Dubailand Lead Parade Of New International Theme Parks

From the Los Angeles Times' report on the growth of theme parks abroad, particularly in the Middle East:

Twenty-five years after Walt Disney Co. began moving overseas, U.S. companies like Six Flags, Universal Studios and DreamWorks are marching rapidly to the Mideast and Far East seeking new revenue streams and an increasingly global audience.

Major U.S. companies have at least 13 parks in the works in South Korea, Singapore, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In every case, developers are fronting millions of dollars to buy land and build parks, while the U.S. businesses reap licensing fees for attractions featuring the likes of Spider-Man and SpongeBob SquarePants without financial risk.

"The phenomenon overseas is the perfect storm, basically," said theme park consultant Gary Goddard. "A lot of factors are coming together at the right time."

The list of six confirmed overseas projects:

* Six Flags recently announced its first foreign project in Dubai.

* Busch Entertainment trumpeted its four-park Dubai project as "the most significant news" in company history.

* Universal Studios has parks planned in Dubai and Singapore. It hopes to complete a deal in South Korea by year's end.

* Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation are opening parks in South Korea and Dubai, respectively.

* MGM Studios is building entertainment centers in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.

* Warner Bros. Entertainment is planning a theme park, hotel and movie theaters in Abu Dhabi.

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