London, Thursday, 4 September 2025.
Merlin Entertainments and Sony Pictures unveiled plans on Wednesday to roll Jumanji‑branded rides, resort hotels and waterpark elements across Europe, starting project planning in 2025. For retail operators this signals a deliberate IP‑licensing strategy: recognizable studio IP will be deployed as a multi‑asset, integrated guest ecosystem designed to lift attendance and per‑capita spend. The most intriguing fact is Merlin’s intent to couple ride engineering, themed hospitality and waterpark operations under one commercially linked product—forcing operators to rethink licensing fee structures, revenue‑share models and cross‑inventory distribution. Expect sharper demand for immersive dark‑ride and trackless suppliers, tighter integration between park and hotel reservation and POS systems, and operational complexity at launch. Competitors may respond with similar studio deals or local experiences. Practical takeaways for retail teams: model revised spend profiles, negotiate lockstep commercial terms for in‑resort retail, and prepare tech stacks for unified booking, inventory and F&B upsell flows for upcoming openings.
What was announced and where it has already appeared
Merlin Entertainments and Sony Pictures have an established collaboration to develop Jumanji‑themed attractions — including park rides, lands and hotels — a partnership first reported in industry coverage that noted multiterritory exclusivity and planned roll‑outs across Merlin resort parks and waterparks [1]. The collaboration has already produced visible installations: the first Jumanji branded ride opened as part of Merlin’s Gardaland Resort programme in April 2022, and Merlin properties such as Chessington World of Adventures operate branded Jumanji experiences and hotel rooms as part of their guest‑facing inventory [1][3][4].
Why IP licensing of ‘Jumanji’ matters to resort retail
Using a high‑profile studio IP like Jumanji across rides, hotels and waterpark assets creates a single, recognisable narrative that retail teams can monetise through themed merchandise, F&B concepts and in‑resort retail placemaking — an approach that centralises guest spend around the IP rather than discrete attraction visits [GPT][1][3]. This multi‑asset deployment increases the commercial leverage of licensed products because guests experience the IP across longer stays (hotel plus park) and more touchpoints (retail, food & beverage, photo ops), which typically lifts per‑capita spend and dwell time [GPT].
Operational complexity: why integrated systems will be essential
When an operator ties hotel reservations, park admissions and waterpark bookings into a single branded ecosystem, the need for tightly integrated booking, POS and inventory systems becomes acute; without such integration, opportunities for cross‑sell and unified guest journeys are lost and back‑end operations face reconciliation headaches [GPT]. The Merlin–Sony model — which explicitly links attractions and hospitality under one branded experience in multiple resorts — makes those integration challenges more than hypothetical because identical IP experiences will rely on consistent stock, timing and guest flow across sites [1][3].
Commercial structures: licensing fees and revenue sharing to watch
Licensors and operators deploying multi‑asset IP typically negotiate layered commercial arrangements that go beyond a simple upfront licence fee: these can include percentage‑based royalties on merchandise, revenue share on ticketed IP experiences, and performance‑linked marketing contributions tied to occupancy or attendance metrics [GPT]. The Merlin and Sony arrangement — described in reporting as multi‑territory and exclusive for certain park groups — implies complex commercial structures will be required to align incentives for both park operators and the studio IP owner [1].
Supply‑chain and design implications: demand for immersive dark‑rides and trackless systems
Deploying consistent, repeatable Jumanji attractions across resorts increases demand for suppliers of immersive dark‑ride technologies and trackless ride systems that can deliver narrative continuity while being adapted to different site constraints; earlier Jumanji implementations used dark‑ride‑style storytelling and family‑oriented ride profiles that align with these supplier categories [1][4][GPT]. For procurement teams, this means prioritising partners who can deliver IP‑accurate scenic work, synchronized show control, and ride‑system scalability across multiple sites [GPT].
Retail strategy: modelling revised spend profiles and contract terms
Retail teams should update financial models to reflect longer guest stays and repeat brand exposure across park and hotel — a single themed IP present in rooms, restaurants and rides typically shifts spend from single‑visit impulse buys to multi‑channel purchase patterns that include souvenirs, limited‑edition hotel‑only items and event‑linked products [GPT]. Negotiation priorities should include reserved SKU windows for in‑resort exclusives, concordant pricing strategies across park and hotel retail outlets, and clauses that protect stock allocation when multiple assets are opened within a single branded roll‑out [GPT][3].
Competitive dynamics: likely market responses
A visible studio‑operator tie‑up of this scale invites competitive responses: regional operators may seek comparable studio licences, accelerate development of local IP‑driven experiences, or double down on differentiated non‑IP offerings (animal encounters, seasonal festivals) to defend visitation and commercial share [GPT]. Historically, Merlin has used a mix of global studio IP and proprietary concepts across parks such as Chessington where World of Jumanji elements coexist with other branded and non‑branded attractions, illustrating how operators balance licensed and owned content in a competitive landscape [3][4][1].
Early practical steps for retail and operations teams
Immediate actions for retail leaders preparing for an IP‑anchored multi‑asset opening include: auditing point‑of‑sale and reservation API capabilities for cross‑inventory transactions, modelling SKU velocity for hotel‑exclusive products, and negotiating centralised replenishment terms with suppliers to support simultaneous openings at multiple resorts [GPT]. Given Merlin’s prior Jumanji roll‑outs and the multi‑territory nature of the agreement as reported, readiness planning should assume coordinated marketing and central supply allocations will be part of execution demands [1][3].
Uncertainties and what to watch next
Public reporting on the Merlin–Sony collaboration dates to earlier roll‑outs and announcements; the specifics of any 2025 project planning — scope, site list, commercial splits and timeline — are not available in the provided sources, so precise financial forecasts or percentage impacts on attendance cannot be stated here [alert! ‘No 2025‑dated primary source provided to confirm the new planning timeline’]. Industry observers should watch for formal Merlin or Sony press releases and planning filings for authoritative project timelines and commercial terms [1][3][4].
Bronnen