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Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread


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Sweet! Can't wait to see more of it get built.

 

The fact that Maxx Force is this far along (which isn't saying much) and there aren't even pieces on site for West Coast Racers really has me curious that there is something going with SFMM and Premier beyond the usual "Six Flags slowness."

They had to go back and redesign part of the supports to fit over the go-karts. Also with Steel Curtain and Maxx force premier had to have a company in Italy produce the track.

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Well to be fair, it should open really early. One benefit to only buying 1/4 of the layout is that you can be Opening Day ready!

I mean, I guess they could be opening day ready if they wanted too, but... it's Six Flags...

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Have I missed something or does SFGAm not have any major coaster ERT events? This has to be the largest park in the US that I don't recall or see a trace on the forum threads of even so much as a coaster club ERT at.

 

I've just noticed that for all the years I lived in Chicago, I've went to some sort of event at every park in the Midwest for Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa, but besides a mini-ERT hour for passholders or a new ride events every few years, I haven't seen anything (not even a mini-A C E event at SFGAm). Are they just more difficult to work with for setting up ERTs?

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Have I missed something or does SFGAm not have any major coaster ERT events? This has to be the largest park in the US that I don't recall or see a trace on the forum threads of even so much as a coaster club ERT at.

 

I've just noticed that for all the years I lived in Chicago, I've went to some sort of event at every park in the Midwest for Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa, but besides a mini-ERT hour for passholders or a new ride events every few years, I haven't seen anything (not even a mini-A C E event at SFGAm). Are they just more difficult to work with for setting up ERTs?

 

I know that TPR has had a few events there in the past,and I seem to recall a few others in the past as well.

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TPR didn't have the best of experiences at SFGAm during one of their recent visits to the park, including inconsistently-enforced height bracelets and less-than-desirable customer service. Not sure about what happened with ACE, though.

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I'm not sure if this has been said before but does anyone know where the ride entrance will be, such as where Pictorium's old entrance was or in the little plaza by Sky Trek Tower (or what's left of it)?

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I'm not sure if this has been said before but does anyone know where the ride entrance will be, such as where Pictorium's old entrance was or in the little plaza by Sky Trek Tower (or what's left of it)?

Yes, the former Pictorium entrance is being used as the entrance/sign to the ride, the former site of Pictorium used as queue line (and the last couple inversions of the coaster if I'm not mistaken) then the Flags shop right there is going to be used as the Maxx Force shop where you can buy shirts, on-ride photos, other merch, etc.

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I feel like Holiday in the Park probably exceeded their expectations. Obviously I have no way of knowing what their expectations were but of all the cold weather parks it seems like the wait times and crowd levels at Great America were WELL above the other parks the vast majority of the time and I don't know how it would have been possible for them to project that (because it's insane).

 

I mean, the place looked like this on a 19 degree night and I lost count of how many times Raging Bull posted wait times in excess of an hour on hilariously frigid nights.

 

In my non-professional opinion, that event isn't going anywhere ever.

 

Following up on this, I skimmed the Q4 transcript of yesterday's call to see if they addressed the performance of the event at this park specifically but unfortunately that did not happen. That said, they're in love with the event and want to continue to grow it chain-wide. They gushed about it's success multiple times. A few highlights:

 

Investments in our Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park events have driven an incremental $60 million of fourth quarter EBITDA over the past five years, equating to an annual growth rate of 22%. Modified and adjusted EBITDA for the quarter were a record $95 million and $8 million or 9% increase over the prior year quarter.

 

And this entire exchange (emphasis mine)...

 

James W. P. Reid-Anderson -- Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer

 

I can assure you that there was no weakness that at the park, at any parks. We had a very strong growth pretty much consistently across all the parks. Go ahead.

 

Yeah. I think if you look -- I mean, we grew the fourth quarter attendance, if you just look at the core parks, we grew revenue both for the quarter and full year, we also grew adjusted EBITDA in the quarter and in the full year. So -- and we're really driven -- what we're looking for is revenue and profitability. We like attendance and we think attendance certainly in the third quarter when we had weather it would have -- could have been better. But, ultimately, we grew revenue, we delivered 7% of EBITDA for the full year. But even if you strip out all the new parks, we grew the business. So the core business is strong. It's growing, and I'd say, that 2019 we will continue to do that and continue to grow the business.

 

James W. P. Reid-Anderson -- Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer

 

And Sean, I would just add to this, it's really important everybody understands this. The Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park franchises are booming, and they will continue to boom. And so smart moves by us to add days or target incremental revenue, it's the right thing to do. It's part of our organic business to do that. So whether you included or not, we had a very strong fourth quarter across all categories, across all parks.

 

While not specific to Great America they're full-steam ahead with this event and they likely wouldn't be if they weren't happy with the results at their new event. The chain had a mediocre year but they had a solid Q4. Between the anecdotal information from first hand reports and wait times and now this, it's pretty clear that Holiday in the Park performed really well.

 

Link to the transcript

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^That’s interesting to hear, actually. Also, I found a couple more good pics courtesy of the Daily Herald (local newspaper)

 

 

Oh nice, so the ride is almost complete?

