‘This is the wave of the future’: EXP to bring immersive entertainment to Rosemont
EXP, a 26,000-square-foot immersive entertainment destination, will open in Rosemont’s Pearl District on Sept. 25.
Rosemont has partnered with PHI Studio, an immersive design studio based in Montreal, to create the facility, which is currently under construction.
When completed, the space will host sensory-rich experiences, including virtual reality, augmented reality and traditional interactive exhibitions.
“Rosemont is really at the forefront of this wave, and I do believe it’s going to be a wave,” said Eric Albert, CEO of PHI Studio, during a tour of the facility Wednesday. “Think of it as cinema 4.0 to a certain extent. It's like watching a movie, but you're actually inside the movie, and you can interact with some of the elements around you.”
PHI Studio has produced projects in Montreal, Houston, Shanghai and Singapore.
“The Chicago area is known to be at the forefront of immersive experiences,” Albert said. “Our objective is to bring these types of experiences to the largest number of people possible around the world.”
EXP is expected to bring a quarter million people a year to Rosemont, Mayor Brad Stephens said.
“Our daytime population is 100,000 people — this will add to that,” he said. “We have an arena and theater and different things in the convention center, this just steps outside that box.”
What is currently an empty room with light gray walls will transform into a welcoming reception area with a merchandise store. Albert guided the tour group into a large black box, still lined with yellow caution tape, which he said is “where the magic is going to be happening.”
“The way to imagine the space is like a blank canvas, and people will be coming in with their various types of experiences,” Albert said.
The new immersive space will open with two globally acclaimed 45-minute virtual reality experiences making their Midwest debut: “Horizon of Khufu” and “Life Chronicles.” These experiences allow explorers, equipped with a virtual reality headset, to roam freely within a physically walkable virtual reality space.
“A lot of the magic happens inside the headset,” Albert said.
“Horizon of Khufu” will transport travelers to explore the Great Pyramid of Giza, the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu. This expedition experience has sold over 1.5 million tickets worldwide.
In “Life Chronicles,” a virtual guide will take visitors on a journey through time, spanning 3.5 billion years. The expedition showcases the major stages of evolution, ancient paleo-landscapes and even dinosaurs.
“A lot of experiences that we’re going to be presenting have an educational component to it,” Albert said. “The two experiences that we’re starting with were actually built with scientists and historians to make sure that not only are they entertaining, but that they also represent the reality.”
Later, EXP will welcome “Space Explorers: The Infinite,” a cinematic virtual reality experience that was filmed inside the International Space Station. Participants will feel like they are living among the astronauts as they witness a spacewalk and gaze down at Earth.
A waitlist for EXP will open July 23, and tickets will be available Aug. 4.
“This is the wave of the future,” Stephens said. “Can't wait to see it open.”