|
Industry News:
2010 Park Attendance Report - (6/17/11) The official TEA & AECOM report of the 2010 Global Theme Park Attendance Numbers has been released can be downloaded here.
Some quick facts… the Magic Kingdom at WDW was the top attended park in 2010, bringing in an estimated 16.97 million guests, followed by Disneyland (15.98m), Tokyo Disneyland (14.45m), Tokyo DisneySea (12.66m), Epcot (10.82m), Disneyland Paris (10.5m), Animal Kingdom (9.68m), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (9.6m), Universal Studios Japan (8.16m) and Everland (6.88m). For all the stats for 2010, download the read the official report.
You can also still download the attendance reports from several previous years too:
Download the 2009 Report
Download the 2008 Report
Download the 2007 Report
Download the 2006 Report
 General News - (5/16/12) Coaster-Net has posted a very unique update this week after taking a visit to the Give Kids The World village. Take a moment to see this very special place.
(5/10/12) Coaster fans… the voting has started for the first categories as part of the Travel Channel’s new show, Insane Coaster Wars. Check out the details and cast your votes here for your favorite G-Force Giants and Hang’em High coasters. (Side Comment: I was a bit disappointed by the choices for G-Force Giants myself… all fun coasters, but when I think of a G-Force Giant, I’m thinking about a ride that could make you black-out from all the G’s like Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion or Titan at Six Flags over Texas.)
(4/24/12) The Travel Channel will be showing off a couple of new shows this summer of interest to theme park fans. One is called Xtreme Waterparks and it will premier Sunday, July 8th at 8pm (EST/PST) as they seek out the world’s most over the top water slides.
The other is called Insane Coaster Wars, which will also premier on Sunday, July 8th at 9pm (EST/PST), in a series that not only seeks out the best coasters, but invites thrill seekers to vote in an interactive online poll to vote for their favorite coasters in each episode. The finale episode of the season will count down the Top 10 coasters from the season with the most votes.
(4/6/12) While Titanic is returning to theaters in 3D, guests who visit select theaters in South Korea, Mexico, China and Thailand may be able to find an extra special version entitled, “Titanic 4DX”. The CJ 4DPlex Co (South Korea) has created what they believe to be a true theme park style add-on experience to enhance the film like never before. This will include environmental effects like motion seats, wind, fog, special lighting and scent based effects. The 4DX treatment is also being given to John Carter and The Hunger Games and will be put to use for The Avengers as well. Saddly, the experience is not yet available in the United States, though they hope to expand into the US market very soon.
(4/4/12) CoasterDynamix is working on a unique new addition… more of a working model Flat Ride than a coaster. Check out the prototype of their new TumbleBug ride.
(3/9/12) Sad news this week as it was announced that Michael Severn Lamb (former Chairman & CEO of Severn-Lamb) passed away on February 7th at the age of 63. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in late November 2011.
(3/1/12) Coaster Dynamix fans… have they got an interesting deal for you this week. The small two-man company behind the top notch coaster model kits has reached the point where they are ready to grow up and go big. To help them make the leap ahead they need in order to have a large production run created, they have turned to KickStarter for help to earn the needed funds.
Pledge just $15 and you can earn a very cool Statix coaster train model.
Pledge $35 and you’ll get a Sidewinder kid… a cool working shuttle loop.
Pledge $75 and you get Dive Bomber, a Dive Machine coaster kit.
For $175 you get The Scorpion inverted coaster kit.
For $500 you get a limited edition hand-build Comet wooden coaster model.
For those with a big budget… bid $5000 and they will personally work with you to design your very own custom working coaster model to put on display. Certainly this is something every major park and ride company needs to have on display in their front office, or employee lounge. Check out all the details and jump on the bandwagon.
(2/20/12) A Kindle version of the famous theme park book, “Roller Coasters, Flumes and Flying Saucers” is now available on Amazon, telling the story of Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, and their work creating rides for Walt Disney as well as the formation of Arrow Development (known later as Arrow Dynamics).
(2/10/12) For all you K’NEX coaster building fans out there, the company has released information about new coaster kits coming out in Fall 2012. Rippin’ Rocket 2 will see the return of the Rippin Rocket concept with a new kit. Atomic Coaster will be a dueling coaster concept that stands over 4 feet tall and offers 37 feet of track. It will also feature a vertical chain lift to launch 2 dueling coaster tracks. Last on the list is Son of Serpent Coaster, a mega kit that will be offered at a suggested retail price of $999.99 but include 53 feet of K’NEX track to build coasters over 5 feet tall and 7 feet wide, allowing for models to be built based more on real world steel coasters apparently. They have pictures of the Rippin’ Rocket 2 online, but not of the other sets.
(11/18/11) Theme Park Review has now released the new Roller Coasters in the RAW Volume 6 DVD as well as Roller Coasters in the RAW HD Volume 2 Blu-Ray. Follow the links to see which coasters are included on each title.
Internet Fun - (5/10/12) Andy Shine’s May Coaster Quiz has been posted. This month’s quiz is all about parks and coasters that have appeared in films or on television.
(4/23/12) Our friends at Create-A-Mation have sent us a picture of their latest collection of custom VinylMation figures based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters. As usual, you can find close up pictures of these and many more at the official Create-A-Mations Facebook page.
(4/12/12) For those hoping to one day see an amusement park featured prominently in a major work of fiction (outside of Jurassic Park, Westworld or Rollercoaster)… it seems Steven King has a new book in the works that may fit the bill. According to an interview with the master of horror found here, he is currently working on a new novel called Joyland, “about an amusement park serial killer”. As long as it’s not a clown, this could be interesting.
(4/2/12) Andy Shine is back with a new quiz for April. Check it out here.
(3/14/12) The March edition of Andy Shine’s Quiz is now live at RollerCoasterMediaLibrary.com. This one mixes trivia with a little bit of extra thinking to come up with the right answer.
(3/9/12) Haunt fans will enjoy this… coverage of the Transworld Haunt Con in St. Louis, courtesy of our friends at Behind The Thrills.
