Community relieved that Six Flags will retain Magic Mountain

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Six Flags Inc. announced Thursday that it had sold seven of its 30 theme parks and water parks — but not Magic Mountain, which local authorities feared would be sold as real estate. Local authorities expressed relief that Magic Mountain, which generates more than 3,000 jobs for the region, will stay put.

Read more from The LA Times.

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Now maybe the community will support it by helping clean the place up.
sws's avatar
Jeff and CB got quoted in the LA Times. COOL! :)
And maybe Six Flags will support it by doing their best to keep the rides in full operation (haha) and the "riff raff" out.

Okay, so it's a reach on both parts, but hey, wishful thinking......

Jeff's avatar
It's hardly the first time.
This is true!
I kenw they would keep the chains park that made the most profit.

There is a big change coming to SFMM, they will be direct neighbors to a mixed-use district right next door across the street. I imagine that those businesses going into that development are glad to have the traffic that will be heading up the parkway past their gates. Time will tell if the new development looks like a strip mall or like a Citywalk as it's a bit off from being completed, just roads so far being built. If they play nice with their new neighbors, it could be a mutually beneficial relationship.*** This post was edited by DBJ 1/12/2007 1:18:35 PM ***
Jeff's avatar
"I kenw they would keep the chains park that made the most profit."

And how exactly do you know they make the most profit?

Anyone who listened to the conference call, it looks like they will be adding a train with 3 stops around the park?

interesting...

boblogone's avatar
Did the monorail used to have two or three stations?
rollergator's avatar
^The two stations that I know of, Mike, are by Bugs Bunny land (or whatever it's called), and the one next to the bumper cars....since those two stations are SO close together, I'll take a gamble and say there HAD to be a third....obviously I don't KNOW... ;)

...and Jeff, SFMM had to make the most profit, they had the highest operating cost...so it only stands to reason... ;)

LOL! :)

Acoustic Viscosity's avatar
A train back at Magic Mountain. That would be a big step in the right direction.
Mamoosh's avatar
Did the monorail used to have two or three stations?

Three: one near Log Jammer, one near the bumper cars, and one in the tunnel.

Oh, and there's a big billboard on my drive to work advertising a season pass for the price of a day's admission PLUS a child [under 48"] free. Looks like the SFMM Babysitting Service is alive and well! ;)

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh 1/12/2007 8:04:49 PM ***

Over 10 rides closed or non operational during my August '06 visit and also a restaurant closed down due to rodent infestation. Less talk...more rock Shapiro. It'll be interesting to see how '07 plays out at MM.
Universal is also offering the buy a day get a year free offer, food discounts with the pass, and are matching the no black out days (finally) that has been common with the SFMM pass.

I think Knott's and the Disney properties are the only ones left in our area that doesn't offer the babysitting level pass.

Very good news, but for me the deal isn't sealed until we start to see Six Flags spend money to improve the park. Shapiro kinda said the park was unfixable. So is he going to try to fix it the unfixable? Or is he still looking for an investor to take this headache off his hands? We'll have to wait to see if Six Flags tries to make the Mountain more family friendly.
Unfixable? Nah, I think it's quite fixable in the right hands. Will the park become "family friendly"? Not in my lifetime.

It all comes down to money. If they can get the park up to the point of becoming more profitable to them, I don't think they could care less whether it's family friendly or not.

I still think the ultimate goal is to eventually unload it anyway. But in it's current state, no one will come near it.

I also believe that Six Flags will eventually sell Magic Mountain, when it is performing more like a family Park than its current state of condition.

But i don't know who would wanna buy it maybe Cedar Fair but with the recent purchase of the Paramount Parks right now it seems unlikely.Unless they can buy it at a great deal they offer or SF offers.*** This post was edited by coaster_maniac 1/13/2007 4:11:23 PM ***

I doubt CF would want to come near the park for many reasons, the least of which is the debt from the Paramount deal.

Think about it - you're about an hour away from Knott's. That's similar to the GL/CP fiasco where they were competing with themselves. People were still complaining in 06 that they couldn't use their pass from one park at the other without paying extra ahead of time, when they could get in to all the other CF parks without an additional charge. That may be relieved a bit with the paramount properties causing NO other park to be included and going with the Maxx Pass, however the incremental cost is different, and that would still likely cause a Knott's Maxx Pass to be more expensive if MM was in the equation.

The park is on CP's level, and even competes (or at least has in the past) for the title of most coasters. No matter how profitable, CF wouldn't want a park that competes so closely with their flagship, CP. As it is, PKI is a little close for comfort (I mean in the level of the park.. I don't mean geographically), and I wouldn't be surprised to see the level of the park come down gradually (or at least not keep pace with the Point) over the next few years to be sure that it remains the flagship. Heck, as it is we see a vs. thread for MM/CP pop up here about once a year or so.

It's no where near family-friendly in it's current state, and that is what CF thrives on (for good reason!) IMO there would be too much work needed to SFMM to get it up to CF standards.

With all that said, there are plenty of other properties out there that CF could gobble up once they pay down a good portion of the debt from the Paramount deal that makes SFMM not attractive for them to purchase.

On the other hand, Dick won't pass up bargain-basement prices for a park with such promise, so it doesn't mean it's out of the question... just highly unlikely.

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