Plans for the park began in 2007, but were halted by the global financial crisis. Warner Bros. had signed a development contract with Aldar Properties in that year. Afterwards, the park was to be joint owned by Abu Dhabi Media Company, Aldar and Warner Bros. and plans included 19 rides, a l. The partnership would include a Persian Gulf-focused entertainment company for digital content distribution, retail, video game publishing, film financing and film production facilities. Aldar, because of the crisis, sold many of its assets to the Abu Dhabi government. Miral Asset Management was funded and given other Aldar assets purchased by the government. In May 2015, Miral signed the general construction contract with Belgian contractor Six Construct, thus resuming construction that year. On April 19, 2016, Miral and Warner Bros. announced plans for the park's first phase to open in 2018. At that time, all construction agreements had been finalized with 30% of the park finished. Miral had not confirmed the park's final ride count at the time. Miral announced in February 2017 that ride delivery and installation had begun with many of the 29 rides being tested. On April 25, 2017, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Miral indicated that the park was on schedule at 60% completion, and revealed information about its six themed areas. On July 24, 2018, the park was inaugurated by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of DubaiHis Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Design
The theme park is indoor and fully air-conditioned, as is typical of most major theme parks in the region due to the extreme heat in the summer. The facade features a tower inspired by the iconic Warner Bros. Water Tower in Burbank, California.
Layout
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is organized into six themed areas; Gotham City, Metropolis, Cartoon Junction, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros. Plaza. Gotham and Metropolis are based on the fictional settings of DC Comics super heroes Batman and Superman, respectively. Warner Bros.'s Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera cartoon libraries are represented in Dynamite Gulch and Cartoon Junction, respectively, along with Bedrock, which is themed around The Flintstones. Warner Bros. Plaza is meant to mimic the Hollywood of the past.
