Screamscape`s PKI rumor true?

The latest rumor on Screamscape says that Paramount`s Kings Island is not going to focus on roller coasters in 2002 but instead on a dark ride and becoming more like a theme park like Disney and Cedar Point and the new Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Is this true? It also says that PKI is considering taking ownership of an unused nitch in the local market. What nitch? Anyone know anything about this rumor?

once Monday rolls around, I will check up on that. I have been in contact with Jennifer Bowers, one of the PR reps up there. I shall give her a call and ask her.

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tom
Webmaster@ http://www.islandguide.8m.com

Screamscape also says that besides 7th Portal there will be Smash Factory in one of the two theaters in the Paramount Action FX Theater. Anyone know anything about this?

I highly doubt that is true. Paramount would be insane to do that. They have worse parks that could actually benefit from that, but if they actually did that, it'd be a new park in Florida and/or California.

Actually, the dark ride rumor is a very good possiblilty. Canada's Wonderland and Carowinds have added Sally dark rides called Scooby's Haunted Mansion or something like that. Basically it's a dark-ride shoot-em-up. However, PKI has a decent dark ride in Phantom Theater. Originally it was a Smurf dark ride, then it became Phantom Theater back around '87 I believe. Maybe it's time for another transoformation.

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Scott W. Short
scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

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You can't run and you can't hide...The Beasts at PKI

Is the 7th Portal like the 3D spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure?

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countdown:47 days

No 7th Portal is an IMAX film I believe. I could be wrong on this one.

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Randy Hutchinson
You build it, I'll ride it...eventually

7th Portal is a simulator that is replacing James Bond.

I don't understand the original question. "becoming more like a theme park like Disney and Cedar Point and the new Six Flags Worlds of Adventure". PKI is already a very good theme park. Disney is not like CP or SFWOA. Those are thrill parks. Did you mean that PKI wants to become more of a theme park like just Disney?

I doubt pki would get a dark ride instead of a coaster for the simple fact they need to keep up with cedar point and new rivals six flags. Everyone is forgeting kings it is just no longer cedar point that kings island has to deal with but also six flags now which is pretty close. I am hoping kings island get a steel hyper coaster in which they are in need of.. They need a new steel king cobra and vortex dont cut it anymore .


* the age of the giga coaster *

I really hope this isn't true. PKI is already much more of a theme park than CP(not even a theme park) and SFWoA(a so-far poorly pulled off theme park) and Disney is just Disney. Unless they're going for IoA style in they're park, I say just stick to building great,nicely themed coasters and rides. I think they'll get some very disappointed people if they don't put out something big for they're anniversary. Hopefully, we'll get more than a wild mouse(like PGA).

Coasterz, the Smash Factory rumor is true. I think it's supposed to be a crash dummy type show.

Smash Factory IS a crash dummies movie. It'll be housed in the second of the two Action theaters. The other one will house the 7th Portal full time. That way they can rotate movies in and out of the 'Smash Factory' side while leaving 7th Portal in full time.

As for the rumor, I hope to God it isn't true. I want PKI to stay like it is and add decent rides and attractions every year or so. The minute it starts trying to be like Disney, is the moment I check out. There's a reason I go to Disney....for the atmosphere, not the rides. While in PKI's case, the rides are the bigger draw, and atmosphere, while nice, takes a backseat for me. And that goes the same for CP, SFWOA, SFGAm, etc...

Maybe PKI can combine the Disney-like atmosphere (for the families) and still keep that Cedar Point-like atmosphere for the thrillseekers in all of us. I kind of like that idea. Or maybe the Islands Of Adventure look.

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Bill Yost a.k.a. THE BEASTmaster
www.geocities.com/byostie

Can you take me higher? (CREED)

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ShiveringTim said:
Originally it was a Smurf dark ride, then it became Phantom Theater back around '87 I believe.

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I'm not sure when it became the Smurf ride, but it was originally the Enchanted Voyage based on Hanna Barbara characters. *** This post was edited by ErikTheRed on 2/19/2001. ***

Phantom Theater opened in 1992, and is totally different than the smurf ride which opened in 1984, which was a newly rethemed Enchanted Voyage. Does anyone know what the "local nitch" PKI is considering taking over? I hope this rumor is false because I want PKI to add something big for their 30th anniversary, not just a dark ride. Phantom Theater is already a pretty good dark ride. What PKI needs is a new ride or coaster in River Town.

Wouldn't it be interesting if 'local niche' was Americana.....

Just amusing myself.

Maybe, they`re planning on purchasing Americana and moving most of the rides to PKI`s Coney Mall section of the park. That would be great, especially if they moved Americana`s wood coaster to the park. THen PKI would inherit a really old, well designed wood coaster, adding to PKI`s claim of wooden coaster capital of the world. (It would become the oldest coaster at the park.)

I hope PKI seriously thinks about what it is doing. For the life of me, I can't imagine them NOT doing at least one new steel coaster for '02. It so badly needs a decent multi-elemented steel coaster. There is NOTHING there with any kind of inline rolls, or unique steel layout.

I don't think the SOB mess would have anything to do with getting a new coaster. As for turning it into a resort type park, they have some major work to do, though. First of all - CP, Disney, SFWOA, Universal, etc....ALL have one major feature in common with one another. They all have a large body of water attached to, or near, their parks. King's Island has virtually nothing like that.
Plus, it is going to have to come up with some way of making a real name for itself, and make it someplace unlike any other park, in order to make it a real destination. Disney is known for it's magical atmosphere and all the various activites that you can do there, besides the main park. CP is known for being the rollercoaster capital of the world, and is on Lake Erie, so you have boating, etc....
PKI really isn't focused on anything in particular. Nobody really comes to Ohio from out of state simply to go to PKI, without also going to CP. The park is great - but not a stand alone draw for tourists to the area.

*** This post was edited by SilverWinds on 2/19/2001. ***

Does anyone have any clue on what PKI has up their sleeves for their 30th anniversary and what ever it is it better be better than their 25th anniversary rides. An expansion of Water Works was built in 1997. That is it. Hopefully they build a steel roller coaster and forget about becoming a resort. However, Cincinnati is trying to get the Olympics in like 2012. If they came that year, (I hope they don`t) but if they did Paramount`s Kings Island would be extremely crowded. By 2012, PKI might even be more well known than Cedar Point, you never know. If it were not for PKI, we might not have to worry about roller coasters but they built the Racer in 1972. I will end my book now with a question. Does anyone have the slightest clue of what PKI is doing in 2002?

I think a dark ride would be a great idea.
As for them dropping out of the coaster wars would be foolish on their part.