Marvel Universe of Super Heroes)
Venu Menon
Wellington, November 9,2023
Multimedia giant Marvel is synonymous with super heroes.
The costumed characters have captured public imagination by their exploits in comic books and the big screen for over eight decades.
The name Marvel is firmly embedded in global visual culture.
And now, Wellington is poised to host the world premiere of Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition next month, which will take audiences on a journey through the Marvel Universe.
The exhibition, which traces Marvel’s 85-year history, will be held at Takina, the Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, which opened on the capital’s popular waterfront in June.
The exhibition will feature “rare artifacts, original comic art, film props, costumes, immersive designs and exclusive memorabilia, getting fans up close with iconic Marvel Heroes, films and comics,” and builds on the success of Marvel exhibitions held in the US.
Marvel: Universe Of Super Heroes and Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing drew more than one million guests when the exhibitions were staged in Seattle in the US through 2021. They featured one-of-a-kind artifacts which included original comic book art, costumes and props from movies and TV, as well as multimedia elements. Visitors posed alongside life-size representations of heroes and “immersed themselves in the characters and culture of the Marvel Universe.”
Semmel Exhibitions, Marvel Themed Entertainment, and Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) were the movers behind those exhibitions.
Semmel Exhibitions and Marvel Themed Entertainment are now collaborating to bring Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition to Wellington.
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the Marvel Universe “from the streets of New York City to the farthest reaches of space, offering a whole new way to experience – and learn about – these iconic stories and characters,” say Marvel exhibition’s curators Ben Saunders and Patrick Reed.
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has welcomed the event with open arms, noting the world premiere will add to the city’s “already impressive global reputation in the entertainment industry.”
“Wellington is world famous for its work on blockbuster films, and we are fiercely proud of our city being a UNESCO City of Film. So, we are definitely primed and ready to welcome more than 175,000 people expected to flock to Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition. Bring it on,” she beamed.
Anna Calver, manager of Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) and Economic Wellbeing at Wellington City Council, expects a positive economic fallout for the wider Wellington region during the four months that the city will host the exhibition.
“National and international visitors will be among the hundreds of thousands of people expected to visit the exhibition, which will benefit retail, tourism, hospitality and accommodation providers. Takina is a world-class venue. We’re excited about our city’s potential to host exhibitions of this calibre and put Wellington on the world stage,” she says.
Wellington City Council is partnering with Semmel Exhibitions to bring the exhibition to Wellington, with WellingtonNZ, the Wellington Region’s Economic Development agency, managing the marketing and operational side.
“We are very excited to welcome comic fans and film buffs to the capital,” says Warrick Dent, WellingtonNZ General Manager for Events and Experiences, adding, “The countdown is on until the world’s newest Marvel exhibition opens its doors.”
Expectations are running high in anticipation of the event.
Says Mayor Whanau: “With almost half a million visitors to the exhibition and conferences hosted at Takina already, the contribution to our local economy through retail and hospitality is out of this world, and we look forward to seeing those numbers hammered with this world-premiere exhibition coming to town!”
The exhibition starts on 14 December 2023 and runs until 28 April 2024 at the Takina Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wellington.
Venu Menon is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Wellington