(2/20/12) A huge theme park trip report has been posted online by one of our readers visited Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, getting in 50 new roller coaster credits along the way. Lots of really interesting scenery and unique rides to see… check it out here.
(2/17/12) Coaster101 was able to interview Andreas Wild, the Management Director of Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH (Stengel Engineering). They go over the company’s history, services they offer, as well as some interesting comments along the way about how the design process works.
(1/30/12) Ever wondered what all the theme and amusement parks in South America look like? A Screamscape readr and a few friends just came back from a two-week tour all around South America with visits to: Complejo Pekos Parque Tematico (Argentina), Fantasilandia (Chile), Karting Cross (Colombia), Mampato Lo Barnechea (Chile), Mundo Aventura (Colombia), Parque de la Costa (Argentina), Parque Nacional del Café (Colombia), Parque Norte (Colombia), Parque Rodo (Uruguay), Salitre Magico (Colombia) and VulQano Park (Ecuador). Click here to check out their entire trip report.
(1/2/12) An interesting new website has launched for theme park ride fans called Ride Sims. The site’s goal is to put you in control of simulations of all your favorite theme park rides and attractions. So far I’ve noticed sims for X: No Way Out, Tower of Terror, Test Track, a Steeplechase coaster, Space Mountain Hong Kong, Saw: The Ride, Dinosaur, Revenge of the Mummy and now… JAWS: The Ride.
(10/28/11) Behind the Thrills has launched the 2011 version of their Thrill Weekly Poll to name the best parks, attractions and websites in the biz, which will be decided in a series of polls now through to the end of the year. I’m proud to say that Screamscape won the award for Best Theme Park News Site last year… so I can only hope to do it again.
(10/27/11) An all new website all about the theme park biz has launched this week called Theme Park Geekly, and they actually interviewed me as their first article to launch the site. I’m honored… so go check it out.
(8/29/11) Haunts Fans across the nation will be interested in the HauntedHouseRatings.com website which has posted a list of the Top 31 haunted houses across America.
Aqualand Waterparks - (2/27/12) BlooLoop reports that Aspro Group (Europe’s largest leisure park operator) will be expanding five of their Aqualand Waterparks for the 2012 season. The list includes King Cobra slide (from Polin) at Aqualand Frejus, a water coaster slide for Aqualand St Cyprien (also from Polin), tropical themed water park structures for Aqualand Cap d’Agde and Aqualand St. Cyr Sur Mer, and a “mini-pirate” for Aqualand Bassin d’Arcachon.
 B&M - (4/23/12) New pictures showing off even more green B&M Wing Coaster track at the Ohio plant have been posted to the Gravity Photography Facebook page this week along with more pictures of new unpainted track segments as well. While on the subject, one of our own readers also sent in a few more track pictures taken last week as well. Judging from the label spied on an unpainted track piece, they are als
o for the unknown green Wing Coaster project.
(3/26/12) A local Screamscape source went by the B&M track fabrication plant and came across a few pieces of new bright green track on site. Based on my understanding of the codes used on the labels, this is for another Wing Coaster design, so we know someone is getting one for 2013 at least.
(9/28/11) Screamscape sources tell us that in the next season or two we can expect to see B&M premier an all new launched coaster ride system, as their next new coaster concept. Beyond this, I’m told that B&M would like to launch a 4D coaster concept, likely based on the new Wing Coaster technology, but this ride system is still several years away from becoming a reality. For now B&M have their hands full developing the new Wing Coaster system and getting their Launched coaster line off the ground.
Cedar Fair - (4/13/12) Cedar Fair will host their Q1 Conference Call on May 3rd at 10am. You can listen in online here.
(2/29/12) According to the local news, a judge has decided that while Jack Falfas is entitled to the remaining pay due to him on his contract, he is not entitled to get his job back.
(2/22/12) Cedar Fair has reported their full year 2011 results. You can read it over at their official website.
(1/26/12) News Plus Notes has published a great review of the information released from the Cedar Fair presentation where they talked about their future growth plan, referred to as Fun Forward.
As the first major presentation to the investors from Matt Ouimet, it was nice to see a little more transparency coming from the head office and helps to catch an idea of where the company is heading. For those who think the company is going to focus only on family and kiddie rides from now on, this is false, as they were quick to point out up front that there is no such thing as a replacement (digital or otherwise) for the big roller coasters thrills that Cedar Fair is known for.
As I suspected last year, the company will continue to test new concepts out in one or two parks (like Fast Lane and Dinosaur’s Alive) before rolling them out to more parks down the line. As such, Fast Lane can be expected to be rolled out to all the Cedar Fair parks this year as the test runs proved to be very profitable.
They also released a couple of interesting pie charts showing off just how much all the different Cedar Fair parks contribute to the companies overall revenue. Unsurprisingly, Cedar Point and Knott’s pull in the most as the only parks with on-site resort hotels. It was also nice to see proven, once and for all, that Canada’s Wonderland is indeed the revenue-generating powerhouse it was always rumored to be under Paramount’s ownership. While they don’t break out the exact attendance figures for 2011, they do narrow things down to say which parks are over 3 million, 1.5 million and up, 1 million and Michigan’s Adventure which had fewer than 1 million.
They also show off some examples of the new style of marketing they will push this season, relating more towards family relationships. And not just pushing the Disney style concepts showing off little kids with parents, but addressing the family unit tweens and teens as well in great ways. Cedar Fair is also looking into way to use the extra land they hold at select properties, though this does not mean new resort hotels at first, but maybe as locations for unique special events as well.
(1/19/12) Cedar Fair is rolling out some new park websites and some new extended payment options for your season passes at select parks (ie: Kings Island, Cedar Point, Canada’s Wonderland & Knott’s) Some parks are now also offering online meal vouchers for purchase. Check out you local park site and poke around to see what’s new.
(1/16/12) According to this news report, Q Investments has now completed the sale of 3 million of their shares in Cedar Fair and is no longer the largest shareholder. That title is now put upon the Berman Group LLC, which owns 8 million shares (14.6%).
(1/9/12) Cedar Fair reports that the chain served a record setting 23.4 million guests during 2011, a 2.6% attendance increase over the previous record set in 2010. They will also host an investor meeting on Jan. 19th which you can listen in to here.
