Become part of the adventure as WarnerMedia announces the opening of two brand new immersive Harry Potter Virtual Reality Experiences

BURBANK, Calif., July 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wizarding World serves a global audience of Harry Potter fans and offers an ever-evolving menu of new and imaginative ways they can engage with their favorite stories and characters inspired by J.K. Rowling's original Harry Potter stories. Today WarnerMedia announces the opening date for two all-new interactive Harry Potter virtual reality experiences – "Chaos at Hogwarts" and "Wizards Take Flight." The ground-breaking experiences will debut exclusively at the newly opened Harry Potter New York flagship store on July 15, 2021 and will give fans of the Wizarding World and thrill seekers the chance to explore the magical world as never before!

Created by WarnerMedia in partnership with the creative teams at Wevr and Keylight and VR industry leaders Dreamscape Immersive, the two adventures create totally new and unique experiences for fans. Both experiences combine thrilling action with beloved characters and landmarks into an immersive virtual world for the first time, allowing you to step into the action in a new real-time interactive exploration of the magical world of Harry Potter.

Starting today, audiences can purchase advance tickets for "Chaos at Hogwarts" and "Wizards Take Flight" at Harry Potter New York from www.harrypotterstore.com/tickets.  The VR adventures can only be experienced at Harry Potter New York with a timed reservation. Reservations are now available from July 15 to August 15 and pre-booking is highly recommended.  Guests will be able to choose from multiple Wizarding World-themed avatars allowing for customization of their Hogwarts house among other attributes, for the daring adventures that await inside the immersive and interactive virtual re-creation of the wizarding world. Guests who have purchased VR experience tickets will not need to register in the Harry Potter New York virtual queue and may proceed to the front of the line when they arrive.

Using state-of the-art wearable VR technology, including headsets, backpacks, hand and foot trackers, and peripheral wands that allow interaction with the virtual experiences, visitors will be able to roam freely through Hogwarts Castle, and fly through the skies of London, complete with wind in your face. The sensory effects and immersive virtual environment deliver a brand-new level of realism and adventure unlike anything fans will have experienced before.

• Starting with your arrival at King's Cross for preboarding, "Chaos at Hogwarts" guests take a magical journey to Hogwarts Castle and become part of the adventure. Up to 6 guests can explore the stage in a social free roam adventure surrounded by various haptics and special effects, all synchronized with the story experience. Guests will have a virtual avatar and will be able to see their fellow adventurers. Guests will wear a VR headset, backpack, hand and foot trackers, and wield a physical wand.
• "Wizards Take Flight" prepares guests for a flight adventure as they fly on brooms with the thrills of a magical wand battle against Death Eaters over the skies of London and free fly around the enchanting grounds of Hogwarts Castle. Up to 6 guests are seated on their own physical broom, a first for fans of the Wizarding World, with their own station of haptics and special effects, all synchronized with the story experience. Guests will have a virtual avatar and will be able to see their fellow adventurers. Guests will wear a VR headset, hand trackers, and wield a physical wand.

Harry Potter New York houses the VR adventure pods in Harry Potter-themed staging areas, featuring an array of Wizarding World decorations and props. Harry Potter New York is the world's only official Harry Potter flagship store in the heart of New York City's Flatiron district offering an unforgettable experience for Wizarding World fans. Spanning three floors and over 21,000 sq. ft., Harry Potter New York houses the largest collection of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts products under one roof. Harry Potter New York is located at 935 Broadway, New York, NY 10010, with entrances on both Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The store is open from 10am-9pm Mon-Sat and 11am-7pm on Sundays. 

The "Chaos at Hogwarts" and Wizards Take Flight." virtual reality experiences are each $34.00 per guest, and VR reservations include access to Harry Potter New York.  Pre-booking of VR tickets is highly recommended.

Customers visiting Harry Potter New York will be able to access AT&T's fast, reliable, and secure 5G. The power of 5G technology offers super-fast wireless speeds and lower latency, which helps increase the amount of data we can transmit and decrease the amount of time it takes to do so. In addition, AT&T 5G is also used to power the virtual queuing system to help ensure customers' health and safety while shopping. The system assists customers with check-in and tracks the number of people inside the store to make certain CDC guidelines are followed to help consumers have an ultimate retail and wireless experience.

WHAT TO KNOW:

Please visit www.harrypotterstore.com/tickets and www.harrypotterstore.com/faq for the most up-to-date information regarding ticket sales, arrival instructions, and health and safety protocols.

