Could HYPERIA be the END of THORPE PARK?

2024 is going to be a massive year for Thorpe Park, seeing its first major investment in over a decade. Will history repeat itself so that we have to wait over a decade after Hyperia for another attraction, or will we start seeing more regular investments? Watch to find out!
In this video, I take a look at what happened when the park opened their previous two coasters, Saw - The Ride and The Swarm, to explain why its been so long before we got Hyperia. I also discuss the ongoing Sparkle Project, to see why Hyperia is going to be such a big deal for the park, and why it could spell the end of any future projects before they even begin.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:21 - Why The Wait?
01:46 - Busy Busy Busy
03:11 - Why The Wait? Part 2
04:06 - Summary
None of the footage in this video was my own. The off-ride footage can be found here:
The Swarm: • Saw - The Ride TV Adve...
Colossus: • Colossus - 4K UHD Off-...
Stealth: • Stealth - 4K UHD Off-R...
#hyperia #thorpepark #rollercoaster #themepark

[@theshowersinger6681]

Let’s be honest, the coasters aren’t the problem at Thorpe, it’s the disastrous other attractions like Ghost Train. What a waste of money, for all versions.

[@coaster_shark]

Yeah, they have wasted a fair bit of money and effort on some of their additions, but its still better than having no flat rides like Towers imo

[@callumgs]

The park has spent a huge amount of money this close ...I hope you all like it

[@En1ow]

Shut up you are so irrelivant

[@paulmapp8306]

@@coaster_sharknah... I haven been on a flat ride for over 25 years lol. Coasters is ALL i care about.

[@samdrake3907]

Ghost train was good, Derran Brown experience, scared me but was my first VR experience

[@Airtime_Adds]

It will defo be a huge success. Everyone has been waiting a long time for a new coaster to open at Thorpe Park.

[@coaster_shark]

I definitely hope so!

[@aldorfc220]

Looks amazing after the first test yesterday however it better be worth it lasted 26 seconds last longer than me to 😂😂

[@Airtime_Adds]

Well that comment didn’t age well 💀

[@zakb5757]

Funnily enough, I waited under 10 minutes for colossus on the opening day of hyperia. At least for the moment, everyone is going to be caught up in the hyperia madness and won’t care about the other coasters (which is totally justified given how good the ride is)

[@coaster_shark]

10 minutes is pretty good! How long did you have to wait for hyperia though?

[@meatspoon2610]

Collosus throughput could also be massively improved by purchasing new trains. When it first opened the trains were more open and easier to get in and out of. New trains from intamin that are more spacious and have lap bars are available and would improve not just the throughput but the comfort too

[@coaster_shark]

That's a good point - I didn't think of that! I guess new trains were just outside of the park's budget considering how much they've spent on everything else for 2024

[@PGAC22]

Or Just demolish Colossus and build a much better Ride, Colossus is up there with Goudurix as the most Uncomfortable Roller Coaster I've ever been on.

[@JacobTarzi]

I agree its very rough sometimes but its not beyond saving, besides its an absolute classic@@PGAC22

[@JamesLitchfieldJJ]

Yh 100% I think one of the reasons that operations on colossus are so slow is because people can’t get out the trains because they are so small

[@manmaje3596]

Swarm is also tame in comparison to already existing rides at Thorpe park.

[@coaster_shark]

I'm not sure I agree - that dive drop has to be one of the craziest moments at the park

[@donfranktv]

All Thorpe needs now is a RMC Hybrid and it wouldn't have to worry about attendance ever again

[@coaster_shark]

So true, not even Universal could worry them if they got that

[@LegendJ0e4]

RMC?

[@thomaswillis1569]

​@@LegendJ0e4 rocky mountain construction. They make very unique roller coasters with amazing air time and unique element's. Defo worth checking out!!

[@LegendJ0e4]

@@thomaswillis1569 similar to the one at alton towers?

[@arigatocutie5167]

don't forget, colossus is also getting the updated ride systems. This means if someone leaves their backpack on (which happens scarily often) they can open up just that restraint rather than having to open up everyone's restraints. This means they don't have to do all of the restraint checks again and save quite a bit of time.

[@coaster_shark]

Ah, I didn't realise that. That'll definitely help speed up dispatches and improve throughput then!