(1/2/12) According to a great interview with Cedar Fair’s new top dog, Matt Ouimet, he is aiming to bring more magical moments to their guest experiences. Sound familiar? It should as Matt is a 17 year Disney management veteran who wants to see more rides that entire families can enjoy together added to their parks, use new technology to connect with the guests and make the chain’s parks known as a place where families will come to visit together.
Very soon this month the company will launch a new online site to make it easier to buy tickets and parking passes for their four biggest parks, with the rest of the parks added soon afterwards this year as they each prepare to open.
“Ouimet wants to create some surprises in the parks, starting this summer. That might mean seeing more costumed characters or finding unexpected performers pop up in the parks. Some will be announced while others will be hidden finds.”
(12/27/11) Cedar Fair’s longtime CEO reflects back on his years with the company and how things have changed. It’s a good read for a man who affected so much change in the industry over the years and really turned Cedar Fair from a two-park operation into a continent-wide powerhouse park chain.
Disney - (5/12/12) Iger talked with Bloomberg a bit this week regarding plans on how Marvel will be used within the Disney empire, including the Disney theme parks. The one odd comment he makes is about how they are “very limited in Florida, we’re less limited in California and not limited in China, Japan or France.” I’m a bit confused by the California comment, as it was my understanding that that only place where there were limitations was East of the Mississippi due to Marvel’s previous agreement with Universal Orlando. This has got me thinking a bit about the future however.
From what I’ve been led to believe, the next time that Universal’s Marvel license deal is up for renewal will be in 2018, after being renewed from the first 10 year stint back in 2008. It has been said that the original deal left the door open for Universal to renew the use of the Marvel comic characters indefinitely, as long as they were willing to keep paying the license fee. While I’m sure there are various limit caps and other controls built into the terms of the deal, it has been said behind closed doors that in 2018 you can count on Disney coming to the table with a renewal agreement offer that will cause as much financial pain as possible for Universal. In fact, according to the rumor mill, Disney execs are said to have floated an offer out to Universal shortly after buying Marvel to see if they could buy out Universal’s contract. Universal not only refused, but reinvested and improved their Spiderman attraction, which we saw reopen this Spring to rave reviews.
However, I do have to wonder if we could see some kind of third scenario play out, now that Universal is owned by Comcast. Making Comcast management angry at Disney is not going to help Disney’s various networks (ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel, etc) out the next time they try to squeeze more money out of Comcast for rights to air their programming. It is also well known that the film franchises of various popular Marvel characters are not under control of Marvel at this time. Spiderman and GhostRider are under the control of Sony, and the X-Men and Fantastic Four are still under the control of FOX.
By an odd coincidence, you may notice that this list pretty much covers the theme of all but one attraction in Marvel Super Hero Island… which would be the Incredible Hulk coaster. With Sony and FOX said to be planning more films based on these characters for the next several years in order to keep their own deals from expiring from non-use, I wonder if some kind of agreement with Universal can be worked out. For example, such a deal could allow for Universal to continue to use the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Spiderman characters in Islands of Adventure, and give up their use of the Hulk and all the rest of the Marvel Universe which they don’t use anyway, freeing Disney to use them in Florida instead. In exchange, a more financially favorable license deal could be worked out for Universal to use only certain specific characters, as well as possible agreements that could extend towards Comcast’s deals to rebroadcast Disney owned programming over their cable network. After all, Disney isn’t very likely to build an X-Men, Fantastic Four or Spiderman attraction in their parks until they have control of the films first. Just something to chew on…
While I’m on the subject of Marvel characters our friends of Create-A-Mation, who made up a great looking line of custom VinylMation Marvel characters featuring most of the Avengers characters has offered Screamscape readers a discount for the next week. Just use the code SCREAM518 to get $5 off your order. You can find out how to get them through their official Facebook page or e-mail them at createamations@aol.com.
 |
(5/9/12) Avengers… yes, it’s the hottest movie in the world right now. It broke the box office record in the US by bringing in $207 million in just 3 days, and world wide has already brought in $702 million to date. Yes… I’ll say it again… $702 MILLION.
Disney is all over it, and once they were done doing the “Happy Happy, Joy Joy” dance, Bob Iger spoke with the media to confirm that there will be an Avengers 2. This is in addition to the previously announced solo follow-up films: Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor 2 (2013), Captain America 2 (around 2014) and I believe they are also working on another Hulk and even a Nick Fury solo project.
As for all us theme park fans, Iger also confirmed that some Disney theme parks are making room for “Avengers” based attractions. I can’t wait to see where this goes…
(4/24/12) An interesting post came from the Disney Parks Blog earlier today, as they officially announced a deal with Starbucks that would soon bring all your favorite Starbucks drinks and food items to all six Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Each of the six locations will be custom designed to fit into the theme of its surroundings inside the parks. The first one will open in June at California Adventure, placed inside the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café building on the new Buena Vista Street.
Anyone like to make guests where in each park we will find the other five locations?
(4/20/12) A full transcript from the Tony Baxter Master Class event at Disneyland Paris for the park’s 20th Anniversary has been posted to DLP.info.
(4/19/12) We’ve heard the Disney code-phrase “NextGen” for a few years now, though the exact nature of what NextGen really does encompass has been shrouded in the top levels of company secrecy. NextGen is not just one new thing in particular, but an entire plan to redevelop and create the next generation theme park experience.
FoxNews has put out a an article attempting to gather what information is known so far about Disney’s NextGen plans. This includes many of the details we’ve heard before about the rumored new xPASS system, RFID embedded wristbands and more.
In other company news, Disney has tapped another famous theme park ride as a possible inspiration for a new feature film. This time they are looking to make a film based on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride that is expected to blend live action and CGI.
(4/3/12) How would you like to see official Disney / LEGO kits designed and sold for you to make your own home versions of the iconic castles of Disneyland, Disneyland Paris or The Magic Kingdom? Prototype models to show off what these could look like have been created and presented to the powers that be for consideration it seems. But a vote of support at the official link for these new possible products would only help push them into actual production. Check them out and cast a vote here.
