A BRANCH of the Legoland amusement park is to open in Shanghai in a joint venture investment by Britain’s Merlin Entertainments Plc.

　　A deal has been agreed with investment firm China Media Capital. Merlin is the world’s second-biggest visitor attractions group behind Walt Disney Co.

　　Legoland is aimed at younger children and features rides as well as models of landmarks from around the world, made of millions of the Lego bricks whose popularity as toys was recently boosted by the success of “The Lego Movie.”

　　Merlin Chief Executive Nick Varney said the Legoland park in Shanghai would be a similarly sized investment to the US$300 million parks it is building in Japan, South Korea and Dubai.

　　Merlin will also develop some of its existing brands, such as The Dungeons, which showcase murky historic events and scenes, for the Chinese market, as well as new brands including DreamWorks Tours, Kung Fu Panda Adventures and others.

　　The company already operates five attractions in China including Madame Tussauds and the Chang Feng Ocean World aquarium.

　　It has also announced plans for three further attractions to open in the next 18 months.