The company, a joint venture between Walt Disney and state-owned Shanghai Shendi (Group), said on Sunday that the Spider-Man-themed roller coaster ride will offer guests a high-speed, fully immersive experience. It did not disclose the investment amount or completion date for the ninth attraction at Shanghai Disneyland.
The planned attraction is based on the popular Marvel superheroes and will allow guests to follow Spider-Man, who is caught in some kind of entanglement, at high speed to help him out of trouble, the Shanghai Disney Resort said in a statement.
The announcement came just eight months after the opening of a Zootopia attraction, the first of its kind in the world, to further enhance the appeal of the $5.5 billion resort.
“The initial preparatory work for the construction of the new attraction began earlier this year,” the statement said, adding that the attraction will be located next to the Zootopia theme park.
On August 7, Walt Disney said in its earnings report for the three months ended June that the company’s Experiences segment expected a “mid-single-digit decline” in operating profit between July and September compared to the same period last year, due in part to some economic slowdown in China.
In the third quarter of last year, Disney said an increase in guest spending and an increase in visitor numbers had led to improved operating results at the Shanghai Disney Resort, but did not disclose exact revenue and visitor numbers.
Despite a general economic slowdown due to lower retail consumption and problems in the real estate sector, tourism was one of the main drivers of growth.
According to official data, China’s total passenger traffic during the May 1-5 Labor Day holiday exceeded 272 million per day, up 24 percent from the same period in 2019. This was in line with a forecast of 270 million by research firm Gavekal Dragonomics. Tourism spending during the five-day holiday increased 14 percent from 2019.
“Shanghai Disney Resort remains attractive to millions of Chinese,” said Zheng Honggang, CEO of Shanghai-based travel agency Kate Travel Agency. “The expansion will entice loyal Disney fans to visit the theme park again.”
The resort in Shanghai is considered a successful example of the fusion of Chinese culture and tradition with a US entertainment complex with Disney cult characters such as “Snow White” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”.
In August last year, Shanghai Disney Resort began construction of its third themed hotel, which will be located on the shores of the resort’s Wishing Star Lake.
Once completed, the as-yet-unnamed 400-room hotel will overlook the theme park and join the 420-room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the 795-room Toy Story Hotel.
