France and Saudi Arabia have signed a memorandum of understanding on a €6 billion project to build three theme parks near Cergy-Pontoise, northwest of Paris, including one widely reported to be inspired by the Japanese manga and anime franchise Dragon Ball Z.
The agreement was announced on August 24, 2026, during a two-day official visit to France by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
The development, financed by Qiddiya Investment Company (a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund), is expected to create around 22,000 direct jobs. The Élysée has said the first park will be devoted to the universe of manga, with the themes of the other two to be chosen later.
French President Emmanuel Macron described it as on a scale “not seen since Disneyland Paris” and noted the pair’s shared enthusiasm for the series, which an adviser to the French president said had first surfaced during talks in Riyadh in December 2024.
“This is the very essence of Choose France: to seek out the most ambitious projects and make France the country where they become reality. To create jobs. To make France shine. We’re not done surprising the world. Very proud of this achievement,” the French president said.
The Paris announcement has generated heavy discussion on X, where Dragon Ball content and related hashtags have been highly active.
Official accounts and fan communities have amplified the news, reflecting the franchise’s enduring popularity more than 40 years after its creation. The series was first serialised in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in 1984.
Une annonce hors normes.
Vous connaissez mon intérêt pour les mangas. Vous savez aussi ma détermination à attirer en France les investissements qui créent des emplois et rendent possibles les projets les plus ambitieux.
Avec l’Arabie saoudite, nous faisons une annonce sans…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 24, 2026
Construction is expected to take several years. No opening date has been set, and the timetable depends on planning consents.
The site is the former Mirapolis park at Courdimanche, in the Val-d’Oise, around 30 kilometres from Paris and served by the RER A suburban railway. Mirapolis opened in 1987 and closed in 1991, leaving one of the few plots of that size still available in the Île-de-France region.
Detailed plans for attractions, exact size and the themes of the other two parks have not yet been released.
Disneyland Paris, by comparison, has drawn more than €13 billion in investment since it opened in 1992. France is the largest theme park market in Europe, with more than 650 sites and about 70 million visits a year, according to trade publication L’Écho touristique.
The project forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programme, the kingdom’s overarching plan to diversify its economy away from oil dependence.
Under the plan, tourism and entertainment are prioritised as key non-oil growth sectors, with targets including raising tourism’s contribution to gross domestic product and attracting tens of millions of annual visitors.
Qiddiya Investment Company is already developing the world’s first dedicated Dragon Ball theme park as part of its Qiddiya City entertainment destination outside Riyadh.
Announced in March 2024 in partnership with Toei Animation, the Saudi park will cover more than 500,000 square metres and feature seven themed zones recreating locations such as Kame House, Capsule Corporation and Beerus’ Planet.
Plans include more than 30 rides and experiences, with a centrepiece 70-metre-tall Shenron structure housing a rollercoaster, plus themed hotels and restaurants. It is due in the second phase of Qiddiya City, planned for 2030.
Other parts of Qiddiya City are already operating. Six Flags Qiddiya City opened on December 31, 2025, and the Aquarabia water park followed in March 2026.
Expanding such projects internationally allows the Public Investment Fund to build expertise, generate returns and project Saudi soft power in global leisure and popular culture markets.
Broader long-term aims include reducing reliance on hydrocarbon revenues, creating high-quality domestic jobs and retaining entertainment spending that previously leaked abroad.
It also seeks to position Saudi Arabia as a regional and global hub for tourism, gaming, sports and live entertainment, using high-profile cultural and leisure investments to forge international partnerships and build global brand recognition.
The Paris deal is one of several agreements signed during the crown prince’s visit, spanning energy, defence, artificial intelligence and other sectors, reflecting deepening economic ties between the two countries.
Alstom and the shipping group CMA CGM signed contracts worth close to €1 billion, and the two leaders chaired the first meeting of the Franco-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.
