20th Century Fox World was first announced on 26 July 2013 and commenced its construction on 17 December 2013 with a cost of estimated RM1 billion. The park was going to be the only functioning 20th Century Fox theme park in the world and the first in Asia. The project was part of a major 10-year master plan of development, expansion, enhancement and refurbishment of hotels, theme park and infrastructure at Resorts World Genting. It replaced the previous Genting Outdoor Theme Park which was closed on 1 September 2013. The theme park is 250 acres in size and would feature roughly 25 thrill rides and attractions based on diverse films and franchises like Blue Sky Studios'Ice Age and Rio, Life of Pi, Night at the Museum, Planet of the Apes, Alien vs. Predator, Titanic and Sons of Anarchy. Once expected to open in 2016, the opening was delayed to 2019 reportedly due to the country's weak currency. However, in 2018, Fox Entertainment terminated their agreement with Genting. The Genting Group is still planning to open the park in the future but the opening date is postponed while the operator is considering various options, including rebranding the park.
Lawsuit
On 26 November 2018, Genting Malaysia filed a $1.75 billion lawsuit against Disney and Fox, accusing Fox of trying to back out of the deal for licensing the theme park. In the suit, Genting Malaysia alleges that Fox has taken steps to cancel the contract. The suit also names Disney as a defendant, contending that Disney executives, following the company's then-pending acquisition of Fox, were "calling the shots" on the project and that they were opposed to the park because they would have "no control" over its operations and that it would be adjacent to a casino, which would go against Disney's "family friendly" image. Fox, in turn, referred to the suit as "without merit", stating that their reasons for withdrawing from the deal were due to Genting consistently not meeting "agreed-upon deadlines for several years" and that Genting's attempts to blame Disney for Fox's default were "made up". Fox filed a $46 million countersuit against Genting on January 23, 2019. In the suit Fox stated that the reason for their termination of the project was because of "Genting alone", blaming Genting's "incompetence, inexperience, and rank indifference to its contractual obligations" as the reason the project fell through. Fox alleged that Genting changed agreed-upon plans "at the whim" of Genting Group chairman Lim Kok Thay and that Genting would construct "buildings that were too tall for the themed facades constructed to house them, built parade floats that were so large that they left no room on the street for spectators, built an attraction without including the designed evacuation route, and routinely had to retrofit, if not tear down, its prematurely built structures". Genting responded by stating that Fox's countersuit was filed to "divert attention away from its own incompetence and inexperience" and went on to say that the company "will prove that Fox’s termination was both unfounded and improperly directed by Disney and Fox’s parent company, Twenty First Century Fox." On July 26, it was announced that Fox and Genting had settled their respective lawsuits. As part of the deal, Genting would be given “a license to use certain Fox intellectual properties” and that non-Fox intellectual property would make up the rest of the attractions in the park. The outdoor park would also no longer be referred to as 20th Century Fox World, but instead would be named Genting SkyWorlds.
