New Hyper-Reality Star Warstm VR Experience Coming to Westfield Stratford City

Created by ILMxLAB and The VOID, friends can step inside the Star Wars universe together in an immersive experience unlike any other

Tickets at: www.thevoid.com/locations/londonstratford

LONDON, Feb. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- From a galaxy far, far away comes the first multi-sensory immersive virtual experience that blurs the line between the physical and virtual world where you move freely, hear, touch, feel and even smell an environment as you explore it with friends and companions.

Due to the incredible response from fans and critics alike at the Westfield London location in Shepherd's Bush, ILMxLAB and The VOID today announced that the first-of-its-kind hyper-reality experience, Star Warstm: Secrets of the Empire, is moving to Westfield Stratford City next month.

Designed to be socially interactive, this ground-breaking immersive experience will open to the public for a limited time only at Westfield Stratford City in the Arena on the first floor starting at 10:00 a.m. on 29 March, giving Star Wars fans the opportunity to step beyond reality and into the iconic universe. Tickets are available now at www.thevoid.com/locations/londonstratford. Tickets for Westfield London (Shepherd's Bush) are also still available through 7 March at www.thevoid.com/locations/london. Hours of operation for both locations are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will transport guests deep into the Star Wars universe allowing them to walk freely and untethered on an interactive stage. Reality and imagination mix to deliver breathtaking experiences where you'll feel the impact of blaster bolts, smell the smoke from your physical environment, push buttons to solve an interactive puzzle to escape enemies, all while coordinating directly with your unit in real time through the blended digital/physical world.

Under the orders of the rebellion, teams of four travel to the molten planet of Mustafar and sneak onto an Imperial Base. During the mission, you'll encounter familiar Star Wars characters as you navigate dangers at every turn.

Cliff Plumer, chief executive officer at The VOID said: "Hyper-reality experiences allow us to fully immerse ourselves within worlds that were beyond our reach until now.  The power of The VOID will allow guests to step into Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire and not only see this spectacular world, but also hear, feel, touch and even smell as they realize they are a part of this incredible story."

Anna Hill, Chief Marketing Officer, Disney UK & Ireland, said: "Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will bring much-loved characters and stories, and the sheer exhilaration of Star Wars to life for UK audiences in a spectacular and immersive way, and we can't wait to have people experience it at Westfield Stratford."

Myf Ryan, Chief Marketing Officer, Westfield UK & Europe said: "We're delighted to host Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire in collaboration with The VOID and Disney at Westfield Stratford City from the end of March until June. Following the success of the experience at Westfield London, we can't wait for our Stratford customers to enjoy this incredible VR technology which allows our shoppers to experience the universe of Star Wars in a more vivid way than ever before. It's a 'must-see' experience' that any fan will surely enjoy."

The official trailer and a testimonial video from London fans can be found here:

• Trailer: https://youtu.be/7p6k86b4ECA
• London fan testimonials: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2lSKWMfCMQ

#SecretsOfTheEmpire

About The VOID
The VOID is a destination that inspires the exploration of fully immersive worlds with friends and family, creating memorable experiences together. By combining physical sets with real-time interactive effects, The VOID allows you to step beyond reality, engaging all your senses, transporting you to new and unimaginable worlds. In July 2016, The VOID opened its first public experience at Madame Tussauds New York. In 2017, The VOID expanded with locations at The Rec Room in Toronto and the company's headquarters in the greater Salt Lake City area with additional locations planned for the second half of the year. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.thevoid.com and join @VOIDVR on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About ILMxLAB
Founded in 2015, ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm's Immersive Entertainment division, combines compelling storytelling, technological innovation and world-class production to create truly impactful, immersive entertainment experiences. ILMxLAB develops experiences for virtual reality, augmented/mixed reality, real-time cinema, theme park entertainment and narrative-based experiences for future platforms. For more information, follow @ILMxLAB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Lucasfilm Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. ILMxLAB, the ILMxLAB logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

About Westfield UK
Westfield is the London's pioneering shopping and leisure experience ? with two centres across the capital, Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City.

Westfield Stratford City is a pioneering shopping and leisure destination, with a unique blend of fashion, beauty, dining, leisure and entertainment. Located adjacent to the Olympic Park and the prestigious gateway to the Olympic Games in 2012, Westfield Stratford City is part of the largest urban regeneration project ever undertaken in the UK showcasing more than 300 stores.

Supporting this, Westfield is also proud to offer truly immersive experiences, from rooftop music performances from Lady Gaga, a forest installation for the family, or a lagoon pop up cocktail bar with Bompas & Parr, Westfield is the ultimate leisure destination.

For more information visit: http://uk.westfield.com

About The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $55.6 billion in its last fiscal year, the highest in the Company's history (FY16).

The Walt Disney Company has operated in the UK & Ireland for over 80 years, employing more than 2,900 people, and is dedicated to creating innovative, entertainment experiences for children and families. The Disney brand is experienced in a number of ways across the UK & Ireland including in cinemas, on stage with "The Lion King", on TV screens with Disney-branded channels as well as non-branded content, through a wide range of consumer products that are sold at mass market retailers and in Disney Stores. 

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.

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