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.
![At the end of the Rubik’s Cube room is a series of hanging mirrors, adding to the psychedelic vibe of the space.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_51_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The Ready Player One Challenge draws immediate attention from passersby on Hollywood Boulevard with a 40-foot depiction of the stacks—a series of vertical trailers inspired by the movie.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_33_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![After creating a username and receiving an R.F.I.D. bracelet to track their progress, attendees pass by a graffiti mural that depicts scenes from the movie and evokes the challenge's '80s feel.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/unnamed_4_8.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Guests can pause for photo ops at the trailers, and then enter the challenge through a secret entrance: a hollowed-out van filled with real props and papers from the movie.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_6_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The maze challenges guests to find three “keys.” Staffers and wall graffiti remind attendees of the clues—“Search,” “Play,” and “Take the Leap.” All three keys must be found to unlock the door to the final room, which features original props from the film, plus a leaderboard displaying the users who completed the challenge the fastest.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_38_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![In the Ready Player One book and movie, the main character lives in a laundry room and uses the virtual Oasis to escape into a new world. A live actor—one of several who appears throughout the maze—depicts the scene at the entrance to the challenge.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/unnamed_3_7.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![One room asks guests to search for clues in a Rubik’s Cube-inspired space—which also proved to be a popular spot for selfies.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_11_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Another space is inspired by a basement in the 1980s, an era the book often references. The room has old-school gaming systems for guests to play, plus wood-paneled walls and other retro details.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_55_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![In the gaming room, tongue-in-cheek posters also evoke pop culture details of the 1980s.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_69_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The detailed space also includes displays of old cassette tapes, records, and VHS tapes, all personalized by hand to evoke the era.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_71_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Also on site is a room with infinity mirrors that guests must navigate through.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/rpo_50_of_73.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![After completing the maze, guests can shop in an on-site gift shop and take photos in a DeLorean inspired by the 1985 film Back to the Future.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/unnamed_2_12.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The top of the maze spells out the movie name and lights up at night.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/03/mavic_5_0065.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)