What If Time Warner Hadn't Sold Six Flags

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harry580

harry580

Mar 7, 2024
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from 1991 until 1998, six flags was owned by Time Warner, the additions that would added in those years included dc comics themed attractions & Warner bros themed stage shows & attractions

The company initially gained a 50% stake in 1991, before purchasing the remaining shares in 1993, becoming the sole owner. Time Warner then sold 51% of Six Flags to an investment group in 1995 which all lead up to time Warner selling the six flags parks to premier parks in 1998

premier parks arguably made six flags the household name it is today. But what if Warner kept its parks after they bought the remaining shares in 1993? Specifically, what if six flags stayed with Warner? Who by that point merged with aol to form "aol time warner". How would the parks be different? Would six flags trademark attitude remain in this timeline under a aol time Warner ownership?

I definately think that there'd be more coporate synergy between six flags and time Warner's other subsidaries, namely Warner Bros & Cartoon Network. the parks would add more attractions based on Warner bros movies & tv shows and maybe horror movies like those from new line cinema would be prominent ip's for fright fest (the conjuring would have happened earlier instead of 2023). Unlike premier parks, Warner bros would carefully add new additions to the parks without overspending it like premier parks did and if the creation of mr six flags still happened in this timeline, then mr six flags would be Warner bros created mascot for the parks
 
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Thank God they don’t still own Six Flags because Warner Discovery is a shit show now
 
What If Marvel GIF
 
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guy305 said:
Imagine how many times they would’ve renamed the parks. Great Adventure would just be Adventure now
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Great Super Funtime Extra Reboot Adventure Returns
GAcoaster said:
Thank God they don’t still own Six Flags because Warner Discovery is a shit show now
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David Zaslav has done irreparable damage to the brand. We’ll be seeing the fallout of his leadership for many years to come.
 
ok, ignoring anything about David Zaslav, I have to imagine the parks if Warner bros still own six flags, I mean, I think the additions by premier parks wouldn't happen and those additions would been at other premier parks (Darien lake would have gotten the war on line ride package instead)

I can see adventure rivers replaced by Warner bros branded action zone like paramount kings island action zone instead of looney tunes seaport because this park had bugs bunny land at the time
 
Part of the issue is Time Warner has changed— at this point they’re even trying to sell off the Looney Tunes
 
I remember seeing a post similar to this in CF a few months ago and being fascinated by it. I love alt reality stuff and its really fun to speculate what could've been.

My speculation is based on the direction the Paramount parks took in the 00s.

  • The coaster wars still happen. Most regional parks were beefing up their coaster collections in the 90s. SF is nothing different. That being said, I don't see each of the parks getting 5 coasters in 3 years like they did IRL. I expect expansion plans to be a bit more conservative.
  • I can't see them picking up Premier Parks in the 90s. That leads to
  • Astroworld would probably be around a bit longer. I don't see the company taking on a lot of debt like they did IRL, so no need to sell off their parks. AW is still a bit of an afterthought in the chain, and I could see the parking situation with the Astrodome being a problem for SF in the same vein as CGA's parking situation. I could see them selling off eventually though.
  • Geauga Lake isn't really picked up by SF so there's a good chance that that's still around and kicking. Without SF trying to compete with CP in the 90s-00s, there's a really good chance Sea World is still alive too.
  • The additions do become a bit less immersive and a bit cheaper in the 00s, but I definitely see a shift again after Potter opens to bring back immersive experiences.
  • There will be both movie tie-ins and original IPs for major attractions as usual. You would probably see a bit more care put into attractions than you would under IRL SF. It looks like IRL SF is turning things around though.
  • I think the Batman Stunt Show would still be kicking with WB at the helm. They put tons of emphasis on it in the 90s, but it was such a staple, why not keep it around and make it bigger and bigger every year? I would not be opposed to more entertainment options across the board.
  • I definitely see SF giving RMC a shot as their older wooden coasters age. They were quick to invest in B&M and Premier in the 90s. Why not invest in RMC in the 2010s?
 
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netdvn said:
I remember seeing a post similar to this in CF a few months ago and being fascinated by it. I love alt reality stuff and its really fun to speculate what could've been.

My speculation is based on the direction the Paramount parks took in the 00s.

  • The coaster wars still happen. Most regional parks were beefing up their coaster collections in the 90s. SF is nothing different. That being said, I don't see each of the parks getting 5 coasters in 3 years like they did IRL. I expect expansion plans to be a bit more conservative.
  • I can't see them picking up Premier Parks in the 90s. That leads to
  • Astroworld would probably be around a bit longer. I don't see the company taking on a lot of debt like they did IRL, so no need to sell off their parks. AW is still a bit of an afterthought in the chain, and I could see the parking situation with the Astrodome being a problem for SF in the same vein as CGA's parking situation. I could see them selling off eventually though.
  • Geauga Lake isn't really picked up by SF so there's a good chance that that's still around and kicking. Without SF trying to compete with CP in the 90s-00s, there's a really good chance Sea World is still alive too.
  • The additions do become a bit less immersive and a bit cheaper in the 00s, but I definitely see a shift again after Potter opens to bring back immersive experiences.
  • There will be both movie tie-ins and original IPs for major attractions as usual. You would probably see a bit more care put into attractions than you would under IRL SF. It looks like IRL SF is turning things around though.
  • I think the Batman Stunt Show would still be kicking with WB at the helm. They put tons of emphasis on it in the 90s, but it was such a staple, why not keep it around and make it bigger and bigger every year? I would not be opposed to more entertainment options across the board.
  • I definitely see SF giving RMC a shot as their older wooden coasters age. They were quick to invest in B&M and Premier in the 90s. Why not invest in RMC in the 2010s?
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so, in another timeline: Harry Potter would have opened at six flags instead of universal, if that's the case, maybe universal could have went with classic monsters more (and maybe jaws could have stayed opened)

if so, I can see Harry Potter replacing old country in great adventure and maybe the old deja vu site in magic mountain
 
For Potter, I don't think so.

