A Harry Potter Studio Tour will open in Shanghai in 2027. — AFP
China's first official Harry Potter Studio Tour is set to open in Shanghai in 2027, US entertainment giant Warner Bros Discovery said recently, announcing an agreement with a local tourism and hotel group.
The fantasy franchise is wildly popular in China, whose capital Beijing already has a large-scale Harry Potter-themed attraction at a Universal Studios resort.
The Studio Tour, which also has locations in London, England and Tokyo, Japan takes visitors behind the scenes, displaying sets, costumes and props from the movies.
“This is the first landing of the Harry Potter Studio Tour in China,” Warner Bros Discovery said in a post on Chinese social media platform WeChat, adding that the attraction is “expected to open in 2027”.
The project is being implemented in partnership with Jinjiang International, a Shanghai-based tourism and hotel conglomerate, it said, adding that the joint venture agreement is still in the process of acquiring regulatory approval.
In its own statement, Jinjiang International said the new Harry Potter attraction “will lead visitors to embark on a splendid and unsurpassed behind-the-scenes exploration” and share various interactive experiences.
The future attraction will be located at an existing amusement park in Shanghai – the Jinjiang Action Park – which closed for renovation work on January 26 and is not expected to reopen until the 2027 launch, the statement said.
The site is expected to cover an area of approximately 53,000sq m, Warner Bros Discovery said, adding that “the entire visit will take about half a day”. – AFP Relaxnews
