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Disney to Build Its 7th Theme Park, This One in the United Arab Emirates

Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)
Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)
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Disney to Build Its 7th Theme Park, This One in the United Arab Emirates

Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)
Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)

Disney will build its seventh theme park, this one in the United Arab Emirates, the entertainment company said Wednesday.

The waterfront resort will be built on Yas Island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, already home to Formula One’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Ferrari and Warner Bros. amusement parks, SeaWorld and a waterpark.

Disney and Miral, the Abu Dhabi developer overseeing the project, hope to capitalize on the 120 million airline passengers that travel through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year.

Abu Dhabi also is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and there are more museums currently under construction.

The theme park announcement is being made ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump to the region next week. Trump has promised a series of business deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

The theme park will be built and operated by Miral, but Disney will handle the design and development. Disney will also license its intellectual property and provide development and management services, according to a regulatory filing.

The California company will not be providing any capital for the project. It will earn royalties based on the resort’s revenues. It will also earn service fees.

Miral has been involved in the development of almost all of the entertainment complexes built on the island.

A projected opening date has not been announced.

Shares of Disney, which also reported second-quarter financial results on Wednesday that beat Wall Street's expectations, jumped more than 9% in morning trading.

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Denzel Washington Receives Surprise Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes Premiere for 'Highest 2 Lowest'

US actor Denzel Washington receives the Honorary Palme d'Or from US director and executive producer Spike Lee ahead of the screening of the film "Highest 2 Lowest" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2025. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/Pool via REUTERS
US actor Denzel Washington receives the Honorary Palme d'Or from US director and executive producer Spike Lee ahead of the screening of the film "Highest 2 Lowest" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2025. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/Pool via REUTERS
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Denzel Washington Receives Surprise Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes Premiere for 'Highest 2 Lowest'

US actor Denzel Washington receives the Honorary Palme d'Or from US director and executive producer Spike Lee ahead of the screening of the film "Highest 2 Lowest" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2025. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/Pool via REUTERS
US actor Denzel Washington receives the Honorary Palme d'Or from US director and executive producer Spike Lee ahead of the screening of the film "Highest 2 Lowest" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2025. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/Pool via REUTERS

Denzel Washington sandwiched a whirlwind trip to the Cannes Film Festival, in between Broadway performances, for the premiere of Spike Lee's “Highest 2 Lowest” on Monday — and was rewarded with a surprise: an honorary Palme d'Or.

Cannes had flipped around some of its scheduling to accommodate Washington's speedy France trip, which came on his lone off-day while performing “Othello” in New York. Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux surprised Washington with the award before the Monday night premiere, The Associated Press reported.

“This is my brother, right here,” said the film’s director, Spike Lee, who passed the award to Washington.

“This is a total surprise for me,” said Washington.

The festival usually gives out one or two honorary Palmes each edition — last year, the awardees were Studio Ghibli and George Lucas. Last week, Robert De Niro received one on the festival's opening night. De Niro's award was announced in advance, but surprise prizes aren't unheard of: In 2022, Tom Cruise was presented with a surprise honorary Palme d'Or just before the screening of “Top Gun: Maverick.”

The premiere also had another surprise: Rihanna attended and walked the carpet afterward with partner A$AP Rocky. Earlier this month, she revealed at the Met Gala that she was pregnant with their third child.

While the festival's photo calls usually happen the day after a film's premiere, Cannes hosted one for “Highest 2 Lowest” earlier Monday so Washington could attend. The actor, playfully posing with Lee and co-star A$AP Rocky, showed no signs of jet lag and left once the screening began.

“He told me to tell you: Thank you for the love,” Lee told the crowd after the screening. “He's on Broadway doing ‘Othello,’ so it really took a lot for him to fly here. Let's give it up for Denzel Washington, please.”

Lee also came to Cannes with obligations back in New York on his mind. He arrived at the film’s premiere decked out in Knicks colors and wearing a blue and orange striped suit. Lee ended his brief speech in the Palais by hollering: “New York Knicks!”

That Washington would be able to make the trip had been a sticking point for Cannes.

When the festival first announced its lineup last month, “Highest 2 Lowest” wasn't included. Within hours, however, Lee himself announced the film was heading to Cannes. Representatives for the festival said they had been waiting for confirmation that Washington would attend to walk the red carpet.

“Highest 2 Lowest,” a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film “High and Low,” will be released in theaters by A24 on Aug. 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5.