[@cosmicvortecs]

one thing that's worrying me is the amount of advertising being done for hyperia. with other major rollercoasters, when they were being advertised (around this time) people would know about them, but that isnt the case for hyperia currently

[@coaster_shark]

Yeah, I agree. They should have been pumping out at least as much material as Towers have been for Nemesis, but there's been basically nothing. Hopefully, they'll start ramping up as they get closer finishing the build though

[@JoshB333]

Maybe they are much farther away from opening than we think

[@thecoasterman682]

I hope 2024 will not be the end of Thorpe park. And one more question: which swarm soundtrack did you have used in this video?

[@coaster_shark]

Me too! I didn't use any of the music from The Swarm, it was just the main island theme

[@reputation8383]

Im always surprised at how few theme parks utilise single rider queues. I often visit theme parks alone, and fond the single rider queie an absolute godsend. They are also great for families where not everyone wants to ride the coasters. And single rider queues would definitely help capacity without costing the parks a fortune.

[@rollercoasterman8114]

Alton Towers and maybe Thorpe Park used to have single rider queues on all the major rides but they axed them around 7-8 years ago to sell more fastracks, a few still have a single rider queue like Smiler and Saw but majority don't and they will probably never come back because fastracks make way to much money and single rider queues are essentially free fastrack.

[@coaster_shark]

It is a shame there aren't more - they're super useful when you're on your own or trying to do something quickly away from everyone you're visiting with. It's also annoying that the owners are so money oriented to just focus on fast track, but that's just how the world works I guess

[@petermc7098]

Hi There, hopefully all the investment will pay off, thank you for sharing your thoughts

[@coaster_shark]

I hope so too! Thanks for watching me ramble on about them

[@petermc7098]

No worries ​@@coaster_shark

[@knightrider2738]

The queue times on hyperia are going to be ridiculous long when it officially opens. Just like mandrill mayhem at Chessington when it first opened

[@coaster_shark]

Oh yeah, I genuinely wouldn't be surprised to see it over 3 hours on some days

[@knightrider2738]

@@coaster_shark it could be differently

[@coaster_shark]

I'm trying to remember what The Smiler was like when that opened, and I think that got to almost 4 hours

[@knightrider2738]

@@coaster_shark 4 hours to too much to wait to go on a roller coaster. I would never wait that long. When i take my 14 and 12 year old daughters to theme parks in the UK we all always get ultimate fast track for the day. So hopefully when hyperia opens it will have fast track line

[@coaster_shark]

On their website, they say: "Hyperia will not operate with standard Fastrack like our other rides and attractions, it will work in a slightly different way." So I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'm wondering if they'll do virtual queues like Chessington did for Mandrill Mayhem

[@Shaddowedlegends]

i love thorpe park sence 2004 but it took me 10 years to muster the currage to ride saw so it might be another 10 before i ride hyperia. but that wont stop me loving and admiring and supporting the amazing coaster.

[@coaster_shark]

At least it should be a pretty ride to watch once the lake is filled in again!

[@risteardconchuir4065]

Yes it's going to be the tallest in the UK but there isn't the same excitement as we had in 1993 waiting for the Big One to open as it was at least four times as tall as any coaster anyone had ever seen. It's height was truly astonishing which anyone growing up in the world of hyper & stratocoasters wouldn't appreciate today. The length and literally coasting along the coast of the sea too. Hyperia looks like it just goes up and down in a tightknit space, but I'm still eager to try it out.

[@coaster_shark]

Good point! I think there's still a lot to get excited about for Hyperia other than its height though - some of the elements look absolutely bonkers, and carry at least some of the same wow factor that The Big One's height did in my opinion

[@risteardconchuir4065]

@@coaster_shark can't wait to see and ride

[@HappyVibrantLife]

I believe it will be a hit…I would love to see uk gain its accolades and the businesses to do well…let’s rise out of the ashes and soar like an eagle

[@coaster_shark]

It would be great to see the UK become a coaster power house again!

[@liamcompton8109]

good video! admittedly it has been long overdue for a park shape up and new ride but if they keep it up and keep it nice and fresh they wouldnt need big outgoings contstantly. lets see what the future holds.

[@coaster_shark]

Thansk! Yeah, I think it's one of those where if a little is done each year then it will be easier to keep on top of - its just the fact that nothing's been done for so long that put the park in this position.

[@liamcompton8109]

@coaster_shark agreed. Either way got lot of love t For Thorpe. Go basically 2-3 times in a month usually so hopefully new season will be amazing. Just gotta hope the staff are competent this year as last were awful. Especially saw.

