Let's talk about Six Flags $1 billion expansion plan for the next two years.
This morning, the new Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced that it will spend $1 billion over the next two years "to enhance the guest experience" at its 42 parks. The investments will be about $500 million in 2025 and $525 million in 2026.
"Our capital investment plans for the next two years reinforce our commitment to providing unmatched thrills, immersive entertainment and lifelong memories to guests of all ages," Six Flags President & CEO Richard A. Zimmerman said. "The new Six Flags has a unique opportunity to refresh and renew the guest experience, one so compelling that a visit to one of our parks will be viewed as an indispensable choice in family entertainment."
Not all of the money is going for new rides. Six Flags said that $80 million of the two-year spending will go toward food and beverage upgrades, including new restaurants and improved menu items. But let's face it, new rides will be what drive the boost in attendance that Six Flags is hoping to achieve with this investment.
Here is what Six Flags has announced:
New for 2025:
New for 2026:
Obviously, the details matter here. The difference between a hit new ride and a money-sucking flop often does not show up in a press release, becoming obviously only sometime between shovels hitting the ground and the first weeks of operation. But the former Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks have track records here. And the merger of those companies does not create a fresh, blank slate upon which to write the new Six Flags' future.
Will these new rides help drive attendance to the Six Flags parks? Or are they steps in the wrong direction for an evolving themed entertainment business in North America?
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