A Billion-Euro Bet on Popular Culture
Greater Paris is about to get a new entertainment district, and it will be huge. Three theme parks are planned for the Cergy-Pontoise area, roughly 30 kilometers northwest of the capital, as part of a six-billion-euro development that will include hotels, leisure facilities, and cultural venues. One of the parks will draw on Dragon Ball Z, the Japanese manga and anime series that has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide and spawned a sprawling media franchise.
The project was announced during a state visit by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the kingdom's prime minister. Qiddiya, a Saudi-owned company, will fund and develop the mixed-use destination in the Île-de-France region. According to Qiddiya, the project is expected to create 22,000 jobs across entertainment, hospitality, culture, and sport.
French President Emmanuel Macron framed the announcement in historical terms, comparing it to the arrival of Disneyland Paris in the early 1990s. He described the venture as a new global destination and thanked Saudi Arabia for its confidence in France. Macron also acknowledged his own interest in manga, a detail that reportedly came up in earlier conversations with the crown prince. Presidential advisors told reporters that the two leaders had bonded over their shared enthusiasm for Dragon Ball Z, and that exchange helped set the project in motion.
Why This Site, Why Now
Cergy-Pontoise is not a random choice. The area already has transport links to central Paris and room to expand, making it a practical site for a large-scale development. Theme parks need space, not just for rides and attractions but for the infrastructure that supports them: parking, hotels, restaurants, and back-of-house operations. The Île-de-France region has been looking to diversify its tourism offerings beyond the city center, and a project of this scale could draw visitors who might otherwise skip the suburbs entirely.
The timing also reflects a broader push by Saudi Arabia to invest in entertainment and leisure projects, both at home and abroad. Qiddiya announced a separate Dragon Ball Z theme park near Riyadh in 2024, part of the kingdom's effort to build a domestic tourism sector and reduce its economic dependence on oil. Investing in a high-profile project near Paris gives Qiddiya a foothold in Europe and aligns with Saudi ambitions to become a player in global entertainment.
For France, the deal brings capital and jobs at a time when many European economies are navigating post-pandemic recovery and energy-market volatility. The promise of 22,000 jobs is significant, though it is worth noting that such projections often include both direct employment at the parks and indirect jobs in construction, supply chains, and hospitality. The actual number will depend on how the project unfolds and how much of the surrounding development materializes.
What a Manga Park Might Look Like
Details about the Dragon Ball Z park remain thin. Theme parks based on intellectual property can take many forms, from immersive lands with elaborate theming to more modest attractions that lean on branding and merchandise. Dragon Ball Z, with its action-heavy storylines and iconic characters, lends itself to rides and experiences built around combat, adventure, and transformation. Think roller coasters themed to battles, simulator rides that mimic flight or energy blasts, and interactive zones where visitors can train like the characters.
The franchise has a multigenerational fanbase. It debuted as a manga in the 1980s, became a global anime phenomenon in the 1990s and 2000s, and continues to release new content. That longevity gives the park potential staying power, though it also means the audience is diverse. Some visitors will be longtime fans who grew up with the series; others will be younger viewers discovering it through newer shows and games. The park will need to balance nostalgia with accessibility.
The other two parks have not been identified, but the scale of the investment suggests they will be substantial. Six billion euros for three parks, plus hotels and other facilities, is a considerable sum. For comparison, Disneyland Paris cost roughly four billion euros to build in the early 1990s, adjusted for inflation. This project is aiming for a similar level of ambition.
The Disneyland Comparison and Its Limits
Macron's invocation of Disneyland Paris is both a compliment and a reminder. Disneyland Paris opened in 1992 and has become one of Europe's most-visited tourist destinations, drawing millions of people each year. It also took years to become profitable and faced early struggles with debt, attendance, and cultural friction. The park was criticized at the time for importing American entertainment into France, and it took sustained investment and adjustment to find its footing.
The new project will face its own challenges. Building three theme parks at once is a complex undertaking, and the success of one does not guarantee the success of the others. The parks will compete not just with Disneyland Paris but with other attractions in the region and across Europe. They will also need to navigate fluctuating travel patterns, economic uncertainty, and the question of whether there is enough demand to support multiple large-scale parks in one area.
Then there is the question of identity. A manga-themed park in France is an interesting cultural crossover, but it will need to resonate with both local and international visitors. Dragon Ball Z has a strong following in France, where manga and anime have been popular for decades, but the park will still need to prove it can draw crowds year-round, not just during peak tourist season.
What Comes Next
No opening date has been announced, and major theme park projects typically take several years from announcement to launch. Qiddiya and its partners will need to finalize designs, secure additional permits, begin construction, and navigate the inevitable delays and adjustments that come with a project of this scale. The timeline will also depend on how quickly the supporting infrastructure can be built. Hotels, transport links, and other amenities are essential to making a theme park destination work, and they often take as long to develop as the parks themselves.
The project is a signal of how entertainment investment is shifting. Theme parks are no longer the exclusive domain of a few major players. Countries and companies outside the traditional hubs of the United States and Japan are building their own attractions, often with backing from sovereign wealth funds and state-linked enterprises. That trend is reshaping the global theme park landscape, creating new destinations and new competition.
For travelers, the prospect of three new parks near Paris is intriguing, especially if they offer something distinct from what is already available. Whether that potential translates into reality will depend on execution, timing, and whether the project can deliver on its ambitious promises.
