Coinciding with the announcement of Kong's return, ginormous rumbling crates were spotted at iconic locations in both cities. In New York, a rumbling wooden shipping container caused a sensation among Midtown's morning commuters spotted being driven around Times Square on a flat-bed truck before making its way to Madame Tussauds on 42nd Street for delivery.
The all new, multi-sensory environment, including the breathing, blinking and roaring, made-to-scale Kong head, will open March 2017, to celebrate the launch of the soon-to-be classic reboot; KONG: Skull Island.
Visitors will embark on an adventure deep into the tropics of Skull Island. Once inside, they will be joined by a new figure of Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) as they journey through the secluded bamboo jungle. Trekking along, avoiding traps of massive spiders and uncovering various artifacts, guests will ultimately come to face the dominating robotic head of Kong himself: watching, snarling, and roaring at those who dare pass.
The enormous animatronic Kong head, made from over 350 square feet of specialist faux hair, took a team of 33 artists 72 days to build. Each movement of the head uses state-of-the-art pneumatic controls, designed specifically for Kong. The system precisely controls the pressure and flow of air to recreate lifelike facial movements, grunts, snorts and roars made by the ferocious beast.
"Creating such a large and lifelike animatronic is a first for Madame Tussauds - the sheer size of this project is staggering," said Anna Domingo, General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York. "We're thrilled to be working closely with Legendary Pictures to ensure our animatronic head is made to the exact film-scale, so visitors really will come face-to-face and feel the power and scale of the Kong depicted on the big screen."
The KONG: Skull Island experience will open to the public exclusively at Madame Tussauds New York and London in March 2017.
Kong: Skull Island will be in theaters from March 10, 2017.
