What Parks Are Getting Sold???

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[@dwhitman12341]

The FTC is supposed to prevent monopolies, but yet they do nothing about Ticketmaster.

[@markvolpe2305]

As for Frontier City and Darien Lake for that matter along with several waterparks, EPR Properties owns them and Six Flags manages/operates them, so they only could drop them or buy them if they wanted to. Great Escape also has the classic Comet and the indoor waterpark for year-round operations.

[@brianfoss571]

I'm not so concerned about the FTC here. The Canadian theme park market, on the other hand, is much, much smaller. So I could see the combined Six Flags chain try to sell La Ronde in favor of keeping Canada's Wonderland. But if no other chain buys it (Merlin and Parque Reunidos would make the most sense), the worst case scenario is the city of Montreal buys it back and Six Flags retains the operating rights.

[@michaezell4607]

So far only CGA is confirmed to be closing within a few years.

[@sabellcarstens6896]

I prefer CGA to close permanently than Six Flags America because it’s my home park! I have a season pass!! Diamond!!!!!!

[@sharkheadism]

SF+CF wouldn't be a monopoly. RCDB lists over 400 amusement parks, theme parks, entertainment centers, and similar venues in the US.

[@Tristan-ps1yl]

I don’t think Michigan’s Adventure will be sold, it’s the least funded but it has one of the best profit margins in the chain, and it’s not well funded by design, so it doesn’t compete with Cedar Point.

[@jordancaleb3419]

Definitely, they pull the money.

[@MinkyBoodle44]

This 100%. A significant portion of Cedar Point's attendance comes from Michigan. People can be convinced to spend a lot more money when they're at a destination than when they're just doing a day trip at a small amusement park.

[@brianfoss571]

​@@MinkyBoodle44 Exactly. And Cedar Fair knows that families with kids who aren't ready for the hassle of a Cedar Point trip can get their start at Michigan's Adventure. The two parks fill different niches.

[@brianfoss571]

Michigan's Adventure fills a useful niche as a family destination for summer lake visitors from Chicago and Detroit. It'll do just fine with Titan track on Wolverine Wildcat, Gravity Group track on Zach's Zoomer and Shivering Timbers, and the occasional relocated ride. Great Escape has a resort hotel with indoor water park, so it makes decent profits, too. I highly doubt Six Flags St Louis would have added Rookie Racer right next to The Boss if they had no plans to invest in it, either. And selling Six Flags America to a company serious to capitalize on its location would put even more pressure on Kings Dominion and Great Adventure. Their primary competition is BGW and Hersheypark, respectively, and that won't change whether Six Flags America is in the chain or not.

[@jordancaleb3419]

Personally Michigans adventure is safe. The water park is a big draw to the park, and it’s 2 parks for the price of one. A lot of families come here!

[@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od]

I Only Think Great Escape Will Get Sold Off I Actually Predict They Will Buy Parks Like Adventureland Or Silverwood

[@brianfoss571]

Getting rid of Frontier City makes sense for a couple reasons. One is that an under-invested park in OKC with an Old West theme isn't going to help Six Flags over Texas compete with Universal's new DreamWorks park in Frisco. But even more important, folding FC into the Herschend portfolio with SDC would kill the business case for Vinita's "American Heartland." If you live in Tulsa and can visit both parks with a single season pass, why would you need anything bigger than a park like Tropic Falls locally?

[@markvolpe2305]

Six Flags doesn't own Frontier City.

[@brianfoss571]

@markvolpe2305 When I said, "get rid of", I meant having Herschend take over the lease and operate the park.

[@markvolpe2305]

@@brianfoss571 Would they also drop Darien Lake with Frontier City?

[@brianfoss571]

@markvolpe2305 They could, but I think they might find it useful to relocate some coasters to DL. The former flume site at the front of the park is just **barely** big enough for a Batman clone. If, hypothetically, they could get one (if not from La Ronde, possibly SWSA) they could immediately close Mind Eraser. Replacing it with a Gravitykraft woodie would be fantastic, too. Frontier City just isn't big enough for Six Flags to invest in. They might be able to squeeze in Pandemonium from Fiesta Texas, but they'd have to remove the go-karts and the Nightmare building to do it.