[@coaster_shark]

I wish I lived close enough to be able to go that often!

[@liamcompton8109]

@coaster_shark is like a hour and 30 drive but its okay. Not too bad depending on if m25 gets closed

[@coaster_shark]

I rate the dedication! The M25 is just a nightmare. I feel bad for you having to deal with it on the regular

[@notsospoopybob]

i see a few people mentioning marketing for the ride, but the height record almost advertises itself to some extent. i reckon itll be all over the major news outlets upon opening which will help the park massively. im hoping they do still do some social media marketing though to help the ride, i want it to be a huge success

[@coaster_shark]

The amount of construction updates being put out on social media is basically doing Thorpe's work for them as well lol, although I agree it would be good to see some more official stuff being put out by the park. I guess we've been spoilt by what Towers have been doing with Nemesis Reborn, but we know Hyperia isn't going to be as heavily themed, so we shouldn't really have been expecting the same amount of marketing from Thorpe.

[@notsospoopybob]

@@coaster_sharki dont really think the theming correlates to the marketing as such, i remember seeing a lot for icon at pleasure beach (though admittedly not nearly as much as towers did for wickerman)

[@coaster_shark]

That's true, I was just thinking of all the little teasers Towers did last year with the Phalanx, and I'm not sure you could do that much without being a ride with a lot of backstory

[@SpiderWaffle]

At least Hyperia itself will be adding more to the total capacity of thorpe park. After the hype dies down, I doubt the park will have that much more capacity beyond what hyperia is supplying it.

[@coaster_shark]

That's true. If the attendance starts dipping to pre hyperia levels, the queues for everything else would be smaller, but I think Thorpe would view that as a bit of a failure tbh

[@Treasurehuntingwithtomandmarie]

The problem with Thorpe Park is not the rollercoasters, it is the outdated and frankly ridiculous attempt and sourcing new IP. SAW would have been awesome had it come out when the movies were out rather than 10 years later. Since then you've had Angry birds land, I'm a celebrity attraction, Derron Brown's train, Walking dead maze/coaster etc... Thorpe Park need to keep attractions unique and leave the IP out of it.

[@coaster_shark]

That's a good point, but I'm not hopeful considering Merlin opened the Jumanji area in Chessington last year, when the remake came out in 2017. Personally, I think parks that aren't Disney or Universal should stay away from movie IP and do original themes instead, they can be much more creative that way

[@Treasurehuntingwithtomandmarie]

@@coaster_shark agreed. Although even universal can get it wrong sometimes… Kong for example 😂 Merlin are definitely better being creative and being original

[@coaster_shark]

Oh yeah, they've definitely had some misses over the years!

[@user-bq7mo7cu1y]

I actually think hyperia will save thorpe they will have huge braging rights, and i assume the public will love it and re visit and potentially invest in a merlin pass

[@coaster_shark]

That's the hope, because I would love to see more projects this big in the future!

[@donalddarko4871]

Ultimately saw is amazing and so is swarm, in a small park where you can avoid the queues by simply walking to one end of the park to another in 10 minutes its ideal for people that actually enjoy rides. Yeah some of the smaller ones are awful. I'd say the biggest downfall is the lack of quality attractions outside of the big roller coasters.

[@coaster_shark]

To be honest I'd say that's more of a problem for Towers - I always thought Thorpe had a pretty decent selection of flats. I would argue that their main downfall is that they don't really have much of a middle ground between rides for kids and proper intense thrill rides

[@pt4005]

like how Hyperia is angel and heaven themed and this video is about the possible end of Thorpe park

[@coaster_shark]

Well, everything jas a dark side.... ;)

[@sophiegellender]

I went to Chessington last year which was the first theme park I’d gone to in quite a few years, I used to always go to them every year and I went to Chessington as I wanted to ride mandrill mayhem. I’m planning on returning to Thorpe because of Hyperia. I don’t think I’ve actually been there since fright nights 2017…😅 I also want to return to Alton Towers for the Nemesis retrack, I’ve not been there since 2018 😩

[@coaster_shark]

Sounds like you're going to have a busy year @sophiegellender

[@markymark-r]

I’m almost done with Thorpe Park. It was a dump last season, terrible operations, poor security and no enforcement on queue jumpers. Personally, this year is their last chance.

