To promote the release of the new sci-fi film Ready Player One, which hits theaters today, Warner Bros. worked with Experiential Supply Co. to construct a massive interactive maze in an outdoor space on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. The 10,000-square-foot pop-up is free and open to the public, running from March 18 to April 1.
Based on the best-selling 2011 novel of the same name, Ready Player One depicts a dystopian future set in Ohio in 2045. To escape the real world, where most people live in vertical trailer parks dubbed “the stacks,” residents use virtual-reality software called the Oasis for work, education, and entertainment. The plot centers around the quest for three keys, which would allow whoever finds them to control the virtual world.
That quest is the center of the immersive, Instagram-friendly experience in Hollywood, which took seven days to install. Upon arrival, guests create a username and are given an R.F.I.D. tracker, then sent inside the maze with clues about the hidden keys. The journey takes them through a variety of distinct rooms, including an '80s-inspired basement with old-school gaming systems and VHS tapes; a psychedelic Rubik’s Cube-theme room; and a disco room featuring live actors as pop culture icons.
Here’s a look inside the challenge.
