Madame Tussauds And Legendary Pictures Announce An Epic Kong Experience, Times Square Attraction Receives Huge Delivery From Skull Island

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Madame Tussauds have partnered with Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures to bring a larger than life KONG: Skull Island experience to the iconic wax attractions in New York and London, complete with an 18-foot high interactive animatronic head of the mythical monster.

Coinciding with the announcement of Kong's return, ginormous rumbling crates were spotted at iconic locations in both cities. In New York, a rumbling wooden shipping container caused a sensation among Midtown's morning commuters spotted being driven around Times Square on a flat-bed truck before making its way to Madame Tussauds on 42^nd Street for delivery. 

The all new, multi-sensory environment, including the breathing, blinking and roaring, made-to-scale Kong head, will open March 2017, to celebrate the launch of the soon-to-be classic reboot; KONG: Skull Island.  

Visitors will embark on an adventure deep into the tropics of Skull Island. Once inside, they will be joined by a new figure of Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) as they journey through the secluded bamboo jungle. Trekking along, avoiding traps of massive spiders and uncovering various artifacts, guests will ultimately come to face the dominating robotic head of Kong himself: watching, snarling, and roaring at those who dare pass.

The enormous animatronic Kong head, made from over 350 square feet of specialist faux hair, took a team of 33 artists 72 days to build. Each movement of the head uses state-of-the-art pneumatic controls, designed specifically for Kong. The system precisely controls the pressure and flow of air to recreate lifelike facial movements, grunts, snorts and roars made by the ferocious beast.

"Creating such a large and lifelike animatronic is a first for Madame Tussauds - the sheer size of this project is staggering," said Anna Domingo, General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York. "We're thrilled to be working closely with Legendary Pictures to ensure our animatronic head is made to the exact film-scale, so visitors really will come face-to-face and feel the power and scale of the Kong depicted on the big screen."

The KONG: Skull Island experience will open to the public exclusively at Madame Tussauds New York and London in March 2017.

Kong: Skull Island will be in theaters from March 10, 2017.

ABOUT MADAME TUSSAUDS NEW YORK AND MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS
Madame Tussauds New York, prominently located in the heart of Times Square, is more than just a wax museum; it is an iconic "must do" New York experience and home of the Ghostbusters Experience. There are no velvet ropes or obtrusive barriers to keep guests from interacting with over 200 of the world's most recognizable and influential icons. The fully immersive, one-of-a-kind attraction is great for families and visitors of any age. With particular dedication to regional visitors, local admissions offers are available. Visit www.madametussauds.com/newyork or call (866) 841-3505 for more information.

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin operates over 110 attractions, 12 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and 26,000 employees. 

Kong: Skull Island
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' "Kong: Skull Island" reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts ("The Kings of Summer"). In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific – as beautiful as it is treacherous – unaware that they're crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong. 
"Kong: Skull Island" stars Tom Hiddleston ("The Avengers," "Thor: The Dark World"), Samuel L. Jackson ("The Hateful Eight," "Avengers: Age of Ultron"), Oscar winner Brie Larson ("Room," "Trainwreck"), John Goodman ("Transformers: Age of Extinction," "Argo") and John C. Reilly ("Guardians of the Galaxy," "Step Brothers").  The international ensemble cast also includes Tian Jing ("Police Story: Lockdown"), Corey Hawkins ("Straight Outta Compton"), Jason Mitchell ("Straight Outta Compton"), John Ortiz ("Steve Jobs"), Thomas Mann ("Beautiful Creatures"), Shea Whigham ("The Wolf of Wall Street"), Toby Kebbell ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes") and Eugene Cordero ("The Kings of Summer").
Vogt-Roberts is directing the film from a screenplay by Max Borenstein, John Gatins, Dan Gilroy and Derek Connolly.  "Kong: Skull Island" is produced by Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni with Mary Parent.  The executive producers are Eric McLeod and Alex Garcia. 
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present a Legendary Pictures Production, "Kong: Skull Island."  The film will be released worldwide in 2D, 3D in select theatres, and IMAX beginning March 10, 2017, from Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.  

Legendary Entertainment 
Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world's most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $13 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com

Warner Bros. Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures has been at the forefront of the motion picture industry since its inception and continues to be a leading creative force in the industry. 

Warner Bros. Pictures produces and distributes a wide-ranging slate of some 18-22 films each year, employing a business paradigm that mitigates risk while maximizing productivity and capital. Warner Bros. Pictures either fully finances or co-finances the films it produces and maintains worldwide distribution rights. It further monetizes its distribution and marketing operations by distributing films that are totally financed and produced by others. Current multi-faceted co-financing joint ventures include those with Village Roadshow Pictures and RatPac-Dune Entertainment. Warner Bros. Pictures also has a distribution, co-financing deal with Alcon Entertainment.

2016 marked the 10th consecutive year Warner Bros. Pictures crossed the $3 billion mark at the global box office with $4.93 billion in worldwide receipts ($1.90 billion domestic, $3.03 billion international). The year was also 16th consecutive frame that both the domestic and international divisions crossed the billion-dollar mark—a milestone no other studio has achieved.

Among the films on Warner Bros. Pictures' 2017 slate are The LEGO Batman Movie, Kong: Skull Island, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, Annabelle 2 (from New Line Cinema), It (New Line Cinema), The LEGO NINJAGO Movie and Justice League.

SOURCE Madame Tussauds