[@coaster_shark]

Hopefully they've been working on improving all those things along with the sparkle project - that sounds like you had a few bad experiences last year

[@markymark-r]

@@coaster_sharkyeah the last few years have been bad but I’m willing to give it a go this year with Hyperia and project sparkle.

[@inigmedia5265]

I Do think there is a better way to deal with queues over a set time. And that they and customers would benefit from such an idea. However Merlin may be behind on this or lower interest due to fast pass sales. Last year Thorpe took the theme park crown for me. From what I'm seeing Alton towers will have this back this year. But Thorpe is really gonna give it all! I hope it's a good year for all!

[@neonzz94]

I went in March I've been so hyped for it ever since although I have to say the restraint doesnt look like it'll keep you in lol

[@coaster_shark]

Hahaha it does seem weird to just have a lap bar doesn't it! As a kid, I always tried to keep the restraints as loose as possible for the added jeopardy though, so I love it!

[@neonzz94]

@coaster_shark as a child, I was on the Kraken in Seaworld in Florida. I secured the restraint there was no belt at this time it clicked in as usual (4th time on that day) no checks were done the ride set off hand up waiting for the first loop and there was a funny noise then my restraint flew up and was no longer holding me about 30ft from the loop I grabbed it and slammed it in my chest I broke it doing that and they had to call the fire department to cut me out

[@coaster_shark]

Oh my days I'm surprised that didn't put you off rollercoasters for life

[@neonzz94]

@@coaster_shark Oh I refused to go on the Kraken again but didn't spoil my whole holiday I must say though I do worry when I'm on one that the same thing will happen I just have to remind myself that I've been on hundreds of coasters hundreds of times although I refuse to ride solo now and it's only happened once and now I insist on having mine checked I go straight to staff explain what happened on Kraken and ask them to double if not treble check it

[@coaster_shark]

I think that's fully understandable!

[@cheekyfragrance]

Thorpe Park could fix Colossus with a simple train change to the one on Sik. It would not only make it more comfortable, but it would raise the ride experience to one of the best coasters in the UK, a reputation that Sik has, and Thorpe could so easily take for themselves.

[@coaster_shark]

I don't think it would be quite as good as Sik with new trains - there's the weird first drop and general roughness from age that would hold it back. I do agree it would be much better though

[@tobynickels6210]

Thorpe park is great anyone that moans about it is ridiculous.. for the size the rides are incredible

[@coaster_shark]

Good point! I think its even more impressive when you consider that it only really became a fully fledged theme park this century as well, so hasn't got the history of a lot of other parks either

[@damocoaster8451]

I think hyperia will be the biggest success for Thorpe park

[@coaster_shark]

I hope so too!

[@coasterkramer]

I think Thorp will be fine with Hyperia, but I think it they will need a flash past system if they don’t have one

[@coaster_shark]

Yeah with what they're attendance has been the past few years, although this year will be massive I still think it's within what the park can deal with - everyone's just going to have to put up with slightly longer queues than usual

[@coasterkramer]

@@coaster_shark I live in the states so great adventures, My Home park I used long lines one day I’ll get to the park

[@MrSupercar55]

Hyperia will be to Thorpe Park as GTA 6 will be to Rockstar Games. Eagerly anticipated for the longest time and everyone eager to get in there and get a piece of the action.

[@coaster_shark]

I'm just hoping that neither of them will be a disappointment!

[@donaldmaxwell3428]

I don't think Thorpe park will close ?? BUT chesington well ??

[@coaster_shark]

I was thinking about this the other day - Chessington is getting a lot tougher competition lately with Paulton's Park and Drayton Manor upping their game!

[@kernalmusterd]

Thorpe park is going to be packed this year just for hyperia

[@coaster_shark]

Oh yeah, I am not looking forward to the queues at all

[@narrows-wr5lf]

I don't think thorpe park will shut down and they have merlins budget so it's a very slim chance

[@coaster_shark]

Oh yeah I don't think they'll close either- I just think a lot of plans will get cancelled if this year doesn't go to plan

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

Not a chance it will, biggest theme park in the south of England by a large margin, onlt alternative is Chessington, which for the past few decades has catered more for children.