(3/23/12) Our friends over at Create-a-mations have some interesting new custom vinyl figures you may be interested in this week, with all new collections of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, South Park, Critters, Marvel characters and more, including a character from the Monster Plantation at Six Flags over Georgia.
Of interest to Batman fans this week would be a whole collection of Batman: The Animated Series characters… looks to be 16 different characters in all, which all started out as a Disney VinylMation figure. Fun stuff!
Even better for Screamscape readers, Create-a-mations is currently offering a 15% discount on custom vinyl figure orders until the end of the month if you mention the promotion code: SCREAM15 when you order. Contact them through the Facebook page or email to createamations@aol.com.
(3/15/12) Just in case there was any doubt… Bob Iger confirmed to shareholders at the meeting that they do have plans in the works to introduce the Marvel Universe characters into the various Disney theme parks around the globe. The only problem spot in still Florida where Universal still holds the exclusive theme park rights to the characters.
(3/13/12) Disney D23 fans take note, the next big D23 EXPO will be taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center once again on August 9-11, 2013. Advanced tickets will go on sale starting August 9th, 2012 at D23EXPO.com.
(3/9/12) Disney fans were saddened this week by the sudden death of Disney Legend Robert Sherman, one of the famous Sherman Brothers who provided more songs and music to Disney movies and attractions than you can count.
(2/10/12) Today has been one of those days where the internet has been full of wonder and discovery. How so? I’ve discovered two amazing projects that have really stretch the reality of attempting to re-create a classic Disney theme park attraction.
Up first is the ST-45 Project… also known as Star Tours Origins. Here you will find a completely CGI animation re-creation of the classic original Star Tours simulator ride experience, all in sync with a lot of the original audio from the ride. Simply Amazing! It blew me away… and if that wasn’t enough for you, they also have a Stereoscopic 3D version if you have the right equipment to enjoy it.
Up next, I was directed to check back in with the fantastic Horizons Resurrected website. I’ve looked in on there in the past, but it has been quite some time, and the work they’ve done so far to offer a virtual ride on the former Horizons ride at Epcot has taken huge strides. This is more than a passive movie you can watch… here the entire Horizons attraction building is in the middle of a virtual re-creation that you can explore.
You start out front of the building and can travel to the front door, through the queue and board a ride vehicle where you can ride through the attraction itself, using your mouse to look around the environment along the way. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s amazing to see what has been done so far, including the use of the attraction’s audio.
I’ve got to really applaud the efforts here… as this is exactly the kind of thing I would love to see done to as many old / retired classic theme park attractions as possible. You could literally have a Yesterland Museum full of these amazing displays someday. Like the song on Horizons says, “If you can dream it, then you can do it.”
(1/16/12) According to the Orlando Sentinel, lobbyists for Walt Disney World and the International Speedway Corp have submitted a proposal to the state that could grant them a wide assortment of tax breaks in exchange for making huge new capital investments to create more “Sports Tourism” locations within the state. For example the incentive package would help Disney revive plans to build that 100-lane bowling stadium project that was announced just before the recession. Follow the link to read all the details.
(10/10/11) Disney’s Bob Iger has announced that he will step down as Disney CEO in 2015, and then continue as Chairman of the board until June 2016, when he will retire at the age of 65. There has also been some speculation that Iger may be pondering a possible political career for his post-Disney era years.
(7/1/11) In a strange bit of news, Disney is planning yet another movie based on an attraction, this time seeking to have a story created about the iconic Matterhorn mountain that would also involve Yetis.
Dynamic Structures - (5/7/12) Empire Industries has announced that their Dynamic Attractions unit has signed a contract to design, engineer and manufacture a “media based attraction for a theme park in the United Arab Emirates.” The contract is valued “in excess of $3.8 million” and “will be executed over the next twelve months.”
Just two months ago, the group also announced another deal worth $30 million to build another ‘media based attraction” over the next 2 years, which is assumed to be the new Harry Potter ride system going into Universal Hollywood. That said… I’ve got to wonder just who in the UAE is working on their own media based attration to open next year? Any thoughts?
(3/7/12) On Monday I mentioned at new contract awarded to Dynamic Structures worth $30 million over the next two years to build a major media based attraction for a global player. At the time I had only considered Disney attractions, but as a reader pointed out, I completely forgot that they were involved with the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Time-wise… it would make sense if this contract were indeed for the second version of this ride planned for Universal Studios Hollywood.
(3/5/12) Empire Industries has announced that their Dynamic Structures business unit has been awarded a huge contract from a “global customer” to design, engineer and manufacture the structure and systems of a “media based attraction”. The project will take approximately two years to complete and the contact is valued in excess of $30 million. While this may be a shot in the dark… given their past work for Disney, I’ve got to assume this may be another massive Disney attraction. With the two-year construction period, I suppose this could be for a number of projects. It could be virtually anything for Shanghai Disneyland, though other large projects rumored for Paris (Ratatouille), Orlando (Avatar) or even an unknown project for Tokyo or California could be considered as well.
The Goddard Group - (4/12/12) BlooLoop reports that Goddard Group’s latest project has begun construction and this one is a doosy. It seems Goddard Group was asked to design and create a new small city in China called Shenfu New Town, which would feature the “Ring of Harmony”, a giant iconic 505 ft tall metallic ring structure that will stand vertically up from the middle of a lake. As you can see from the photos, the massive Ring has already been topped off and work will be taking place on the rest of the 2 square kilometer project will be build in phases over the next decade.
(3/20/12) A website to keep an eye on will be the new official Blog of The Goddard Group which just launched over the weekend. They promise to showcase never before seen concept art, rare photos and details about lost attractions, stories and interviews, as well as updates from their various projects around the globe. Stay tuned!
Great Wolf Lodge - (5/7/12) Apollo has announced that they have completed the purchase of Great Wolf Resorts. It should be interesting to see in what new direction Great Wolf heads to now that they’ve got someone with more capital pulling the purse strings.
