Where is Six Flags getting all this money?

Six Flags is spending this much money because without reinvestment in their parks, they don't get attention and people don't pay money to go to them. While Six Flags increased their capital expendatures this year, I believe it was the best year in the way of value for them:

Kingda Ka will open as the tallest and fastest ride in the world. When that happens, there will be major media coverage of it, just like what happened for Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster. Six Flags can really benefit from this exposure because people will go, "Wow! Hey, there is a Six Flags near me too!" Six Flags has a LOT more to gain by getting this record than Cedar Point does... but Cedar Point has always understood how much the media exposure of tallest and fastest ride means to people.

I remember when Top Thrill Dragster opened in 2002, the media was talking about how the other rides that were opening that year were so much slower than it. Superman "only" went 60 MPH or whatever it goes. It gave the Six Flags rides that were completely different a negative news spin while giving Cedar Point a great one.

And thus, all Six Flags parks can benefit greatly from the ride.

Ocean Discovery expands upon the family aspect of Marine World, which Six Flags is attempting to get back too.

Superman in Mexico gives Mexico the first 'hyper coaster' and should still be a big hit because of it, even though it was years in the making.

Hurricane Harbor at Great American is another truly smart move on the level of Kingda Ka. Great America is the only true ride park around the Chicago / Milwaukee area, but it had to compete with the Wisconsin Dells that have tons of waterslides as well as some places making coasters now. The difference -- your Six Flags ticket gets you into an incredible regular park and a brand-spankin' new water park. This will get a ton of attendance from the surrounding areas, and will really, really improve the entire park. The one-price ticket was an EXTREMELY smart move on their part.

Hurricane Harbor at SFA will greatly enhance their water park too. Same with all those Pro Slide Tornados.

And a couple rides at SFNE is a good thing too.

Six Flags has finally "got" it that they need to invest the most heavily in their most attended parks, which was not the case in recent years. Now, they just need to lower regular admission prices, raise season pass prices and keep going, and they will really be turning the corner.

So how did Six Flags get that much money to spend? They proved that it would be used for excellent additions to parks that have potential to add a ton of positive cash flow for the company. I really feel they are on the right track for the future.

Now, to my regularly scheduled lurking...

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CoastaPlaya said:
Uhhhhhh, meanwhile back at the ranch...

This isn't a heavy spending year for SF. Not even close.

Does anyone remember what they paid for SW Aurora?

-'Playa

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SF bought SW for $110 million.

the moves Six Flags are making this year. If you think about it, they are only building very few high thrill rides Kingda Ka and Superman.

All the rest of the expenditures are geared towards the whole family. Family coasters are being built. SFGAM getting a waterpark and they are adding more rides to existing waterparks. They are working on building more rides in the parks that see the biggest attendence.

They are also making the theme parks look nicer and are working making customer service better in the parks that are crummy.

Alomg with Mr Six, SF is on the right track.

They may just get it right because this season unlike the past couple of years they invested in many more parks instead of adding 3 B&M's & one or two flats to just a handful of parks.

It takes money to make money but not only should it be spent on rides but on improvements to guest services & general appearance...I'm glad to hear that a few rides are actually getting some much needed paint this year in addition to the waterpark improvements being added to my home park.

Wait a minute, that's not a bad idea. ;)

regards,

RaZorE86

The improvements made to guest services and general appearance can't be quantified in the same way that additions to other things are, and it seems that most people (even enthusiasts) don't notice major ones. _Everyone_ notices major rides however.

Case in point -- did anyone notice that last year Six Flags Great America had a huge section of pavement replaced? Probably not. But everyone noticed the new rides they got.

Another thing -- two or three years ago, going to a Six Flags park where a third of the rides were closed for a few hours or more (usually flat rides) was normal. In the parks I went to last year, only one of the six had more than one or two rides that seemed to be scheduled closed daily.

Six Flags is investing a lot more money in the guest services and general appearance of their now... it is just that it is the big additions that people see and go to parks for and the little things aren't noticed by most people, even though they make the same world of difference.

Not from their customers! (buh dum ching)