Highlights new frontier in balancing high-energy creative with successful investment’ (TEA Thea Awards Committee)
Wavre, Belgium, 19 November 2019 – Alterface is proud that the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) jury has selected the interactive dark ride Popcorn Revenge in Walibi Belgium for a Thea Awards Outstanding Achievement, Limited Budget. It is the second year in a row that an interactive Alterface ride receives this prestigious award in the same category. Last year Bazyliszek at the Polish Legendia was honored with a Thea Award in Anaheim. Both rides are the result of a successful partnership of Alterface and the respective park teams with ETF Ride Systems, Jora Vision, Painting with Light, Barco and Showtex.
“This attraction, hands down, had us grinning from ear to ear. Brand new IPs are tricky to execute and difficult to immediately captivate the imagination, but Popcorn Revenge’s delightful mix of quirky characters, pun-filled signage and simple-yet-effective gameplay – all under the guise of a richly themed Bollywood cinema – delivered on that premise and more.”
TEA Thea Awards Committee
In a footprint of just 400 square meters this unique family attraction demonstrates excellence in design and décor and provides unique technical solutions in an accessible and affordable option for regional parks. Instead of all the vehicles taking visitors on the same linear track, each (trackless) vehicle follows its own unique route. This ‘erratic’ or unpredictable ride choreography result in a variable visitor experience with no two rides or experiences the same, thanks to a proprietary software that delivers seemingly endless combinations. Each player’s score builds up over time and is displayed and rewarded at the end of the game. Popcorn Revenge highlights a new frontier in balancing high-energy creative with successful investment.”
Benoit Cornet, CEO & Founder of Alterface comments: “We are thrilled with this award as the ride has been produced on a very limited budget. It does prove however that with the right combination of technology, creativity and dedication, it is possible to craft a high-quality and fun ride for family parks within an affordable budget. I’d like to thank the Thea Awards Committee for this recognition and congratulate our customer, partners and team members for such truly outstanding achievement!”
Popcorn goes Universal
Popcorn Revenge is based on Alterface’s Erratic Ride™ technology, deploying a non-linear ride concept which offers unique visitor experiences. The interactive dark ride in Walibi Belgium received in Europe numerous industry awards, Best Use of Technology with its Erratic Ride technology and Best Family Attraction 2019. Alongside several park awards by fan communities, this confirms the successful concept and, most importantly, an amazing visitor experience!
Alongside being a great storytelling engine, the Popcorn Revenge IP fuels a varied merchandising programme. This extends the visitor experience and represents an interesting revenue generator for the park, recuperating a significant part of the park’s initial investment. Moreover, part of the merchandising revenue is reinvested by Alterface in the further IP development.
Alterface has worked many years to develop a flexible and universal IP that works in any environment. Benoit Cornet announced at IAAPA Expo during a press conference that they will be further expanding the IP for other attractions across an entire venue or a specific themed park area. Based on its successful Popcorn Revenge ride, the popcorn IP will be shaping up into an all-encompassing and magical ‘Popcorn Universe’.