(4/23/12) Great Wolf Resorts reports that Apollo has increased their own offer to purchase Great Wolf for $7.85 a share. KSL has also notified Great Wolf that they do not intend to submit any further competitive bids for the company at this time, so the Great Wolf Board of Directors has unanimously approved the latest bid by Apollo and entered into a merger agreement.
(4/10/12) Apollo has raised their offer for Great Wolf Resorts to $6.75 a share from their previous bid in order to shake off other rival offers that have been made following their initial offer. (KSL Capital had apparently outbid Apollo’s initial offer with a bid of $6.25 a share last week.)
UPDATE – It seems KSL jumped back into the bidding war again a few hours ago with a new unsolicited offer of $7 a share in cash. KSL Capital seems to focus mostly on high end resorts, clubs, the Squaw Valley ski resort and Orion, a small cruise line that services Australia / New Zealand and South Pacific destinations.
(3/28/12) In an interesting twist Al Weiss, the former President of worldwide operations for the Disney parks (and head of Disney World before that) who retired in November 2011, has been appointed to the board of directors for Apollo Group. I find the timing of this very interesting as it very closely follows Apollo’s purchase of Great Wolf Resorts less than two weeks ago.
(3/22/12) Great Wolf Lodge has launched an official Blog this month which they have called Behind The Howl. Check it out.
(3/20/12) The purchase of Great Wolf Resorts from Apollo may prove to be a tough pill to swallow… as many of the same complaints that arose during their attempted purchase of Cedar Fair have come up again. Great Wolf now finds themselves under legal fire from their investors who claim that the purchase price by Apollo undervalues the company. The deal would pay shareholders $5 a share, while Great Wolf’s own financial advisor values the company as high as $7.98 a share. They claim that the deal to sell to Apollo was favored over other interested parties and is the result of a flawed sales process.
(3/14/12) In a surprising bit of news, Apollo Global Management signed a deal to purchase the Great Wolf Resorts company. According to this article, the Apollo investment group who attempted to purchased Cedar Fair last year, bought the Great Wolf Lodge chain for $167 million and the assumption of their existing debt.
(1/31/12) Great Wolf Lodge will hold a Q4 Conference Call on February 22nd. You can listen in here.
(10/11/11) Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono’s has launched Great Wolf’s Story Explorers, a new interactive attraction for kids which is kind of like a cross-over between a Build-A-Bear and an interactive video storybook. Aimed at kids in the 3-10 age group, guests will carry a stuff animal that has a special chip embedded in a bracelet to interact with two dozen different stations spread out around the lodge. According to this article, the first Story Explorers attraction quietly opened here in September, but Great Wolf plans on adding it to all 11 Great Wolf Lodge resorts very soon.
Story Explorers is part of a $2.1 million expansion project for the Pocono’s Lodge which also included a six lane kid-sized bowling alley and an expanded Snoops Kid Spa location. The article also mentions a spin off of the MagiQuest attraction that I don’t think I’ve heard of before called Compass Quest as also being an active attraction at the Lodge, and apparently at many others as well. According to the website, instead of a wand, you get a compass this time to take on a series of new quests.
HauntCon - (3/22/12) Haunt fans take note, the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention (aka: HAuNTcon) will take place this May 3-7 at the Monroeville Convention Center near Pittsburgh, PA. You can find out all you need to know about the how to attend at HauntCom.com.
IAAPA Conventions - (5/3/12) IAAPA has announced that the Asian Attractions Expo 2013 will take place at the Sands Expo & Convention Center at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from June 4-7th, 2013.
(1/30/12) For anyone interested IAAPA’s Asian Attractions Expo 2012 will take place in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on June 5-8th. Click here to get all the latest information on how to attend.
(11/23/11) The 2012 IAAPA show will take place in Orlando once again from Nov. 12-16th.
Intamin - (10/25/11) It’s been a few years since I think anyone has had Intamin build an Impulse coaster, but according to Coasters and More, a new sit-down version which looks more like a hybrid between an Impulse coaster and a Half-Pipe will open at Triumph Kingdom in China in 2012.
KMG - (4/10/12) A new video showing off the premier of the KMG XLR8 flat ride at the Drachten Easter Fair this past week has been posted on YouTube and posted below. Check it out.
(4/6/12) A video showing off the test of a new KMG XLR8 ride was discovered on YouTube.
(11/7/11) NewsParcs has posted an article about a new ride to be introduced at IAAPA by KMG called Sicko. At first glance this may look like your standard Fireball / Afterburner ride, but when it starts to move, you’ll notice an extra twist… that the ride’s seats can now also rotate. They also mention that KMG is working on selling extra large versions of their Speed and Inversion rides.
(9/8/11) ParkWorld Magazine posted an article last year about KMG’s upcoming XLR8 ride, which has a good piece of concept art showing off just what it looks like. It features eight arms, each holding a 2 seat pod at the end, that will spin around up to 70kph, with the seats able to swing outward as the wheel spins up and slows down, with an intense bit of acceleration.
Kalahari Waterpark Resorts - (10/7/11) Screamscape sources tell me that while Kalahari has obviously abandoned their plans to build a third resort in Virginia, they are now preparing to build a new resort in Pennsylvania instead, up in the Poconos. Ground breaking is expected to take place sometime in the next 6 months, and the resort to open about a year or so later.
Lo-Q - (3/2/12) Zoombezi Bay has signed up with Lo-Q to provide the water park with the Q-Band virtual queue system as part of a five-year agreement.
(12/8/11) According to this article LO-Q will team with MasterCard to develop their newest concept, that will merge the concepts of a contactless payment device and LO-Q’s virtual queuing software. Not too many details are given about what form this new product will take, but I’ve got to wonder if they are dreaming up special micro-transaction style payment options to shorten your wait times.
Martin & Vleminckx - (11/18/11) A new M&V coaster (with Gravity Group) will be coming to China in 2013 at another OCT park.
Maurer Sohne - (10/25/11) NewsParcs has posted an interview they had with Maurer Sohne at EAS 2011, where they talk about five new coasters planned to open in China parks between 2012 and 2013. The list includes three new SkyLoops (one to Happy Valley Wuhan), an X-Car Launched coaster for Happy Valley Wuhan and a “FlyingLaunch Coaster” for Ningbo.
