Majid Al Futtaim makes Dreamscape come true in UAE

Dubai - VR-powered theatre - brand's first outside US - promises immersive experience, complementing shopping mall industry

If you're a movie buff who dreams of being an actual part of the action, Majid Al Futtaim has now made that a virtual reality. 
The UAE retail giant on Monday officially launched the first Dreamscape Immersive theatre in Dubai, aiming to bring a more engaging and immersive experience using the latest and most advanced technology.
Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, inaugurated the theatre along with Alain Bejjani, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim; Walter Parkes, co-founder and CEO of Dreamscape Immersive; and other officials from both companies.
More so, offerings like this enhance and complement the overall experience of shopping centres and the overall retail industry.
"With evolution, humans have become more demanding. in shopping malls, people no longer just come and buy - these are now places they go to to experience something," Bejjani said at a Press conference. 
"And this is not just technology - it is human experience amplified to the max."
Dreamscape Immersive, a Los Angeles-headquartered company, is a location-based VR studio and retailer backed by some of the biggest brands and names in Hollywood, including 21st Century Fox, Fox, WarnerMedia, Viacom, Hans Zimmer and Steven Spielberg.
Its Hollywood-style storytelling, theme-park rides and proprietary full-body tracking technology "pushes the limits of virtual reality".
"Rather than using experience to move merchandise, we want to create a community," Parkes said at the event.
"It's not just about retail - it's about the broader definition of the experience."
Parkes - a producer, screenwriter and the former head of DreamWorks Motion Pictures - also lauded Majid Al Futtaim as a "visionary" for the future of retail, putting customers first and at the "most intimate level" possible. 
"It's one thing to have a vision; it's another to execute it," he added.
Dreamscape Immersive is located right next to the Apple Store at Dubai's Mall of the Emirates - and it is the first such facility outside the United States, another first for Majid Al Futtaim.
Khaleej Times was able to sample a couple of its titles, and the experience was as real as it can get.
Bejjani also bared Majid Al Futtaim plans of attracting local talent in order to create content that will cater to the region's local tastes.
On expansion, he said that both companies will pursue it "enthusiastically".
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com