Macron’s team seeks Saudi funding for manga theme park near Paris

Macron’s team courts Saudi investors to revive Mirapolis as Dragon Ball manga park

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office has been in discussions with Saudi investors for several months about reviving the long-abandoned Mirapolis site northwest of Paris as a manga-themed attraction based on the Dragon Ball franchise. Officials say a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the Qiddiya Investment Company, is at the center of talks that could see an investment reportedly exceeding €1 billion to buy and redevelop the former park located some 30 kilometres from Paris.

“We had no information before receiving the invitation to the meeting, but we understand that the Elysée wants to step up the pressure on this issue,” said a ministerial adviser who took part in a recent interministerial meeting convened to discuss the project.

Details of the talks and who’s involved

Discussions have included senior figures and agencies across the French state and Saudi development bodies. Qiddiya Managing Director Abdullah Aldawood has met President Macron at the Choose France summits and has held meetings with Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region, as well as teams from Business France and Choose Paris Region. A summit press kit referenced a memorandum of understanding to “explore a major tourism and entertainment project in France.”

Late last month, Île-de-France officials met representatives from 10 key ministries, electricity grid operator RTE and public transport operator Île-de-France Mobilités to review governance, transport infrastructure, energy requirements and land acquisition related to the site. The meeting was chaired by Georges-François Leclerc, Macron’s former chief of staff who is now prefect of Île-de-France.

The Qiddiya Investment Company is already driving a parallel project near Riyadh under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030: the city of Qiddiya, a vast entertainment complex planned about 50 kilometres from the Saudi capital featuring a Formula 1 circuit, a large tennis complex, a Six Flags-operated amusement park and a Dragon Ball theme park. Sources familiar with the Paris negotiations say the plan for Mirapolis would be a smaller-scale Dragon Ball park adapted to the French site.

• Site history: Mirapolis opened in 1987 under then-Prime Minister Jacques Chirac with funding from Saudi billionaire Ghaith Pharaon and closed in 1991 after struggling with visitor numbers and competition from EuroDisney.
• Local response: Rachid Temal, the Socialist Party senator representing the constituency, said he was not involved and preferred not to comment; Aurélien Taché, MP for the area, said he was not kept in the loop and warned he will scrutinise “the environmental and social aspects of the project.”
• Confidentiality: Participants described the negotiations as sensitive, with one official calling the project “highly confidential.”

Outlook

Key questions remain over the exact level of Saudi investment, the legal and governance structure of any deal, and the timetable for redevelopment. French authorities have already started cross-ministry planning on infrastructure and energy, signalling momentum within government circles. Local elected officials and environmental watchdogs are likely to press for safeguards as the project advances, and MPs such as Aurélien Taché have signalled close scrutiny of social and environmental impacts. If completed, the revival would mark a symbolic return for Mirapolis and a notable example of Saudi cultural and tourism investment in Europe under Vision 2030.