The US$2 billion project was built on Macau's Cotai Strip and opened in 2015.
Taubman Centers
was acquiring a 25 percent interest in The Mall at Studio City, the retail component of Macau Studio City, Taubman was to fund an initial cash payment of US$54 million. Taubman's total investment in the project was expected to be approximately US$200 million. But in August 2009, Taubman announced that it had pulled out of the project, recovering its 25 percent, US$65 million interest in the project's huge shopping mall development, according to www.macaubusiness.com. "Under the established agreement, if the developers, Cyber One, were unable to secure financing within an 18 month period, Taubman would get its 25 percent share back. That's what happened, as the set period expired on August 11," Morgan Parker, Taubman's Asia Pacific region president told www.macaubusiness.com.
Melco Crown takeover
Gaming operator Melco Crown Entertainment gained control of the long-delayed Macau Studio City project by buying a 60 percent share in the Cotai resort developer. Melco announced the deal on 16 June 2011 morning and co-chairman Lawrence Ho Yau Lung said at a press conference it would invest US$1.7 billion in the development. On 12 January 2015, the chairman of Melco announced that the Studio City resort would open around "mid-year" 2015, adding 1,600 hotel rooms and an intended 400 gambling tables to the Cotai Strip. Inspired by Hollywood, the cinematic-themed resort were to comprise a 30,000-square-foot Family Entertainment Center in collaboration with Time Warner Inc. subsidiaries Warner Bros and DC Comics. Highlighted in the unveiling ceremony, the entertainment center would feature popular DC Comics characters, such as Superman, Wonder Woman and The Flash. Visitors were to be taken on a virtual reality Batman ride in the resort, as well as a 130-meter-tall Ferris wheel.
Gaming facility dispute
Macau's Secretary for Transport and Public WorksLau Si Io confirmed on 6 July 2011 that there would be no gaming facility in the Macau Studio City project. The secretary reiterated that the developer of this Cotai property is required to adhere to the 2008 development plan approved by the government. The plan, he reaffirmed, includes a major component of a film production facility but should not contain any gaming elements. But Melco Crown Entertainment was confident that the Macao Studio City will receive the necessary government approvals to include a gaming floor. The company's chief executive and co-chairman Lawrence Ho Yau Lung said he was confident of striking a deal with the SAR Government to build a casino on the site.
Design and attractions
Studio City Macau features an Art Deco design inspired by two asteroids shooting through a Gotham City building. The resort was designed by Goddard Group, a Los Angeles-based entertainment design firm also responsible for the design of Cotai's Galaxy Macau Resort. The resort's two hotel towers are connected by the Golden Reel, the world's first figure-8 ferris wheel. Boarding at the hotel's 23rd floor, the wheel features 17 cabins holding up to 10 passengers each. The design was developed by the Goddard Group, and the hardware was manufactured by Liechtenstein's IntaminAmusement Rides. Another attraction is Batman Dark Flight, a flying theater attraction. Studio City is home to a food court called Cosmos Food Station, on which guest can look out upon space through giant portal windows. The resort also features a 40,000 square foot children's playground called the Warner Brothers Fun Zone