SF wouldn't really have the budget to build something on the scale of Hogsmeade or Diagon and JK Rowling is VERY protective of her brand. She doesn't do anything on the cheap. Unless SF was willing to drop billions on multiple different lands, I couldn't see them getting the theme park rights to Potter.

Unless in this alternate timeline, she decides to settle on a cheaper product

Disney also went after the IP, so there's quite a bit of competition that WB would have to put up with.

WB would definitely use Hogsmeade as a ruler for attractions going into the present. We would definitely start seeing more immersive attractions pop up in the parks after that, just something more along the lines of Jungle X than any of the Harry Potter worlds.

EDIT: One thing I could most definitely see is more pop up experiences like maybe have props and costumes from the films tour around the parks in the summer or smaller special events. Nothing too crazy
 
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How about this alternate timeline:

Universal and IOA gets the DC brand for their comic island, meaning Marvel is still available. And due to when that happened SF never goes after Marvel as an IP to have in the park. Now let's assume that the MCU still happens in a way that it actually does, and Disney has full rights to Marvel.

DC having underperformed as movies, WB's decide to get the brand back for themepark rights, meaning the DC space at IOA is available to develop. So Univ/IOA pitch a half baked idea to JK Rowling using the DC land with an overlay for a Harry Potter park. So in looking for an IP they decide to go with the classic monster universe there with Hulk becoming a Werewolf themed coaster, Doom becomes a Frankenstein related ride, and Spiderman becomes a Dracula Escape ride.

Meanwhile with the MCU humming, the sequel Star Wars movie coming (along with it's popularity), Disney pitches to JK Rowling doing a whole new gate in Orlando that's aimed at Tween/Young Adult ages using MCU, Star Wars, Harry Potter, along with a Villains land to open in 2015. Given it's ground up and all new so new construction she decides to go with Disney to make her park.

Meanwhile back at Six Flags, because they didn't start randomly overlaying and cloning rides with DC names, they stay creative with loose theme areas and stay into the high thrills space. Because of this they get really creative, and it helps them avoid bankruptcy because they don't owe a bunch of companies money for IP's. And as they keep rolling around they decide in 2014, flush with money, that they are going to do an entire theme area with Suzanne Collins and giving Hunger Games an IP based area in every park, each park getting a unique district.

Think Found Footage GIF by Eternal Family
 
warfelg said:
How about this alternate timeline:

Universal and IOA gets the DC brand for their comic island, meaning Marvel is still available. And due to when that happened SF never goes after Marvel as an IP to have in the park. Now let's assume that the MCU still happens in a way that it actually does, and Disney has full rights to Marvel.

DC having underperformed as movies, WB's decide to get the brand back for themepark rights, meaning the DC space at IOA is available to develop. So Univ/IOA pitch a half baked idea to JK Rowling using the DC land with an overlay for a Harry Potter park. So in looking for an IP they decide to go with the classic monster universe there with Hulk becoming a Werewolf themed coaster, Doom becomes a Frankenstein related ride, and Spiderman becomes a Dracula Escape ride.

Meanwhile with the MCU humming, the sequel Star Wars movie coming (along with it's popularity), Disney pitches to JK Rowling doing a whole new gate in Orlando that's aimed at Tween/Young Adult ages using MCU, Star Wars, Harry Potter, along with a Villains land to open in 2015. Given it's ground up and all new so new construction she decides to go with Disney to make her park.

Meanwhile back at Six Flags, because they didn't start randomly overlaying and cloning rides with DC names, they stay creative with loose theme areas and stay into the high thrills space. Because of this they get really creative, and it helps them avoid bankruptcy because they don't owe a bunch of companies money for IP's. And as they keep rolling around they decide in 2014, flush with money, that they are going to do an entire theme area with Suzanne Collins and giving Hunger Games an IP based area in every park, each park getting a unique district.

Think Found Footage GIF by Eternal Family
Click to expand...
so the tween/young adult park would be the brain child of jk rowling?
 
Warfelg is saying it would be pitched to Rowling for her input/acceptance of the Harry Potter area, not for her input on IPs she doesn’t own and has never had anything to do with.
 
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oh, anyways, yes, Harry Potter will not be added to six flags parks (maybe Warner bros movie worlds but not six flags parks)
 
sorry for bumping this thread but I got a idea:
what if time Warner only keep the parks (like great adventure, great america, magic mountain, fiesta texas, AstroWorld and the European Warner bros parks) while the six flags over texas, six flags over Georgia & six flags St Louis (aka the six flags built parks) were sold to premier parks?

I guess this is a option time Warner would have went with (maybe rebrand the parks they kept under the warner bros name like paramount did with the kings parks)
 
bumping the thread alert

I realised something, if six flags didnt got sold by time warner, would they opened Harry Potter attractions (or it unlikely due to the jk rowling/universal thing) because im imagining Warner bros movie world if time warner built one in the usa in the 90s (Harry Potter lands would still happen in 2010s but not at universal parks) and since Harry Potter is a big ip by Warner bros
 
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