6. The Precedent
A Batman theme-park would by no means be the first time the caped crusader has dipped his toe into that world: Six Flags have long carried a Batman: The Ride inverted roller-coaster, as well as The Dark Knight Coaster, and a Gotham City quadrant in the Georgia park.
And elsewhere around the world, Batman has provided inspiration to more than 18 ride developers – too few by some distance when you consider the opportunities – but a precedent nonetheless.
If those fairly isolated rides can attract fans, the prospect of a rich and varied theme park experience should surely be a no-brainer for executives looking to cash in on the brand.
Even the Batman Live tour that was hugely successful in Britain, before financial problems in America dramatically pulled the wheels off channelled the theatricality of the universe, and offered a hint of what kind of spectacle fans could experience in a theme park environment.
And that’s just it: there is an inherent theatricality to the characters and setting of Gotham that is unlike many other superhero properties, and the few examples we’ve already seen of Batman rides and attractions proves as much.
Quite why no one has taken the next logical step is beyond me.
