We don't know right now, and I don't think Cedar Fair/Six Flags has themselves yet.
BUT (throwing a bit of speculation/wishful thinking here) if the direction multiple Fright Fests were going in this year stays, maybe we can see IPs at more events.
News Cedar Fair Merges with Six Flags
- Thread starter horsesboy
- Start date
BUT (throwing a bit of speculation/wishful thinking here) if the direction multiple Fright Fests were going in this year stays, maybe we can see IPs at more events.
I agree.
This creates a rather interesting decision for the company to make. What park do they keep? Both parks draw from the greater Washington Metropolitan area. If Six Flags America begins to receive better treatment, there will be no need to make the two hour drive to KD anymore? This was the case back in the early 2000s when the park received Joker's Jinx, Superman and Batwing, consecutively. My guess is that the merged company will have to sit down and decide. If the company decides to keep Kings Dominion, things could get rather interesting.
As we all know, Six Flags has a licensing agreement with Warner Bros/DC Comics. It would be a big opportunity for KD to receive DC Comic themed attractions. My guess is that Cedar Fair's creative department would design far better DC Comic themed attractions than what Six Flags has done in the past decade. Also, Cedar Fair tries to make their rides unique; which means that we wouldn't see the same ride being built at four or five different parks, like Six Flags does. Considering KD's current state, this is a big opportunity for a spicy future expansion.
Would theme park enthusiast like to see a fully designed DC Comic themed area inside Kings Dominion? Considering the amount of land that KD still has available, I would say this would be a much bigger treat than a Volcano replacement.
It will be interesting to see if/how the new Kalahari in Fredericksburg drives any decisions at all.
Is DC even that big of a draw? It doesn't help that the movie side can't get its feet under itself so to speak.
For those concerned about KDs longevity. Remember Kings Dominion is still technically one of the largest amusement parks operating around. The land across from it remains to this day a hideous truck stop so I don't see the land being a reason for getting rid of it unless the company wants to pocket some cash from a sell off to a developer but I just don't see it. KD is clearly a sustainable profitable park. What WILL be interesting is if they decide to split the parks into two separate brands or not. I feel like it would take a considerable amount of investment into SFA for it to even come close to matching KD for attendance. I mean they don't even keep that park open past 9pm during Fright Fest on Saturday while KD is open until midnight and an absolute madhouse. I'm not saying for certain or anything that it means KD is around forever, I just don't see the odds of it going "away" as high after the merger.
There's also the possibility of sell offs, Merlin, Palace, Herschend, SEAS, and others all could make moves to buy some parks off this new mega chain in the coming years. I would suspect any low-mid tier park has potential to be bought by another chain and then the locals around that park are in for a major shift change in dynamics...........again. Interesting years ahead.
There's also the possibility of sell offs, Merlin, Palace, Herschend, SEAS, and others all could make moves to buy some parks off this new mega chain in the coming years. I would suspect any low-mid tier park has potential to be bought by another chain and then the locals around that park are in for a major shift change in dynamics...........again. Interesting years ahead.
This is bad. This is bad. This is reallly bad for KD long term…. Staff will be cut, wages will be cut, beautification projects cut, and some hardware projects are certainly taking a huge cut. I was aware of these talks a week ago and was told that it seemed both sides couldn’t agree on anything and would likely fall through… what a damn shame.
If I was BGW I’d consider building that resort ASAP.
If I was BGW I’d consider building that resort ASAP.
I hope KD thrives because that gives more incentive to continue to build new attractions at BGW, well, and also because I like going to KD too.
VB06Hokie
Mostly wit & sarcasm, but contributes occasionally
Can Herschend buy KD, add some Dollywood/SDC charm, and build a resort on property? Asking for me.
Stars = Dry Parks owned outright
Balloons = Water Parks owned outright
Tear Drops = Rental properties
Red = Six Flags Dry Parks
Orange = Six Flags Separate Property Water Parks
Blue = Cedar Fair Parks
In total there are 33 separate properties that will be affected under this merger.
Six Flags currently rents the operations to 7 properties. Darien Lake, HH Rockford (10 year deal that started in 2019), HH Splashtown, HH Phoenix, Frontier City, HH Oklahoma City, and HH Concord. There's *no way in hell* this merger will result in all the properties remaining under Six Flags and I can easily see all 6 of the rental agreements with EPR properties being cancelled in quick order to trim fat. The 7th rental property is a deal with the town of Rockford, Illinois that started in 2019 and I am unsure how easily that agreement can be nullified or renegotiated.
There is a ton of market cannibalism in Southern California and the Eastern United States. Northern California gets an escape because CGA is supposed to be closing within the next 4-5 years per the warehouse buyout agreement mentioned earlier. Texas largely is fine outside of San Antonio where it's a question how well Schlitterbahn and Fiesta Texas can get along. The Northeast is going to be an utter bloodbath though because there's no way they can run two parks in the DC market simultaneously, the Philadelphia market simultaneously, and maintain all these properties with the lower margin parks like Great Escape and Six Flags New England.
There is absolutely going to be a downsizing of the new Six Flags after this merger, with the possibility of 6 rentals being cancelled and probably 3 or 4 additional properties sold to other operators to trim the fat.
I'm happy that it is the Cedar Fair CEO who will be in charge of the merged company
It said this'll be finalized in Q1 2024. Does that mean it can still fall through till then? Or is it pretty much a done deal between CF & SF, and the only way it falls through is if the government blocks it?
Merger must be approved by Six Flags shareholders and it does not fall under anti-trust laws
I think if anything, the Southern California parks stand to gain a decent bit from this merger. Knott's and Magic Mountain have been fighting for Disneyland/Universal scraps for years, but selling a combined season pass and marketing the parks as a bundle could be a valid and profitable strategy. Work together to corner that audience, while also providing more value than Universal with a season pass that provides access to two parks. Maybe even provide a shuttle from the Knott's Hotel to Magic Mountain like what SEAS does in Florida with Seaworld and BGT. I agree on the Eastern US though, it's gonna be brutal. It's not gonna happen, but Great Adventure feels like a decent fit for a SEAS property. Choosing between Dorney and Great Adventure, however, I think it's obvious which one is a more valuable park for Six Flags. On the DC market, Six Flags America has a higher potential than Kings Dominion, but it's literally smack dab in the middle of the suburbs. That's a much more lucrative property to sell off for real estate development than KD which is in the middle of farmland. Another park to keep an eye on is Carowinds, considering the new company headquarters is gonna be in Charlotte. Wouldn't be surprised if some corporate favoritism forms for this already popular park.
I'm honestly most worried about dips in food quality, smaller parks closing, and people losing their jobs. I also don't want my home park, Six Flags America, to close, especially considering it seems like they've recently turned a new leaf.
Wait, why on either of these?
La Ronde has long felt like it's on shaky ground, but that's due to the particulars of the ownership situation and issues the park faces. Don't know why this merger would impact it beyond, maybe, "it's time to offload some headache-inducing parks." That said, isn't La Ronde profitable? It has a stranglehold on its large metro area too. Seems weird to give it up.
On the Discovery Kingdom front, new Six Flags is heavily incentivized to keep Discovery Kingdom, no? This merger buys them market dominance in NorCal. California's Great America is dead as a doornail. Discovery Kingdom will, 100%, be the NorCal park of choice.