July 1 marked the official merger day between Six Flags and Cedar Fair into Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, a course of set in movement after final 12 months’s $8 billion deal. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that two theme park firms have formally mixed operations, bringing collectively Six Flags areas with Cedar Honest’s portfolio, which incorporates Knott’s Berry Farm amongst different regional theme parks.
For diehard theme park fanatics and informal vacationers alike, this implies plenty of issues transferring ahead. It’s doable that these parks, that are unfold throughout the nation principally in main cities, might see some monetary infusions to get them on a competing stage with Common Studios and Disney Parks—perhaps even giving stateside vacationers parks on the extent of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. A protracted-standing frustration has been that these parks have experiences and coasters with IP that’s seemingly been haphazardly slapped on, like DC characters or Peanuts (shout out to Knott’s, not less than, doing its greatest with cute, endearing Snoopy reveals). The hassle has considerably improved at occasions with darkish rides like Justice League: Battle for Metropolis—and that might get even higher; as THR notes, “the businesses plan to leverage their licensed mental property of their parks, with Six Flags holding a take care of Warner Bros. Discovery for rights to characters from DC Comics and Looney Tunes, and Cedar Honest controlling rights to the Peanuts universe.”
There’s additionally final week’s main Halloween hang-out announcement; with Six Flags Fright Fest now holding the rights to a number of Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Lionsgate, and Legendary movie and television horror properties, titles like Stranger Issues, The Conjuring Universe, Stranger Issues, Military of the Useless, Trick r’ Deal with, Noticed, and DC Comics’ DCeased, to call just a few, will now have a presence throughout Six Flags parks. It was surprising information to say the least, as plenty of these IP names had a presence at Common’s Halloween Horror Nights in previous years. It stays to be seen if these may also be integrated into Knott’s Scary Farm’s iconic hang-out occasion—however we’re hoping it and its sister parks hold the Halloween conventional lore vibe that’s made them such spooky giants, and that the trouble we see at Knott’s elevates the IP-heavy slate coming to Six Flags. This merger might present that these parks could be competitors for the massive guys, whereas additionally being extra worth accessible. Halloween is proving to be the check run.
We’re actually hoping that making these parks extra immersive with studio IP will reinvigorate the demand for them and encourage extra artistic funding with devoted leisure expansions. In case you’ve seen the extent Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is working on, you’ll know what we imply. The worldwide parks boast cutting-edge sights impressed by DC worlds like Gotham, Looney Tunes, and different fan-favorite properties that make Disney and Common appear like regional parks. They’ve full-on reveals with DC heroes and villains, Looney Tunes meet and greets, and themed foodie enjoyable that’s not arduous to seek out or of the “seasonal solely, blink and also you’ll miss it” selection. With Netflix now within the combine alongside WB and Legendary, we’re hoping for extra past simply Halloween. Think about a totally realized Gotham Metropolis, a Godzilla x Kong coaster with animatronics, a Stranger Issues darkish experience, or perhaps a One Piece boat experience. If the parks shift into immersion, we’ll all be winners.
Sustain with extra information from the Six Flags-Cedar Honest merger and Fright Fest right here on io9.
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