Im sure itll be fun, the launch will deff be nuts but what a short ride! Chose KW for Steel Curtain over this (Ill prob go 2020) but also...I kinda assumed this ride would be near done given how short it is. Look at progress on Steel Curtain or Copperhead which is done, and they have part of one element up? lol

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^The ride will open in late May. They have no reason for it to be done yet. SF parks build their stuff later than some parks. They just started going vertical in January, and there were days crews could not work because wind chills were 50 below zero a couple weeks ago. They are not trying to race to beat other parks.

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there were days crews could not work because wind chills were 50 below zero a couple weeks ago. They are not trying to race to beat other parks.

 

Curious what excuse Magic Mountain gives.

Well, let's see, it's California, so I'm guessing this is the most likely scenario:

[youtu_be]

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I think it's a wise strategy for Six Flags to open their rides later than other parks tbh and I think enthusiasts are spoiled on this. Their whole marketing and pricing strategy is to get people to go more than once to the park and therefore spend more at the park. Why not open your rides in late may or June rather than in April when people can first visit. You will have people coming back to do the new ride. If SFMM opens West Coast Racers in August it's still a new for 2018 attraction. They are open 365 so why does it matter what season they open the ride in.

 

Admittedly I don't know much about construction costs but logically I have to imagine avoiding hard "deadlines" like opening day or memorial day, and spreading capital meant for construction across multiple financial quarters helps on costs and accounting as well.

 

Also it's Six Flags and an annual pass is like 60 bucks. Central Florida parks are all over 100 for a 1 day ticket. We all know what to expect.

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Hey, I was thinking about cancelling my plans to hit up the park at the end of July due to budgeting, but now I'm thinking of restructuring my plans a little bit. I'd drive down Friday from Minneapolis, which at best would put me in the park about 7pm and staying til close. I'd spend the night in town, and then spend rope-drop until about 3 or 4 in the park, and then leaving for Milwaukee for a Weird Al show. I've been to the park before, so this would likely just be a lap or two around the park riding the new stuff and some old favorites. Without Flash pass, would I likely be able to hit everything?

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I think it's a wise strategy for Six Flags to open their rides later than other parks tbh and I think enthusiasts are spoiled on this.

 

Enthusiasts are spoiled because most chains at least try to have their new attractions which they market open with the park?

 

Their whole marketing and pricing strategy is to get people to go more than once to the park and therefore spend more at the park. Why not open your rides in late may or June rather than in April when people can first visit.

 

Why open all your rides in the park? Tell people that if you come back in July, the other half of the park will be open that's not right now. That'll bring 'em back and sell passes. Don't be entitled and suggest this is a bad idea.

 

If SFMM opens West Coast Racers in August it's still a new for 2018 attraction. They are open 365 so why does it matter what season they open the ride in.

 

Yeah, I mean it isn't like they report their earnings on a quarterly basis to shareholders and summer is considered a peak period of operation for them thanks to schools being out or anything. Why would they want to pop the attendance numbers then? It's only when their audience is available to come. Nothing important.

 

Admittedly I don't know much about construction costs but logically I have to imagine avoiding hard "deadlines" like opening day or memorial day, and spreading capital meant for construction across multiple financial quarters helps on costs and accounting as well.

 

Definitely a great idea to delay return on your investment as long as possible too. If I owned shares in SIX, I wouldn't at all be frustrated to see that revenue from their capital expenditures could only be properly marketed for the last 4-5 months of a fiscal and calendar year, especially when you've got like, I dunno, 60ish days in that entire span of time to be open and make money in the Chicagoland area?

 

BTW: Orlando parks don't cost $100+ a day because they're necessarily better, they're $100+ a day because the market is distorted by Disney. Fun Spot one day wristbands are something like $50, and that place ain't at the level of a Cedar Fair or Six Flags park priced similarly.

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Hey, I was thinking about cancelling my plans to hit up the park at the end of July due to budgeting, but now I'm thinking of restructuring my plans a little bit. I'd drive down Friday from Minneapolis, which at best would put me in the park about 7pm and staying til close. I'd spend the night in town, and then spend rope-drop until about 3 or 4 in the park, and then leaving for Milwaukee for a Weird Al show. I've been to the park before, so this would likely just be a lap or two around the park riding the new stuff and some old favorites. Without Flash pass, would I likely be able to hit everything?

End of July? No, not everything. All the new stuff since you were there last, sure. Also, they haven't announced Flash Pass rides yet, but it's virtually guaranteed MaxxForce will be Platinum only this year.

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Six Flags still offers new large attractions on Platinum pass where you only have a limited number of rides, right? I remember using it when Dare Devil Dive at SFoG opened. We had to purchase two extra add-on's and schedule our ride times. I think we may have done this for Goliath, also.

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^ Yes, that's generally true for opening year. One should expect 1x only on the big new ride on Platinum and no skips at any other level. Sometimes they allow 2x at Platinum, sometimes they will sell additional skips for a fee, but it's not guaranteed and can change throughout the year.

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