Triotech’s first major IP partnership debuts at Merlin gateway attractions in New York, Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Sydney
Montreal, QC — Triotech, Merlin Entertainments, and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced a new interactive Jumanji experience built on Triotech’s XD Dark Ride platform, debuting at four Madame Tussauds locations in July 2026.
The installations are planned for Madame Tussauds locations in New York, Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Sydney, all operated by Merlin Entertainments. The Jumanji content marks the first globally recognized entertainment IP introduced to the XD Dark Ride platform.
What is the XD Dark Ride?
Triotech’s XD Dark Ride is a media-based interactive attraction that seats 4 to 40 riders in a 4D theater, combining real-time interactive gameplay, dynamic motion seats, and immersive effects. The system is designed to minimize its footprint, making it deployable in city-center venues like Madame Tussauds rather than only at large, high-footprint theme parks.
The Jumanji experience places riders inside a jungle mission where they work together to battle creatures, overcome obstacles, and compete for a high score. The content was built using Unreal Engine and developed in Triotech’s Montreal studio specifically for the XD Dark Ride system.
“Jumanji is one of the most exciting adventure worlds in modern entertainment, and we’re thrilled to bring that energy to XD Dark Ride,” said Ernest Yale, Founder and CEO of Triotech. “Partnering with Sony Pictures to introduce the platform’s first major IP marks an exciting new chapter for us and we can’t wait for guests to experience the adventure firsthand.”
Why Madame Tussauds?
For Merlin, the Jumanji installations represent an expansion of the company’s existing relationship with Sony Pictures. Merlin has previously brought the Jumanji franchise to life at two European resort theme parks: a dark ride at Gardaland Resort in Italy (2022) and a themed land at Chessington World of Adventures in the UK (2023). The Madame Tussauds installations bring the franchise to Merlin’s U.S. and Australian markets for the first time, using Triotech’s compact platform rather than a traditional ride system.
Jonathan Lewis, Vice President of Global IP at Merlin, said the installations are part of a broader strategy to add interactive experiences to the Madame Tussauds brand.
“It’s great to see our collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment diversify into fresh formats in four new locations across Merlin’s global estate,” Lewis said. “Having seen the World of Jumanji delight guests with rides and hotel rooms at our resort theme parks in Europe, the opportunity to now work with Triotech to bring it to audiences at Madame Tussauds in the United States and Australia is an exciting new chapter in this journey.”
Lewis added that the move “reinforces how Madame Tussauds is well placed to reinvigorate its offer by hosting new, interactive concepts that bring world-famous brands to life in unique and unexpected ways.”
Operator Availability
Following the Madame Tussauds launch window, the Jumanji content will become available to all XD Dark Ride operators worldwide at the end of summer 2026.
“Operators have been asking for recognizable experiences that truly resonate with today’s audiences,” Yale said. “Bringing Jumanji to XD Dark Ride is an exciting step forward and a great example of how interactive attractions can bring beloved worlds to life.”
Triotech says it has deployed thousands of attractions and games in 65 countries, with more than one billion guests experiencing its products over the past 25 years. The company’s portfolio includes interactive and 4D theaters, dark rides, VR attractions, flying theaters, walkthroughs, dark coasters, and coin-op games.
Film Franchise Timing
The Madame Tussauds installations are set to arrive ahead of the next Jumanji film, currently scheduled for release on December 25, 2026. The franchise has grossed over $2 billion at the worldwide box office across its previous entries.
What This Means for the Industry (Analysis)
Merlin released its 2025 annual results on March 24, reporting group revenue of £1,999 million (down from £2,057 million in 2024), a 1.6% decline on a constant currency basis. The company welcomed 60.5 million guests, down 3.6% from 62.8 million the prior year. As part of its annual results, Merlin applied a £262 million impairment to the accounting value of Madame Tussauds, a move CEO Fiona Eastwood called an effort to establish “an accurate baseline from which to reinvigorate and refresh the brand’s offering.” She called 2025 “a transitional year” during which the company took action to stabilize the business.
The picture is more nuanced than the top-line numbers suggest. According to Merlin’s full annual report, North America was the weakest market, with underlying sales falling 8% and attendance down 6.2%. Merlin cited competitive intensity, widespread discounting across the sector, and the entry of Epic Universe into the Florida market. Europe fared slightly better, with revenues up a modest 1%, though the UK lagged with sales down 3.5% and visitor numbers dropping 6.5%, attributed to weaker demand in London and a shift toward free attractions. Asia-Pacific was the bright spot: visitor numbers rose 5.3%, revenues increased 4.5%, and operating profits surged 120%, driven by Legoland resorts in Japan and Shanghai.
As we discussed on Green Tagged this week, one way to read those numbers is as a market maturity issue. The regions where Merlin is struggling most, North America and the UK, are its most developed markets with the most competitive landscapes. The region where it’s thriving, Asia-Pacific, has a different competitive mix. But another reading is that Merlin’s product simply isn’t competitive enough in those mature markets. Madame Tussauds locations, by nature, are tourist-driven attractions. Locals rarely visit them. That makes them vulnerable in any environment where international tourism softens or where consumers have more compelling options nearby.
The Jumanji installations appear to be a direct response to that problem. Lewis’s language about Madame Tussauds being “well placed to reinvigorate its offer” is unusually direct for a press release. Adding an interactive ride experience on top of the wax figure format gives consumers another reason to walk through the door, and a recognizable film IP lends it marketing weight. Whether it’s enough to shift the needle at properties that have struggled to compete remains to be seen, but the intent is clear.
For operators, the XD Dark Ride platform itself is the more transferable takeaway. Triotech’s system is designed for small footprints and modular content updates, and the Jumanji partnership demonstrates what happens when a platform-based attraction system gets a recognizable IP. If the Madame Tussauds installations perform well, the content rolls out to every other XD Dark Ride operator worldwide. That model, where a major IP debuts at a flagship venue and then becomes available to the broader operator base, is worth watching for regional attractions seeking turnkey experiences with built-in audience recognition.