Merlin Entertainment - (5/1/12) The new Legoland Discovery Center Kansas City is now open. You can find pictures posted to MidWestInfoGuide.
(3/23/12) The local news reports that Merlin is taking over the management of Siam Ocean World (Bangkok, Thailand), the biggest aquarium attraction in Southeast Asia with the acquisition of Living and Leisure Australia Group’s 10 attractions in Asia-Pacific.
(3/20/12) Huss Park Attractions has announced that they have been selected by Merlin Entertainment to build a major observation tower on Weymouth, Dorset, seafront on the south coast of England. The tower will stand 53 meters tall and feature 360 degree views of the English Channel and local countryside from the 70 passenger rotating gondola.
(1/6/12) According to BlooLoop, Merlin has announced that they will open a permanent Madame Tussauds attraction in Tokyo at the Decks Tokyo Beach Mall (Obaiba) in Spring 2013 along with the Legoland Discovery Center which will open in 2012.
(11/8/11) Merlin Entertainment has launched the Merlin Annual Pass for the USA… which will get you into their various attractions across the country. The list includes Legoland California, Legoland Florida, plus the SeaLife and Madame Tussauds attractions, with more to come. You can find out the details here.
(10/31/11) JapanTimes reports that Merlin Entertainment has chosen a 10 hectares (24 acre) site on the Kinjo Pier in Nagoya as the site for a Legoland theme park in Japan. This seems a bit small of a site for a full scale Legoland theme park however as even the new park in Malaysia that will open in 2012 will be 76-acres, and I believe the California park is 150 acres. At the same time, 24 acres is a bit too big for a Legoland Discovery Center...
(9/7/11) According to a press release from Merlin, they are looking to the Asian market as the next likely home for a Legoland theme park. With Legoland Florida ready to open in October, and Legoland Malaysia set to open in Fall 2012, they are now in talks for a site in Chencheon City in Korea (aprox 60km from Seoul) that would place the proposed Legoland theme park on its very own island in the middle of a lake.
(6/27/11) Merlin Entertainment is still growing it seems and ready to jump into even more new markets. According to BlooLoop, Merlin will open two new attractions in Japan starting later this year with a new Madame Tussauds that will open in Decks Tokyo Beach Mall in Odaiba, Tokyo Bay. In Spring 2012 Merlin will open Japan’s first Legoland Discovery Center also at the same mall.
(6/17/11) Legoland Germany’s parent company, Merlin Entertainment is planning on spending 80 million Euros in Germany by 2020 to expand their presence. This will not just be in Legoland alone, but also bring in other new attractions, such as new Dungeons attractions for Berlin and Munich. With Merlin on the move… how much longer until we hear about a Dungeons in Orlando or even Las Vegas?
Parque Reunidos - (3/20/12) Parque Reunidos has acquired yet another park this week… this time taking over Slagharen in The Netherlands.
Premier Rides - (1/18/12) Premier Rides has announced that they have been selected to design and build “a signature high-thrill roller coaster” that will go inside the Great Mall of China. While the exact stats for the ride will not be released until later in 2012, they can say that it will feature Premier’s magnetic launch technology, feature unique elements and when it opens, it will be the tallest indoor roller coaster in the world.
The Great Mall of China will be located on a 76 acre site about 25km from Beijing International Airport and feature both retail and entertainment venues, an indoor theme park and waterpark when it opens in 2013.
(12/7/11) Premier Rides has announced that they have joined forces with Adlabs Entertainment Ltd. to be part of a team creating “the most advanced theme park in India.” The park has not been given a name yet, and the location is being kept a secret for now, but it will provide guests with unique thrilling experiences and incorporate the latest technologies. The press release goes on to talk a bit about Premier’s signature magnetic drive systems, but never goes into specifics about what kind of ride / coaster they may be working on for the project.
Ride Entertainment Group - (1/11/12) Ride Entertainment’s Facebook page update for Today mentions an interesting factoid… that there will be five new Star Flyers opening in the world in 2012. Six Flags will be opening three of them it seems (SF Fiesta Texas, Great Adventure and La Ronde) so does anyone have a clue where in the world the other two will go?
(11/18/11) A new partnership between Ride Entertainment Group and Mattel will see Hot Wheels branded attractions coming to an amusement park near you soon. “Park guests will be put directly into the driver’s seat as they experience Hot Wheels® branded amusement park attractions. From family-friendly experiences to extreme racing coasters that simulate the feeling of racing through an actual Hot Wheels® track complete with high-speed banks, loops and other exciting elements.” While no details were given about the exact nature of the attractions to be offered, Ride Entertainment is known for their relationships working with Gerstlauer, FunTime and the the Top Eliminator attractions companies.
Ripley’s - (1/17/12) InPark Magazine has posted a nice article covering the proposal by Ripley’s to open a new Ripley’s Believe It of Not! Attraction in Baltimore’s Harborside shopping center on the Inner Harbor. So far the project is being held up it seems by conservative objections to two different proposed version of the attraction’s outside themeing and signage. Check out the artwork and full story here.
Rocky Mountain Coasters - (1/23/12) One of our readers who resides in the Spokane, WA area pointed out an interesting article in the local paper about the Rocky Mountain Construction Group. The article talked about how the group is building a new $1 million shop building in Hayden, Idaho where they will move their track manufacturing operations. This will also free up room for the group to begin building their very own roller coaster cars.
Why? Much like why GCI created the Millennium Flyers that could maneuver through their extremely twisted layouts, Rocky Mountain’s track system is simply capable of doing things other trains wouldn’t be able to do. According to Rocky Mountain, “We will be building cars we think will be revolutionary for the industry.” They go on to state that the combination of their new track and cars will be able to allow a wooden coasters to perform inversions, a feat no one has tried since Son of Beast at Kings Island.
Best of all the article also mentioned that the group has roller coaster projects planned for Silver Dollar City and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, both to open in Spring 2013.
