The quote that grabbed my attention?
"We need to diversify. We have 17 roller coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain--that's too many. It's become like a drug. This industry has become addicted to roller coasters. We put them up. The attendance goes up. If we don’t do something the next year, we fall behind. We can't be so reliant on roller coasters. It's about balance. The pendulum has swung so far to teenagers, that our research shows Mom and Dad are pausing when it comes to Six Flags. I need to get rid of that pause. We can--and will--add roller coasters, but we can't abandon the rest of the park."
I think a huge reason for Disney's success in the theme park business is its emphasis on story-telling. More people can relate to stories than can to physical thrills. Great music and stunning visuals linger in most visitors' minds longer than the physical effects of a cobra roll. And people want to spend get-away time with family and friends. For most folks, story-based attractions allow that better than thrill rides.
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Should Magic Mountain stop building coasters. No way!
Huh?, you might ask. I'd love to see Magic Mountain clear space for great new themed coasters, dark rides and play areas by tearing down some of it's old, played-out coasters. Good-bye Flashback, Viper, Ninja, Goliath Jr., Superman and Psyclone. And if the park can't get Déjà Vu to work every day, lose it, too. (Gold Rusher and Revolution, you get stays of execution merely for historical interest.)
I hope Shapiro comes back west to visit Magic Mountain this summer. A few minutes in the Valencia heat ought to be enough to convince him to build a shaded, themed flume ride and a couple indoor musical dark rides (make one a MIB-style shoot-'em-up), which this broiler of a theme park so desperately needs.
Honestly, I think they do too, simply because they have failed to bring balance to their attraction list, and they are incapable of taking care of the ones that they do have. There really is nothing else to do there but ride...or at least wait in line for a coaster. Tatsu should mark the end of coaster building for awhile, at least until they get some things straightened out.
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I (28) personally love roller coasters and will ride them till I vomit, thankfully that hasn't happened yet.
My wife (33) on the other hand does not like roller coasters. She would much rather spend her time on Jaws, Earthquake, basically anything where her feet are pinned permanently to the floor!
A theme park cannot solely rely on Coasters to bring in the punters year after year. They do need to diversify to other rides.
Thats what makes Universal so successful. they have 2 coasters, Mummy and Woody.
Same goes for Disney.
Rides with a theme and a story entertain more people than coasters alone, and this alone brings people back year after year.
Without fail, every week, Universal Studios wait times always exceed that of Islands of Adventures and this is becasue they are more family friendly rides over at USF..
Good shout I say!