 2 acres, and was designed to provide a fully immersive experience for Marvel fans. Visitors could engage in various activities, including interactive games, motion rides, 3D and 4D experiences, augmented reality, and more, all centered around Marvel’s iconic superheroes. The event featured characters like
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
,
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
,
the Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
, and the Avengers, with a storyline that allowed attendees to become S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits and help save the world from a global threat. Despite its innovative concept and technology, The Marvel Experience encountered several challenges during its tour. The attraction faced mixed reviews from attendees, with some praising the immersive environment and others pointing out issues such as technical glitches and long wait times. The tour initially visited several U.S. cities, including
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. However, after a short run, The Marvel Experience was abruptly canceled in early 2015, with the remaining tour dates being scrapped. The reasons for its closure included logistical challenges, operational costs, and the need for improvements that could not be addressed in time. Since then, The Marvel Experience has remained inactive, with no official plans for its revival.


History

As early as 2011, Hero Ventures approached
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
about a traveling attraction. They agreed upon a seven-figure upfront licensing fee with a media royalty of 15% median royalty. Hero Venture then sought out additional funding for the project. On August 22, 2013,
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
announced that it was working with Hero Ventures on The Marvel Experience, a traveling production and attraction. On January 9, 2014, Hero Ventures unveiled the dome design image. On October 10, tickets went on sale. A preview of the Experience was scheduled for Phoenix from December 12 to January 3, 2015, then officially premiered on January 9, 2015, in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
. Due to its popularity, Hero Ventures announced an extension of the
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
stay until March 1, 2015, and a shift in plans to visit
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
before heading to
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, and
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
for the show's opening in April 2015. Instead, the show was reworked. The tour went to Philadelphia, with plans to visit Chicago, New York, and St. Louis. In July, Hero Ventures announced that the show's summer tour would end prematurely, after only a three-week run in Philadelphia, for reasons not disclosed. Prepaid ticket holders were given refunds.


Design

The $30 million attraction consisted of a dome complex, which is equivalent in size to two football fields. It featured a "4D motion ride", projected animation, motion comics, virtual reality, and holographic simulations along with social media. Movie conceptual artist Aaron Sims was the designer on the attraction with Jerry Rees, as director and VFX by Rhythm & Hues and
Prana Studios Prana Studios, Inc. was an American animation and visual effects company, founded in 2003 in Los Angeles, United States, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Mumbai, India. Known for its high quality computer animation and visual effects. Prana St ...
. Lexington Design + Fabrication produced the interactive elements. The mobile dome complex is designed to look like a S.H.I.E.L.D. Mobile Command Centre. Domes were chosen to avoid renting existing facilities, which can consume up to 25% of the ticket price. The domes were constructed from PVC resin, polymer, and other components. The structures, designed by Absolute Hollywood live event company, were six stories tall.


Performance

Attendees interacted with several Marvel heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents during the two-hour performance, in which they fought Hydra with a final battle against the
Red Skull The Red Skull is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by France Herron, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 (March 1941), in ...
,
MODOK MODOK (; also written as M.O.D.O.K.; an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Ja ...
, and their Adaptoids. Kevin Smith was revealed in
Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 ...
as the voice of M.O.D.O.K. Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris were involved in producing Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.


Tour

Each tour stop was slated to last between 17 and 24 days. The cost of each attraction location is estimated to be $2.5 million. However, this cost is offset by the sales of tickets, merchandise, and concessions from a rented 2-acre space. The attraction is capable of receiving no more than 10,000 visitors, and there will be scheduled entry times for attendees every seven minutes to prevent overcrowding.


Hero Ventures

Hero Ventures, LLC is an entertainment company that produces traveling shows. The company is based in
Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCL ...
.


Company history

In 2009, Rick Licht started working full-time on a yet unnamed venture which was his and Doug Schafer's business idea that they had been discussing over the years. In 2011, Licht was joined by Schaer as chief operating officer and Jason Rosen as chief production officer. Hero Ventures first approached the
National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...
for a dome show but was turned down. They then developed a new list of project partners that was topped with
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
, who agreed to a seven-figure licensing deal for the movable dome show, which brought on Michael Cohl and Jesse Harris to pay the upfront fee. Hero Ventures (HV) was formed into a
Limited liability company A limited liability company (LLC) is the United States-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of ...
on November 14, 2012 in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
by Licht, Schaer and Rosen. Before the August 22, 2013 announcement of its first project, The Marvel Experience, the company received "A" round investment commitments from Steve Tisch, Roy P. Disney & Shamrock Holdings, Maurice & Paul Marciano,
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, Vista Equity Partners president Brian Sheth, Ross Hilton Kemper, and Enlight Media to fund that project. This raised funding of $16.5 million allowing them to move into an office in
Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCL ...
and start taking salaries. Additional funding came from advances on royalties from vendors and $10 millions from co-production partners with some partners taking profit participation. With the announcement of Marvel Experience, several other IP holders started making inquiries about doing similar projects for their properties, but HV held off on additional attractions until its current project was shown a success. On October 10, 2014, The Marvel Experience tickets went on sale. In early December 2014,
Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...
was announced as an investor and member of its Board of Managers. A preview of the experience was scheduled for Phoenix from December 12-January 3, 2015, with an official premiere on January 9, 2015, in Dallas. They are no longer touring.


See also

* Iron Man Experience * Marvel Universe Live! * Marvel Super Heroes 4D * Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark


References


External links

*
Hero Ventures
{{WWE Works based on Marvel Comics Amusement rides Simulator rides