(11/18/11) The latest word coming from IAAPA this week is that Rocky Mountain Coasters will have new coaster projects in 2013, though nothing has been mentioned for 2012. One project is said to be another Texas Giant style Iron Horse track replacement project, while their second project will actually be to build a completely new coaster from scratch, using the Topper Track system, which should be really interesting to see as well, especially since it will use a new official Rocky Mountain wooden coaster train too.
S&S WorldWide - (12/9/11) A Screamscape reader forwarded us an interesting message from S&S Worldwide, where they mention that their development team will be working on a “launched El Loco” concept next. Sounds interesting… can’t wait to see who gets this first.
(11/11/11) S&S Power reports that the name for their new ride being introduced at IAAPA will be Mini Hu, which apparently is the first ride in the upcoming “Huli Hu” collection of rides. According to the description, the ride has two arms, each swinging out 180 degrees from the central hub. Riders sit in 4 passenger tea-cup style spinning gondolas while the arms spin, rise and fall.
(10/28/11) In an interesting twist, it looks like a video animation was posted to YouTube showing off a new coaster system that looks virtually identical to the one discovered the other day by AmusementAuthority. So the question remains… is this the system S&S is now involved with or something else entirely unrelated?
(10/27/11) S&S Power mentioned to BlooLoop that they have a new kiddie ride to be shown at this year’s IAAPA show as well as a new “thrill coaster” they will only be showing off to select clients and interested buyer. They describe it only as a ‘thrill version’ of their Free Fly family coaster concept. Meanwhile AmusementAuthority has done a little digging and come up with some patents that could give us a glimpse as what S&S may have coming down the pipe.
Schlitterbahn Waterparks - (4/5/12) The new Schlitterbahn resort and waterpark project for Corpus Christi is ready to move ahead, but they say that everything now hinges on the right incentive package before they will build the new Padre Island park.
(1/11/12) According to the local news Schlitterbahn would like to locate their proposed new waterpark for the Corpus Christi area on what is now the Padre Isles Country Club golf course. Click here for details.
(9/29/11) According to this article, the plans for a new Schlitterbahn waterpark on Padre Island are ready to go… with everything pending on approval for a new bridge that needs to be built to improve access to the site.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment - (4/26/12) SeaWorld Parks & Enterainment has announced that over the next year the company will eliminate the use of plastic shopping bags at all 10 of their parks. Guests making purchases will be offered paper bags made from 100% recycled paper, or given the option of purchasing a reusable bag. SeaWorld Parks estimates that this will keep 4 million plastic bags from entering landfills each year.
Guests to SeaWorld San Diego have already experienced this since mid-2011 as the park already made the switch with the opening of their Turtle Reef attraction. SeaWorld Orlando will make the switch this month to go hand-in-hand with the opening of their new Turtle Trek attraction on April 27th.
(3/22/12) SeaWorld Parks reported to the Orlando Sentinel that 2011 was a record year for the chain. Attendance across the chain was reported as rising 5.3%, clocking in at 23.6 million visitors. SeaWorld Orlando was singled out as having an all time record year in 2011.
In other news, SeaWorld has partnered with Litton Entertainment to create a new TV series that will air on ABC. The show will be called Sea Rescue, described as a “half-hour weekly TV series hosted by environmental journalist and Good Morning America anchor Sam Champion.” “Sea Rescue will showcase amazing stories of the rescue, rehabilitation and return to the wild of marine animals by our team of dedicated veterinarians and animal care experts, as well government and environmental partners.” Look for it to air on your local ABC station on April 7th as part of “Litton’s Weekend Adventure” three-hour block of six programs on Saturday mornings.
(3/20/12) InPark Magazine has posted an interview with SeaWorld Park’s Brian Morrow to chat about all the new additions on the way to the parks.
(2/10/12) The outcome most expected to come from PETA’s claim that SeaWorld was violating the 13th Amendment came to pass on Wednesday when a Federal Judge dismissed PETA’s lawsuit, ruling that the 13th Amendment applies “only to humans”.
(2/8/12) In a shocking headline, not only did PETA file a complaint that SeaWorld is violating the 13th Amendment rights of killer whales, but according to MSNBC, the judge heard the case on Monday and did not dismiss it yet, instead taking it under submission. No timeline has been set for when he will send PETA his decision, though SeaWorld has requested to have the case dismissed as the 13th Amendment was created for the abolishment of human slavery by President Lincoln back in 1865.
(12/19/11) Starting January 1st, your beverage options at the 10 SeaWorld Entertainment parks across the country will take a sudden shift, as a new 10-year sponsor deal with Coca-Cola Co. will kick into effect, removing Pepsi products from the park. Coke and SeaWorld do have a long history together, as Coke was the official drink sponsor for the SeaWorld parks (or Sea World parks as they were spelled back then, long before they were purchased and merged with the Busch parks).
Coke was dropped in favor of Pepsi back on Jan. 1st, 1988 by SeaWorld’s then owners, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and the partnership was continued under the ownership of Anheuser-Busch. Pepsi was long rumored to have an edge over Coke under the Busch era because Pepsi was a major client of the Busch owned Metal Container Corporation who supplier Pepsi with a large percentage of their aluminum cans. So after a 24 year run… Coke will return at last.
Six Flags - (4/26/12) Six Flags has announced that in Q1 2012 revenue grew by 8% to the prior year, combined with a reported 8th consecutive quarter of EBITDA growth. You can read all the details of the report here.
(4/12/12) Six Flags will announce their Q1 2012 results on April 25th, along with the standard conference call starting at 8am Central time. You can listen in here.
(3/7/12) Six Flags has landed a new sponsor it seems… in the form of Red Gold who will become the “Official Ketchup of Six Flags”. I’m scratching my head on that one… as in my 40 years, I’ve yet to ever hear of it before. They are based in Indiana… but do they sell the product nationally? Between Heinz and Hunts and the occasional Del Monte brand, I don’t think I’ve ever spied Red Gold on the store shelves from any place I’ve lived (California, Florida or North Carolina…)
(3/5/12) Six Flags has signed on a major new corporate sponsor this season and will be promoting Lowe’s throughout the national theme park chain.