[@jackbotterill2832]

i really do hope hyperia is successful i can’t see why it wouldn’t be

[@coaster_shark]

As long as they don't fumble the advertising, neither can I. A coaster like this should really sell itself

[@coasterkramer]

Or lap bars on trains also stealth need lap bars also

[@coaster_shark]

I never thought the stealth restraints were that bad tbh

[@Hazy_monkey]

I’m sorry but like I’m my opinion (complete newbie) swarm looks way worse than hyperia and stealth

[@coaster_shark]

No that's fair enough - it doesn't have anywhere near the intimidation factor of Stealth or the scale of Hyperia. At the time of opening, it was pretty exciting because it was only the 2nd wing coaster worldwide, but other than the ride model and the crazy dive drop at the start, it does just look like more of a generic coaster compared to the other two.

[@benjamindenton]

Universally speaking, it could be a universal problem for all UK parks.

[@coaster_shark]

Subtle 😅

[@callumgs]

THIS NEW RIDE WILL BE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL ......THOPRE HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY THIS CLOSE....YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED GET YOUR TICKETS BOOKED

[@coaster_shark]

Also please go so that we get more new rides

[@callumgs]

There coming mate ...... in the mean time ....let's see who's brave enough to get on hyperia

[@Avogeorgee]

Are you autistic

[@gb9727]

Short answer: no

[@coaster_shark]

Hahaha not sure I could have made a video out of that though

[@tayo0404]

I had family work with Thorpe Park, and the park was planned to close in 2025 due to bankruptcy.

[@coaster_shark]

Well, fingers crossed that it doesn't! This year must be a hail Mary to save the park or going out with a bang then!

[@NotYourAverageYoutuber69]

I call cap I smell cap I taste cap 🧢

[@Yonel6969]

they plan to close in in 2025 but they just built a record breaking coaster, just did a huge rebrand and are literally building up the whole park from the mess it was, theres no need to lie😭

[@NotYourAverageYoutuber69]

@@Yonel6969 fr fr 🤣🤣

[@ryanmee3546]

Bull to the shit

[@jasonmadgwick6682]

All the parks will have problems if universal goes ahead.

[@coaster_shark]

Actually, I think Thorpe will be one of the least affected by that. It sits in a good niche as a dedicated thrill park. It's Towers and Chessington that will really have to worry because they'll be aiming for the same highly themed, family oriented market share as Universal

[@jasonmadgwick6682]

Yeah it's a good point, I fear though thorpe is running out of room fast. And that's going to be a huge factor.

[@coaster_shark]

True, although they still have the island behind The Swarm, and I wouldn't be surprised if they got rid of the water slides and beach area to make way for another ride - I don't think anyone would be sad to see it go, and it would make a great first impression to have a big coaster there as soon as people enter the park

[@IWTBF]

@@coaster_sharkagree it’s a waste that area

[@I_Dont_Care49]

@@jasonmadgwick6682 Only if they kept the lake because now the lake isn't their property but it used to be.

[@zombiezool]

CHAVS park from CWOA

[@PAULTRD1980]

Increasing the amount of rides reduces the queue time for other rides since there is more displacement of people. This is why the likes of CWOA have shows. Its no so much to entertain, its to keep numbers away from the rides.

[@coaster_shark]

That only works if the visitor numbers stay the same though - I'd imagine Thorpe will be getting loads more people in the park each day once Hyperia opens, and that might negate the fact they've got another attraction

[@PAULTRD1980]

​@coaster_shark yes and no. Park capacity doesn't increase with more rides and attractions. I'm not sure of the daily capacity of this ride but or we look at Vampire for example, it seats 24 people per train and a train leaves the platform every 60 seconds or so. That's 1,440 riders per hour or 11,520 per day (based on 8 hours with no down time). The park would have to see an increase of around 2,000 people a day (based on 6 big rides on a busy day per person) before any impact would be felt. Park capacity is around 16-18k from memory.

[@coaster_shark]

I agree that park capacity wont change, but its unlikely Thorpe has been operating at full capacity. When wickerman opened, Alton Towers' attendance increased by nearly 350,000 over the year, so it's not unbelievable that some days would have seen a 2,000 increase compared to the year before, and I think the effect Hyperia will have will be even bigger than that

[@Thethrills95]

Hyperia will make Thorpe park

[@iLoveCamdy]

Poggers

[@EVERYDAYGames00]

Thorpe park as never interested me

[@coaster_shark]

Fair enough - not even this year with Hyperia?

[@EVERYDAYGames00]

@@coaster_shark not really for one I live quite a bit of away away and just nothing tickles my fancy like Alton towers lol

[@coaster_shark]

Fair enough, it's not as fun when you have to spend hours and hours driving there and back is it