Epic Universe Vice President Jeff Polk sat down with a small group of reporters to mark the park's first year, discuss its unique design elements, and push back on expansion timelines. The design choices, the new Captain Cacao meet-and-greet, and Universal's beta tests of an open Celestial Park hub all…
United Parks Q1 was rough across the board: attendance & revenue were down, and the net loss widened to $34.1 million. CEO Marc Swanson blamed unfavorable weather (again) and a decline in international visitation. Despite the misses, United Parks repurchased approximately 2.6 million shares for nearly $93 million, reiterating its…
Six Flags posted a strong Q1: 2.9 million guests (+4%), net revenues up 12% to $225.6 million, and per-cap spending up 6% to $69.26. More interesting, though, is that the new regional pass is driving cross-park visitation, and CEO John Reilly named SoCal and Texas as the markets where the…
Six Flags St. Louis ended opening day early after fights involving as many as 100 juveniles, then reinstated what may be the strictest chaperone policy the industry has seen: guests 16 and under must be accompanied by a 21-plus chaperone, with a max of 6 guests per chaperone, daily, all…
Comcast's Q1 earnings call delivered good news almost across the board, and Philip and Scott break down what it means for the theme parks division. Universal's theme park revenue was up 24%, driven mostly by Epic Universe doing exactly what it was supposed to do: increasing per-cap spending and length…
Six Flags is reinstating park president positions at 10 of its parks, less than a year after eliminating the role. This is the first major structural change under new CEO John Reilly, who, after his listening tour, described a chain that suffered from inconsistent standards and a lack of accountability…
Disney is laying off 1,000 employees across film, streaming, and marketing as it continues to shed costs and reorient itself. This comes against the backdrop of two major digital plays failing: OpenAI killed the Disney/Sora partnership and Epic Games (which Disney invested $1.5B into) laid off 20% of its workforce…
Kennywood built an entire spring event around Potato Patch fries. Celebrate Kennywood Weekends runs April 18 through May 10 with potato-themed food, a history walk, park trivia, and nostalgic photo ops. First full season under Herschend ownership, with a six-event calendar running through January.
Six Flags appointed Richard Haddrill as executive chairman of the board, replacing Marilyn Spiegel (who stays on as lead independent director). Haddrill comes from the gaming industry — he was CEO of Bally Technologies and executive vice chairman at Scientific Games. The move continues the board refresh that Jana Partners…
We just got back from TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show in St. Louis, a show any attraction with a Halloween or Christmas event should attend. This week, we discuss the growing trend of immersive booth experiences, the robotic pig that won Best New Product, rising insurance costs hitting independent haunts,…
Jana Partners sent a letter to the Six Flags board pushing the company to explore a sale and replace board chair Marilyn Spiegel — just one week after the Travis Kelce brand ambassador announcement. We break down what Jana actually wants, why the timeline doesn't add up, and what this…
Philip and Scott discuss the latest business news, including Six Flags' exciting announcement of Travis Kelce as a brand ambassador, leveraging his influence across their amusement park portfolio. They also dive into broader world news, examining the impact of the Middle East situation on tourism and the attractions industry, and…
This week, we're recapping the updates for IAAPA ME. Then, "Burger King is piloting an OpenAI-powered chatbot called Patty that will live in employees’ headsets and tattle if it thinks workers aren’t being friendly enough." Why are we resorting to negative reinforcement when we could design a better system to…
United Parks & Resorts reported fiscal 2025 results this week; Revenue, attendance, net income, EBITDA were all down. "Our fiscal 2025 results did not meet our expectations. While the consumer environment was uneven and our results were impacted by negative international tourism trends and volatile weather during certain peak visitation…
Six Flags posted Q4 2025 results this week. Modified EBITDA margin fell from 33.2% to 27.1%. Attendance dropped 13%, with roughly 425,000 of those lost visits tied directly to cutting winter holiday events at four parks — a decision the company now calls a self-inflicted headwind. New CEO John Reilly…
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 9 after a $116 million wrongful death judgment. The park generates up to $16 million a year and is operationally healthy, but a judge's "felonious killing" ruling removed Colorado's damages cap, turning what would have been a $1.2 million…
Join Philip and Scott this week for the latest news in the theme park industry, discussing significant changes at Six Flags and Disney! Six Flags is rolling out a simplified season pass structure. Silver passes grant access to a single park. Gold passes now cover all parks within a regional…
Comcast’s Parks division crossed $1 billion in quarterly EBITDA for the first time in Q4 2025, driven by a 22 percent increase in parks revenue and a 24 percent increase in EBITDA. Much of the attention went to Epic Universe, but the most striking numbers came from hotels. Universal added…
Six Flags is expanding Grad Nite in 2026, adding Knott’s Berry Farm and Carowinds to a program the company has relied on for years. These closed-park events are built around a highly invested audience—graduating students—offering predictable attendance, controlled environments, and a clear value proposition for schools looking for local, cost-effective…
Six Flags might be preparing to sell more parks. Here's what we know: A new set of trademark filings has raised fresh questions about Six Flags’ long-term portfolio strategy. An entity called Enchanted Parks Holdings, LLC—linked to Orlando-based Innovative Attraction Management (IAM)—has filed trademarks incorporating the names of several current…
Six Flags has announced a major debt refinancing, issuing $1.0 billion in senior notes due in 2032 at an 8.625% interest rate to retire bonds coming due in 2027. The move extends the company’s debt maturity by five years—but at a high cost. Compared to the retired notes, the new…
We kick off 2026 with a deep dive into the "state of the industry." Given a slow news week, Philip and Scott Swenson provide a comprehensive "business analysis" and "strategic planning" overview. This episode is structured as an environmental SWOT analysis of the attractions industry, intended to support 2026 strategic…
Universal Destinations & Experiences has begun early planning for a **universal studios** park in Saudi Arabia. This project would be structured as a licensing deal with government-backed funding, a model that could generate immediate revenue and provide access to the region's growing tourism market, similar to successful UAE projects like…