(2/16/12) You can read the summary of Six Flag’s 2011 Full Year results here, where they’re happy to report a full-year adjustest EBITDA of $350 million, and overall guest attendance within the chain reported at 24.3 million.
(2/7/12) In an interesting development, fans of Batman & Robin: The Chiller may be pleased to know that the coaster appears as if it will get a new lease on life. According to the Intermark Ride Group used-ride website who has been listing the Dual LIM Premier Rides coaster as being for sale, it is now marked off as being SOLD.
No word on the street as to whom may have bought it. Typically Six Flags is known for relocating most of their coasters to other parks within the chain before they are retired for scrap metal. Off the top of my head, I believe they have only sold off three coasters in the last decade outside to parks outside of the company: Zonga (SFDK) ended up in a small park in Mexico, Déjà Vu (SFGAm) ended up at Silverwood in Idaho, and the Déjà Vu from Georgia was sold to Mirabilandia in Brazil where it is still awaiting reassembly. Before that, most of the coasters removed in the Astroworld demolition sale either went to other Six Flags parks or were scrapped, though two were sold to small US parks.
One more item is worth mentioning however… that Intermark had the ride listed with the option that it could be installed as just one or both coasters, so if Chiller is reborn, it may not look quite the same.
In other news, as noted in the news about SFGAdv, Six Flags is bringing back the Déjà Vu name this season. I’m hearing from a source that the corporate office has been looking through their long list of old trademarked ride names from the past and may opt to bring many of them back over the next few years rather than let them expire. It makes you wonder what other classic ride names from the 80’s and 90’s we may seen reborn again on new rides like Z-Force, Flashback, Psyclone, Shockwave, Ninja, Viper or XLR8.
(1/27/12) Six Flags will hold a Q4 Confernce Call on Feb. 15th at 8am. Visit here to listen in.
(1/4/12) Six Flags has announced a stock repurchase plan that will see the company buy back $250 million of it’s own stock between now and 2015.
US Thrill Rides - (10/28/11) Bill Kitchen and his US Thrill Rides company has come up with another innovative attraction concept… this one dubbed the SkySpire, a new take on the observation tower attraction type. Guests climb aboard a gondola that slowly rise to the top of the tower on a spiral track, much like the stripes on a candy cane. Guests can then disembark at the top to enjoy the view and board another gondola later for the ride back down to earth. Through the use of a double helix track system, gondolas will simultaneously move up and down the tower, with the ability to fit anywhere from 20 to 200 gondolas, depending on the need of the client and size of the tower.
Universal Studios - (5/3/12) You can’t think of famous Universal Studios films and not think about their many and various ‘Monster’ movies from over the years, both the Classics as well as modern reinventions. Now it seems the studio is close to rebooting the Van Helsing monster hunter character with a new film staring Tom Cruise.
During the development of the Hugh Jackman version of Van Helsing in 2004, Universal Creative was tasked in advance to create a major new dark ride system that could be used for a Van Helsing movie. When released, the film bombed, but the same new ride system imagined for Van Helsing became the backbone of the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride instead.
Attraction designers never let good ideas so to waste and chances are that Universal Creative still has a ton of artwork and ideas from the old Van Helsing ride concept in storage that I can see them making yet another crack at creating a new Van Helsing ride concept in the future if this new film is greenlit.
(5/1/12) Disney and More takes a look at the concept artwork for the Universal Studios Experience project for Moscow this week as well as the rest of Galactica Park.
(4/25/12) ParkRumors has some concept artwork of what the new Universal Experience project as well as the entire Galactica Park complex may look like.
(4/19/12) Screamscape sources tell us that the Universal Studios Moscow project is legit, and has been working under the name “Universal Experience Moscow” so far. Due to the harsh winters in Moscow, the entire park is expected to be enclosed to allow for year-round operations. If things go as planned, the current target date for the Universal park to open is in late 2017.
(4/18/12) I’m not sure how serious to take this article, but they claim that NBC Universal is in talks to build a theme park project in Moscow with a local developer who is planning an even larger overall resort complex to be called Galactica Park. From the sound of it, they are attempting to copy the basic concept put to use at Resorta World Sentosa in Singapore by linking up their own Universal theme park with hotel resorts, an aqua park, numerous retail and dining options, underground parking and even plans to add a 20,000 seat sports and concert area. Galactica Park is planned to cost an estimate $2.8 billion, with at least $500 million to go towards building Universal Studios Moscow. If the plan moves ahead, look for it to break ground as early as 2014 and have the first phase ready to open by 2018… just in time to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
(3/1/12) China’s sixth-largest city, Tianjin, has been meeting with Comcast / NBC Universal about a joint venture to build a possible theme park and studio in the port city. The government group claims they will meet with other Hollywood studios at a later date before they make a final decision on how to proceed with the project.
(11/18/11) While it’s too early to speculate too much at this point, Universal Studios and Illumination Entertainment have announced that a Woody Woodpecker feature film is in the works. Illumination were the force behind the popular Despicable Me animated film as well as Hop and the upcoming Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. No word on if it will be fully animated like Lorax and Despicable Me, or a Live / Animated mixture like Hop, but I think it would be a sure bet that some kind of cross promotion will be made to incorporate this new version of Woody into the theme parks. After all, he’s already got a coaster themed after him in Orlando.
(9/21/11) Universal’s been busy coming up with a new ride concept… mixing a motion base with a roller coaster. It’s simply too much weight to build a motion base into the actual coaster car, but Universal has applied for a patent for a section of detachable track that would have a motion base under it. In other words… just imagine the turntable section of track on Revenge of the Mummy… if it detached and went off for it’s own Spiderman style wild ride segment through a dark ride environment, then reattached to another section of track to let you continue your high speed coaster journey. Check out the patent over at Coaster101.com.
Zamperla - (2/29/12) VHCosters reports in this week with a picture of a new Zamperla Volare flying coaster just added to Yanchen Chun-Qui Land in China, who has decided to call it Speed Dragon for some reason.
(12/8/11) NewsParcs has posted a report about their interview with the Marketing Director of Zamperla back at the EAS 2011 show.
|