• Ticketing – The "Chaos at Hogwarts" and "Wizards Take Flight" VR experiences can only be experienced at Harry Potter New York with a reserved time slot. Tickets may be purchased online at www.harrypotterstore.com/tickets. Pre-booking online is highly recommended to secure a ticket for your preferred time slot, and to ensure that you and your group can all experience Harry Potter VR together. We will announce whenever new tickets go live via our website and our Harry Potter social channels (#harrypottervr and #harrypotterny), so please continue to check back regularly for upcoming availabilities. Each experience is $34.00 per guest.
• Age & Height – All guests must be at least 48 inches tall and 10+ years old. Guests under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult with a paid ticket.
• Accessibility – Wheelchair options are available upon request
• Arrival – VR guests should arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled time to check-in. There is no need to join Harry Potter New York's virtual queueing system, simply head to the main entrance with your booking confirmation to check-in.
• Store Access - Once your VR reservation has been confirmed and you and your group have been admitted inside, you are free to shop and explore the store at your leisure both before and after your VR experience. Guests who have purchased VR experience tickets will not need to register in the Harry Potter New York virtual queue and may proceed to the front of the line when they arrive.
• Duration – Your full journey should take approximately 30 minutes from beginning to end including check-in, gear-up and gear-down.
• Gear – A show guide will help you gear up for your experience. Guests will wear a light backpack (approximately 10lbs), hand trackers, foot trackers, and a VR headset. Our headsets can accommodate most glasses. For "Wizards Take Flight," only a VR headset and hand trackers are required. Headsets, foot and hand sensors, backpacks, wands and brooms are sanitized before every use.
• Health & Safety – We are opening the Harry Potter VR experiences in compliance with state and local guidelines and following strict cleaning and sanitation protocols. To protect yourself and others all guests and Harry Potter New York are required to wear masks at all times.
• What to wear – Dress for adventure. Long skirts and flared pants may interfere with the sensors or get tangled. Wear comfortable shoes. High heels and flip flops are discouraged.
• Photography – Photos and videos are not allowed inside the experience, but we encourage you to snap all the content you want at Harry Potter New York, in the VR waiting areas and gear-up/gear-down rooms. Remember to share on social with #harrypottervr, #harrypotterny and tag @harrypotterny!

About Wizarding World

In the years since Harry Potter was whisked from King's Cross Station onto Platform nine and three quarters, his incredible adventures have left a unique and lasting mark on popular culture based on the original stories by J.K. Rowling. Eight blockbuster Harry Potter films have brought the magical stories to life and today, the Wizarding World is recognized as one of the world's best-loved franchises.

Representing a vast interconnected universe, it also includes two epic Fantastic Beasts films, (the third releasing in 2022), Harry Potter & The Cursed Child – the multi-award-winning stage-play, state-of-the-art video and mobile games from Portkey Games, innovative consumer products, thrilling live entertainment (including four theme park lands) and insightful exhibitions.

This expanding portfolio of Warner Bros. owned Wizarding World experiences also includes Harry Potter New York – a brand new flagship store, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo, and the Platform 9 3⁄4 retail shops.

The Wizarding World continues to evolve to provide Harry Potter fans with fresh and exciting ways to engage. For the worldwide fan community, and for generations to come, it welcomes everyone in to explore and discover the magic for themselves.

About Dreamscape Immersive

Dreamscape Immersive is a world-leading VR company which combines the emotional power of Hollywood storytelling, and the visceral excitement of great theme-park rides with a proprietary full-body tracking technology to create pioneering experiences for entertainment, education, and enterprise solutions.  Backed by some of the biggest names in entertainment and media –including WarnerMedia, Viacom, AMC, Steven Spielberg, and Hans Zimmer – Dreamscape VR provides for a level of user-engagement never before experienced in the industry.  

Dreamscape has now extended its state-of-the-art VR platform and immersive content capabilities to students, researchers, and educators via Dreamscape Learn, a new partnership with and investment from the nation's leading innovator in education, Arizona State University.  

Dreamscape was founded in 2017 by an unlikely pairing: an extraordinary group of Swiss technologists with roots in medicine called Artanim and a mix of proven leaders in entertainment. These medical researchers, cinematic heavyweights, live events experts, and gaming veterans all came together under a collective mission: to leverage singular VR technology with Hollywood-certified storytelling to create unforgettable virtual reality experiences.  Dreamscape's founders include its CEO, former producer, screenwriter and head of DreamWorks Motion Pictures Walter Parkes; Swiss computer scientists Caecilia Charbonnier and Sylvain Chagué; entrepreneur Ronald Menzel; former Chief Creative Officer of Disney Imagineering, Bruce Vaughn; global music events producer and serial entrepreneur Kevin Wall; and global live events producer, Aaron Grosky.  

The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with a facility in Geneva. Its location-based VR venues began rolling out across the US and Middle East in December 2018, with additional domestic and international locations coming soon. Dreamscape Learn is set to rollout in 2021. To learn more about Dreamscape, please follow @visitdreamscape or visit our site at: dreamscapeimmersive.com.

About Keylight

Keylight was founded in 2019 by Hollywood-based producer, Chris deFaria, whose credits span some of the most successful and technologically innovative films of the past decade including Ready Player One, Mad Max: Fury Road, Gravity, and 300 along with animated films, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, The LEGO Movie and Happy Feet.

Working with the world's leading creative digital studios, Keylight produces theatrical films, original series, and XR and transmedia projects with a focus on innovation and the creative application of emerging technologies.

About Wevr

Wevr is a leading interactive software company producing best-in-class virtual worlds.  Wevr's immersive titles include TheBlu, Gnomes & Goblins, and now Harry Potter in collaboration with WarnerMedia.

Wevr has produced innovative interactive experiences with creatives including Reggie Watts, Run the Jewels and Jon Favreau, and has earned partnerships with WarnerMedia, Samsung, Time, NYT, Vulcan, Google and others.  Wevr is now developing a cloud software platform, Wevr Virtual Studio, enabling 3D artists to easily make and share 3D projects.  Wevr's world class leadership team is comprised of repeat successful software entrepreneurs and Academy Award-winning digital entertainment pioneers.

The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.  To learn more about Wevr, please follow @onwevr or visit our site at wevr.com.

Publicity Contacts

Mandy Rodgers/Ashley Tecson
[email protected]

Stuart Herriott
[email protected]

Michael Foell
[email protected]

For any press enquiries for Harry Potter New York, please contact: [email protected]. Sign up to receive more information at HarryPotterStore.com.

#HarryPotterVR

SOURCE WarnerMedia

Related Links

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