Disney has signed up box office sensation Iron Man for a new themed area at Hong Kong Disneyland, with the Marvel character set to take to the skies over the city in 2016, said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
The centerpiece of the new area is the Iron Man Experience, which will feature a storyline involving the blockbuster Marvel character flighting alien invaders in the skies and streets of Hong Kong.
The area, which also includes a photo-taking corner with Iron Man and a Marvel merchandise space, is set to open in late 2016.
“Combined with Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point, this new themed area underscores commitment to and confidence in the continued growth of Hong Kong Disneyland,” Staggs said.
The new areas have boosted the size of Hong Kong Disneyland by 25 percent.
The popularity of Tony Stark and his alter ego has been proven in Hong Kong, with the third installment of the Iron Man franchise raking in over $12.9 million (HK$100 million) early this year, making it the highest-grossing film of all time in the territory behind James Cameron's Avatar and Titanic.
The Iron Man factor is set to prove a hit with mainland Chinese visitors to the park. Iron Man 3 took more than $160 million in China.
The Hong Kong Iron Man area will be situated in Tomorrowland, where the iron suits and other Stark innovations will be displayed.
An Iron Man exhibit, "Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries," opened at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and an Iron Man monorail was launched in Walt Disney World in Orlando in early 2013.