Experiential entertainment is having a gold rush but commercial success is far from certain

When the first ever stage adaptation of the global book and film franchise The Hunger Games opens its doors in London next week, fans paying up to £200 have been promised an “electrifying” and “immersive” experience.The show at the purpose-built 1,200 seat Troubadour in Canary Wharf, which features Hollywood A-lister John Malkovich appearing via screen as the evil President Snow who oversees the televised spectacle of teenagers fighting to the death, is the latest in an explosion of launches looking to cash in on a boom in consumer demand for experiential entertainment, often linked to bankable franchises.The boom in the market for experimental, unusual nights out and shows is well established, from escape rooms, axe throwing and slumber parties to Secret Cinema’s Olympic Park takeover to recreate the setting for Back to the Future and the hugely successful Abba Voyage. Recent pop-ups include experiences linked to Minecraft, Jurassic World and Squid Game.As big money has rolled into the sector, so too has a desire from companies to rely on solid gold intellectual property to bring in the crowds – with mixed results

French theme park firm won UK government support despite far-right ties

A French business that is planning to build a vast £600m historical theme park in rural Oxfordshire won help for its plans from the previous government despite its founding family’s ties to the far right and past praise of Vladimir Putin.Correspondence obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws showed the Conservative peer Dominic Johnson, a business and trade minister in Rishi Sunak’s government, promised to “assist” Puy du Fou – one of France’s most popular theme parks – in finding a UK site.An unnamed UK official later said departmental staff based in France would be available to provide more help, while the company later described the government as having been “very supportive” of its plans.The company subsequently unveiled proposals to build mock medieval castles, hotels and restaurants on farmland near the M40 in Oxfordshire.The project has proved controversial, partly owing to objections from local people based on concerns about traffic, the demand on local water supplies and the potential environmental impact

‘The wire began to smoke’: how to avoid counterfeit scams on Vinted and other resale sites

When Maheen found a brand-new Dyson Airwrap for the bargain price of £260 on the resale website Vinted, she was thrilled. The seller’s reviews were all five-star, and she trusted in the buyer-protection policy should something go wrong.Sold new, an Airwrap costs between £400 and £480, but Maheen did not suspect anything was amiss. “I had used Vinted many times and it was simple and straightforward. Nothing had ever gone wrong,” she says

‘I lost 25 pounds in 20 days’: what it’s like to be on the frontline of a global cyber-attack

The security chief of SolarWinds reflects on the Russian hack that exposed US government agencies – and the heart attack he suffered in the aftermathTim Brown will remember 12 December 2020 for ever.It was the day the software company SolarWinds was notified it had been hacked by Russia.Brown, the chief information security officer at SolarWinds, immediately understood the implications: any of the company’s more than 300,000 global clients could be affected too.The exploit allowed the hackers remote access to the systems of customers that had installed SolarWinds’ network software Orion, including the US treasury department, the US department of commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, along with thousands of companies and public institutions.Brown says he was “running on adrenaline” in the first few days after the attack

Formula One: United States Grand Prix – live updatesi

Lap 34/54: Our new leader is George Russell. Don’t get too excited. He hasn’t pitted, while Verstappen has just zipped in and out of the pit lane.Now Russell will pit.Lap 33/56: Norris pits

NFL week seven: Vikings v Eagles, Chiefs v Raiders and more after Rams rout Jaguars – live

Vikings 22-28 Eagles 1:57, 4th quarterIt’s good! After going for it on 4th down and getting it to force a 1st and goal the Vikings are rocked back by a sack from Josh Uche. They have to settle for another field goal in the red zone. Reichard fantasy owners are thrilled by 29-yard chip shot.Final score: Titans 13-31 PatriotsTennessee don’t get the new manager bounce from head coach Mike McCoy as Drake Maye continues his commendable rise at quarterback for New England. Pats are 5-2 and Titans 1-6