Ripley’s museum gives Mumbai a miss, heads to Bangalore

Ripley’s museum gives Mumbai a miss, heads to Bangalore
DNA


BANGALORE: Six months from now, Ripley’s, the largest entertainment and edutainment chain of museums, will be setting up its museum in the tech city, the first in South East Asia. Ripley’s first considered Mumbai but settled on Bangalore for reasons of climate and space constraints. “In Mumbai we would have had to set up in shopping malls,” said the company’s president, Robert Masterson. Ripley’s has acquired 50 acres of land outside Bangalore.

The Ripley’s Entertainment Inc., will now set up its three main attractions- the house of unusual and odd stories, wax statues and Guinness world records museum at an initial investment of Rs 150 crore. The museum will display odd true stories, world famous feats, facts and records and around 100 Indian and international wax figures. The museum will bring more than 10,000 items designed on 15 different concepts of horror and true stories.

Ripley’s is eyeing at India because of its global appeal. “India was the first choice among the South East Asian countries due to its increasing popularity among the global audience and we see a huge potential here for our industry,” Masterson said.

In a joint venture with a local entertainment company, Innovative Film City, Ripley’s is aiming to attract at least 8 lakh people every year. It has set a low entry fee of Rs 50, unlike $ 13 in the US. “We want India to be the biggest market,” Masterson said. The Indian partner will invest in infrastructure. Ripley’s will assist the local company with technical support, exhibitions and designing of the items.

Ripley’s is present in 24 other countries and its Louis Tussads wax museum in Copenhagen, Denmark is a major attraction.

Its Guinness world record museums are state-of-the-art attractions that bring hundreds of world records to life.