Why World’s First ‘Harry Potter Land’ Chose Abu Dhabi Instead of the UK and USA

Harry Potter's first full-scale land with Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley heads to Abu Dhabi. See why it chose the Middle East over the UK & USA.

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Abu Dhabi has a major treat in store for wizarding fans. The UAE capital is set to welcome the world’s first ‘Harry Potter land‘ to feature both Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley, according to Forbes, with Warner Bros. Discovery and Miral expanding Warner Bros. World on Yas Island.

The new expansion will bring large-scale immersive attractions, themed dining, and retail inspired by the books and movies, all inside the park’s massive climate-controlled complex.

Harry Potter attractions already exist inside Universal’s theme parks in Europe and North America, drawing millions every year. Even so, this first large-scale Harry Potter land is coming to the UAE because Abu Dhabi was willing to fund and fast-track a brand-new build, and because its location makes it far easier for fans across Asia and Africa to finally experience a major Wizarding World destination closer to home.

With Harry Potter now a truly global franchise, it was only a matter of time before the magic expanded beyond its traditional Western strongholds.

First-Ever Harry Potter Land Enters Middle East’s Entertainment Push

Yas Island didn’t become a theme park hotspot overnight. Warner Bros. World opened there in 2018 as one of the world’s largest indoor parks, covering 153,000 square meters, and since the early 2020s, the Gulf has gone all in on big entertainment.

The UAE hosted major touring hits like Harry Potter: The Exhibition, and Saudi Arabia opened Six Flags Qiddiya in 2025, clear signs that global franchises now see the region as a serious expansion market.

In the USA and UK, the Wizarding World areas at Universal Orlando and Hollywood are already huge and well established. Those parks are built out, busy, and already have their spaces in place. Building a completely new, large-scale Harry Potter land there would mean adding more to markets that are already packed.

The Middle East offered something fresher: space to build from the ground up, strong backing, and a region still growing fast. Instead of squeezing Hogwarts into an already crowded Western resort, Warner Bros. can launch it in a market that’s expanding. That’s how the first-ever Harry Potter land becomes part of the Middle East’s bigger entertainment push.

Harry Potter‘s Growth No Longer Centers on London or Orlando

For years, Orlando and London felt like the main stages of Harry Potter. Universal Orlando built massive Wizarding World lands. London had the Studio Tour and The Cursed Child. That’s where the most physical magic lived.

But the franchise is bigger than those two cities now. The books have sold over 600 million copies worldwide. The movies made more than $9.5 billion globally (via The Numbers, as of March 2, 2026). Hogwarts Legacy sold around 40 million copies by 2025 (via Push Square). And search data has ranked Harry Potter as the most popular movie franchise in 75 countries, much beyond the UK and the USA (via Mugglenet).

Now HBO’s Harry Potter is rebooting the entire series for a new generation. That means another global wave of attention, new fans, and renewed demand everywhere, not just in Europe and North America.

When the audience looks like that, expansion can’t stay centered on London or Orlando. A major land in Abu Dhabi reflects where the franchise is heading next. The magic started in the West, but its future clearly isn’t limited to it.

Do you think Abu Dhabi is the right next home for Hogwarts, or should the next major land have stayed closer to home? Tell us in the comments!

Harry Potter movies are available to stream on HBO Max (USA).

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