Inside Licensing News and Notes August 21, 2017
New Lionsgate Park Due in South Korea
Lionsgate Entertainment signs Landing Jeju Development Co. to build a Lionsgate Movie World in South Korea as it continues to build out an entertainment park licensing business. Construction of the 1.3 million square foot park, Lionsgate’s first branded outdoor facility, is slated to begin in 2018, with the park scheduled to open the following year. It will contain seven movie zones tied to Lionsgate properties including The Hunger Games, Now You See Me and Robin Hood, which is due in theaters in March 2018. Meanwhile, the Lionsgate zone in Dubai Parks and Resorts is slated to open next month, while a Lionsgate Entertainment World indoor facility in Hengqin, China, part of an agreement with Zhuhai Hengqin Laisun Creative Culture City Co. Ltd., is due in 2018.
Contact: Lionsgate, Sheila Clarke, SVP Consumer Products,310-255-3612, sclarke@lionsgate.com
Funko Opens First Store
Funko opened its first retail store inside its new Everett, WA headquarters, but has no plans for adding other locations “for the time being,” says Funko’s Mark Robben. The 17,000-square-foot store, which includes space for “immersive” exhibits that currently include Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars and Harry Potter, will have 15 employees. It also will feature Funko’s vinyl figures, a Pop! Factory for making custom items and a Funko University designed to teach and mentor students in drawing and sculpting. The line of customers awaiting the opening began forming the afternoon of Aug. 18 and stretched for more than a block, says Robben.
Contact: Mark Robben, Marketing Dir. 425-783-3616 x191, mark@funko.com
Centa IP Buys The Fusion Agency, Expands in Asia-Pacfic
Centa IP buys Australia-based The Fusion Agency as it moves to expand its licensing business in the Asia-Pacific region. Fusion owner and former Hasbro licensing executive Gail Mitchell will join Centa as VP for the Asia-Pacific territory, based in Sydney, Australia. Mitchell will handle entertainment licensing. The acquisition also brings Fusion’s representation of Miffy, Kazoops!, Monster Teddies and Masha and The Bear into the Centa fold. Centa also recently was named agent for the Ink Group’s Zafari property in the U.S., UK and Australia.
Contact: Centa IP/The Fusion Agency, Gail Mitchell, VP Asia-Pacific, +61 2 9439 5511
