Futuroscope, or Parc du Futuroscope (), formerly known as Planète Futuroscope, is a French theme park based upon multimedia, cinematographic, and audiovisual techniques. It has several 3D cinemas and a few 4D cinemas along with other attractions and shows, some of which are the only examples in the world.
It is located in the department of Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, north of Poitiers, in the communes of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou and Jaunay-Clan.
The park had 1.83 million visitors in 2015. In total, 50 million visitors have been to the park since it opened in 1987.
History
1984: 11 December, first stone placed by René Monory, president of the general council of Vienne. 1987: 31 May, opens to the public with Kinémax, the Pavillon du Futuroscope and a play zone.
1988: opening of the first Dynamique Cinéma - Monde des Enfants (the world of children) and the Showscan (the first part of the Pavillon de la Communication). 1989: the Cinéma en Relief, the Cinéma 360° and the second part of the Pavillon de la Communication open, offering new spectacles to visitors. 1990: opening of the Omnimax and the Gyrotour. Futuroscope produces its first film in 360° about the Tour de France.
1991: inauguration of Cinéautomate in spring. The park receives its one-millionth visitor. 1992: the Tapis Magique (Magic Carpet) and the Paysages d’Europe (Landscapes of Europe, a tow boat ride) open. 1993: inauguration of Solido. 1994: opening of Pavillon de la Vienne, a second Dynamique Cinéma and the Aquascope. 1995: celebrating the centenary of cinema, inauguration of the Images Studio. 1996: the IMAX 3D opens and presents Guillaumet, les Ailes du Courage (the Wings of Courage), a 3D dramatic film in 3D directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The Showscan becomes the Cinéma Haute Résolution (High Resolution Cinema). 1997: Futuroscope celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new evening spectacle, Le Lac aux Images (the Lake with Images). The Cinéautomate becomes Ciné-Jeu (Cinema Game) and Cyber Avenue opens up the Cyberworld to its visitors,. The Pavillon de la Communication presents a film produced by Futuroscope called Les Autoroutes de l’Information (The Motorways of Information). 1998: Cyber Avenue expands with Cybermédia offering 1600 m² (17,000 sq ft) of multimedia, Internet and video games. Imagic opens, mixing image with illusion. The Dynamique Cinéma 2 becomes Astratour with a film discovering satellites, produced by Futuroscope. 1999: opening of Images du Goût (Images of Taste) and The Workshop of Taste in the Pavillon du Futuroscope. 2000: opening of the IMAX 3D simulator: Le Défi d’Atlantis (Race for Atlantis). In June, the Gare TGV-Futuroscope (Futuroscope's TGV Station) opened with a walkway allowing visitors to reach the heart of the park directly from the station (80 mins from Paris-Montparnasse).