The new FlyOver theater opened in Las Vegas on September 1. It offers adventurous guests the opportunity to glide, float and plunge through the West's magnificent landscapes.
FlyOver is an immersive multisensory attraction that transports guests to the top of "The Real Wild West" on a 52.5-foot-wide screen. They are strapped into their seats on a moving platform that allows them to move in six directions. This coincides with the amazing imagery. They will encounter mists, wind and smells as their feet hang from the platform for eight minutes.
The scene includes a solar eclipse above a volcanic peak at Oregon's Cascade Volcanic Arc. Stallions race in snow-covered Yellowstone. There are also 65-foot waves in California's Lost Coast. Western movie set action in Goldfield (Ariz.) and spillways on the Roosevelt Dam.
As guests lie in their chairs, with their feet dangling from the ground, they are exposed to wind, mists, and smells during the eight-minute journey. Photo credit: FlyOver in Las Vegas, by Pursuit
Jack Kenn, FlyOver Las Vegas' general manger, stated that the original concept was to keep the experience within 500 miles of Las Vegas, but it was later expanded to cover the entire United States West. Producers asked Jack Kenn, "What story are we able to tell?" What is the secret to making the West wild? What makes it wild? What are the different types of wild? Kenn stated.
The majority of the 22 scenes were shot in one to two days. The only exception was one scene that required a helicopter; the drone captured the complex choreography on the Western movie set. The film did not use any computer-generated imagery except for one scene featuring Air Force jets. The producers plan to reshoot that scene once pandemic protocols permit.
"A lot of the shots weren't planned. Kenn stated that the shot of the Golden Gate Bridge was not planned. "We were simply traveling between one location and the other, when we realized it was perfect. You can go back and take it again. It was serendipitous that things like this happened."
Rick Rothschild, a former Disney Imagineer and creative director, led the efforts behind "The Real Wild West." Tom Holkenborg, a Danish composer/musician who goes by the stagename Junkie XL, composed the score.
The 35-minute experience includes guests going through a cinematic board area, and then seeing a preshow projected on wraparound walls. The preshow showcases the West's diverse cultures, rugged geology and entrepreneurial history. Moment Factory, a Montreal multimedia company, produced the preshow as well as other content for the attraction.
FlyOver's lobby, and Lost Cactus Bar have a canyon-floor theme. Photo credit: FlyOver Las Vegas by Pursuit
FlyOver transformed the former Untied Artists theater and part from Famous Footwear to make it a $50 million venue. The retail store is open as well as a bar with beer, wine and mocktails.
FlyOver Las Vegas is a project of Pursuit, an attraction and hospitality company. It has two theaters that seat 40 people. The second theater screens "Iceland," which offers a similar immersive experience in the same country as the original FlyOver, which opened in 2019. The third FlyOver is in Vancouver. Another one is planned to open in Toronto by 2024.
FlyOver is located next to Hard Rock Cafe on Las Vegas Boulevard and is open daily for guests of all ages. For one ride, tickets with showtimes specific start at $24 (for children 12 and under) or $34 (for adults) To ride, children must be at least 40inches tall.
The hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. for this month, and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Fridays or Saturdays. FlyOverLasVegas has more information.
