3
by Olorin
I think theme parks were mentioned as a possibility a few years ago when news first broke of CJRT's retirement and the deal with Amazon. These days with parks like Harry Potter World (or whatever it's called) and Galaxy's Edge being big draws, it's only natural that someone with the rights to do this with Middle Earth would be thinking about it. And while it's easy to pigeonhole as crass exploitation (I might even think of it as that myself), at the same time there's an aspect of it that appeals to me, that Middle-earth could compete in this league alongside Harry Potter and Star Wars. In any event, I'm neither worried or excited about it, as I doubt it will actually materialize. Even the Hobbit movies are years in the past now and I'm not sure Middle-earth retains that much appeal among the larger, more casual fan group that were not Tolkien devotees like us. Put another way, there's been talk for years of a Star Trek theme park, but the closest that ever came to fruition was the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas, and even it is now gone.
I must say as far as personal aghastness at Tolkien exploitation goes, I found that in the form of LOTR movie-themed slot machines or video poker at a casino in Milwaukee a number of years ago. I was there to see a concert in the casino's theater. I don't gamble but am not opposed to legalized gambling (and taxation thereof) but I think Tolkien might have been appalled by it. Certainly, it was jarring to see his work being used to promote a "vice." And this was in the fall of 2012, so I probably thought, oh crap, maybe the world is going to end at the end of the year!
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."