[@dgx9994]

I disagree with you with St.Louis as far as getting sold as it being the llast of the built from the built from up Six Flags Park but I agree with you that Six Flags management didn't invest in this park like it should have

[@teamfol]

Frontier City is the bastard child of Six Flags

[@k9feces]

I’ve heard Great Escape makes a lot of money from their indoor water park

[@brianfoss571]

CGA is definitely closing for good. 5 of its 9 coasters are more than 30 years old, and no chain is willing to make the investments required to replace Grizzly, Demon, Flight Deck, AND Patriot. Plus, considering Discovery Kingdom is completely built out, having a major competitor wouldn't make a huge difference in their future coaster investments anyway. They can get away with only adding a new coaster every decade from now on.

[@sabellcarstens6896]

I prefer CGA to close permanently than Six Flags America because it’s my home park! I have a season pass!! Diamond!!!!!!

[@MiaCollinsNeighborhood]

Hmmm…what would happen if Universal bought Michigan Adventure?

[@MarkLLawrence]

I'd love them to offer a 2 park season pass for Knotts and Six Flags Magic Mountain as they aren't too far from each other in the same market. It could help out attendance at that Six Flags. Plus they need to get on the ball with RFID drink cups like Legoland and Universal Studios have. You buy a mug for about $20 ish and it gives you refills all day you get at fountain drink machine, separate from the concession lines and all over the park, that read the RFID chips and only dispense to those cups. They can then be reactivated later for another $10 ish (a bit cheaper if you have a season pass) for the day, freeing up food lines from people just wanting refills.

[@BackSeatJunkie]

I'm the same way with Worlds of Fun and Six Flags St. Louis. I live halfway between the two. They would be smart to offer a pick two parks Pass and then a higher price for a pick three parks Pass and again a higher price for a pick four pars Pass. One season pass for ALL the parks; which very few people would buy because normal people don't wander the country visiting amusement parks, would be able to pull what price point???? LOL.

[@MarkLLawrence]

@@BackSeatJunkie I'd love a Pick-A-Park pass. When I go visit my brother in Texas he's just 15 minutes away from the original Six Flags. I make it a point to go there every time so adding that one to my season pass would be pretty cool.

[@MrJimmy527]

Just because I wasn't there?

[@Fapaljack]

darien lake, six flag side of things, is probably getting sold again... its been sold and bought back like 3 times now and kept running throughout for a few years for short term sake and end up buying it back when possible since they have a good agreement with the operating group to take it on a short term basis with the intent to buy back... like until cali great America actually closes so they can milk that for the entire time they can and keep their park count at the same instantly as they close it.

[@brianfoss571]

Maybe, but I wouldn't be surprised if Six Flags holds onto DL long enough to give it the Super Boomerang coming to Great Adventure next year. I doubt Six Flags thinks it's a good long-term fit for their biggest East Coast park - they'll probably keep it for 5 years to drive Flash pass sales. But after that, it should really go to a park like Darien Lake. Would love to see Vampire from La Ronde be relocated where the flume ride was, so Mind Eraser can be scrapped. But that's wishful thinking, haha.

[@markvolpe2305]

Problem is, Six Flags doesn't own Darien or Frontier City, they only operate them. EPR Properties is the current owner of those parks.

[@sabellcarstens6896]

Will they permanently close Six Flags America

[@CoasterNetwork_]

We have no idea. All we can do is hope.

[@michaezell4607]

Probably not.

[@brianfoss571]

It's very unlikely. CGA is closing due to high land prices, unprofitabilty, and aging coasters that are impractical to replace. SFA has space around it for future housing development, and the park only really needs to replace two coasters relatively soon - Firebird and Mind Eraser. The park itself is not a huge area to maintain, so it'll continue to do fine as a lower-tier park.

[@MiaCollinsNeighborhood]

Looks like a new enemy is rising for Disney…

[@BackSeatJunkie]

There is no monopoly. The FTC would be committing suicide to declare this CF and SF merger as creating a monopoly.

[@angelogiusti5283]

They will allow it but they will probably force six flags and cedar fair to sell or close some of their parks which is going to happen pretty quickly so expect some of these closures and sell offs to happen before the merger finalizes in March

[@keoskey]

They will get past ftc since they still crying over activision blizzard

[@imovieseriestv248]

What?