JACKSON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 20, 1999-- New World-Class Mega Roller Coaster Named Medusa Will Erupt This Spring Six Flags Great Adventure is taking the center ring in '99, delivering a solid knock-out punch, unveiling today one of the most ambitious and sweeping capital expansion plans ever undertaken in the theme park industry.
The $42 million expansion is the largest single year investment ever made at Six Flags Great Adventure and it ``means there will be more to enjoy than ever before---more thrills, more shows, more rides, more attractions and more capacity,'' explained Kieran Burke, CEO of Premier Parks Inc. (NYSE-PKS). Premier acquired Six Flags Great Adventure when the company purchased Six Flags from Time-Warner last spring.
The addition of 25 new rides increases the number of rides at the Park by 50 percent. ``We declare war on lines. Our guests will have more rides to ride and, with the increased capacity, they will be able to more fully enjoy the Park's extensive entertainment presentation. The scope of the overall expansion is nothing short of spectacular,'' Burke commented.
The popular theme park is experiencing a dramatic transformation during this off-season. ``When the multiple projects are completed this spring, this property will become a superpark featuring several marquee, high-impact, captivating attractions for every age and every taste,'' stated Bill Muirhead, Vice President of Six Flags Great Adventure.
This high level of investment confirms our company's confidence in the future of this great Park located in the most densely populated region of the U.S. We fully intend for Six Flags Great Adventure to be the most popular regional theme park in the nation, offering the expansive high-voltage thrills and family entertainment the Six Flags brand has become famous for over the past three decades,'' he added.
Twenty-five new rides, including the world's first ``floorless'' roller coaster and a new creatively themed section for families, headline the new additions for the 1999 season.
MEDUSA is the name of the Park's newest high intensity thrill attraction, a monstrous and intimidating supercoaster that zooms and plunges to create breathtaking ascents, descents, turns, twists and sudden drops.
Unlike traditional roller coasters where passengers ride above or below the track, riders on MEDUSA will be suspended between the tracks with nothing above or below them.
``Riders will sense utter vulnerability while strapped into their seats with no track above and no floor below them,'' explained Muirhead. ``It will be like dangling in mid-air with nothing to hold on to while you zoom at over 60 M.P.H. through all sorts of configurations. The sensation will be almost like zero gravity--MEDUSA will be unmatched.''
The current talk of the coaster world, mighty MEDUSA is rising skyward in Six Flags Great Adventure's Frontier Adventures section next to the Northern Star Arena. Featuring a stunning lime green steel track and purple support structure, MEDUSA will rocket at speeds in excess of 60 M.P.H. for over three seemingly treacherous minutes through seven heart-stirring, steep, banked turns and incredible inversions.
Construction is ahead of schedule and MEDUSA will open in April.
New Kids Section Unveiled
Section Features Rides Families Can Enjoy Together
Six Flags Great Adventure is undergoing a major expansion and enhancement of its entertainment offerings for families in 1999. ``Adding rides and attractions that the entire family can enjoy together received the highest priority in this year's expansion plan,'' Burke said. ``Families are a core market for us. The additions we are making for 1999 will give families more to do than ever before. It also will considerably increase the overall entertainment capacity of the park, making it much more enjoyable for our guests every day of the week.''
At the top of the list is a six-acre, brand new section for young children and their parents called LOONEY TUNES(TM) SEAPORT. This festively themed section will be a wet, wild and wonderful seaside community. Eight exciting new rides and interactive attractions designed for the entire family to enjoy form the heart of this new section.
Headlining the new attractions is The Acme Seaport Railway roller coaster featuring Wile E. Coyote, Michigan J. Frog's Crow's Nest, Granny and Tweety's House, Sylvester's Seaport Weather Balloons and an interactive fun house, The Acme Seaport, just to name a few. Bugs Bunny Bay water play area, a totally rethemed and expanded area (formerly) Koala Canyon adds splashy new delights that give this new section something special for everyone.
The Park's loveable BUGS BUNNY LAND, on the opposite side of the park, is undergoing a major renovation that includes the addition of several new rides and attractions. Three new rides include The Little Wheel, a mini-Ferris wheel, Baby Buccaneer, a mini-pendulum ride and a Speedway for tykes.
More Fun and Thrills in Park's Nine Sections
An additional 13 rides and attractions will be added throughout the Park's nine themed sections spanning 125-acres. This will include another steel roller coaster with a pirate theme for families. ``This is unprecedented that any regional theme park will introduce three distinct coasters during one season,'' Muirhead said. Six Flags Great Adventure now claims 13 coaster tracks, more than any other park on the East Coast.
Other exciting new rides and attractions will include Time Warp, an inverting Ferris wheel, Houdini's Great Escape, an indoor rotating house, Pendulum, a massive spinning swing and Road Rally, go-carts. Another exciting development will be the invasion of dinosaurs this spring when the Park opens Escape from Dino Island 3-D, a one-of-a-kind innovative 3-D fast moving adventure ride.
Blockbuster New Shows Scheduled to Debut
Six Flags' tradition for delivering high quality family entertainment will continue as several highly-produced, live action new stage shows will debut this season. For starters, the caped crusader returns in Gotham City(TM) Carnival of Chaos, to foil the Joker in this explosive, action-packed stunt show in Movietown. And kids will be rockin' and rollin' with all of their favorite Looney Tunes(TM) characters in Bugs Bunny Land to What's Up ROCK! Guests will also be amazed by the skill and agility of the Peking Chinese Acrobats who are returning to the Showcase Theater for an encore appearance. The strong show lineup complements Six Flags' ever-popular nightly fireworks show, Quest for Camelot(TM) Nights, weekend country and classic concerts, music festivals and other impressive shows.
``The Park will be bigger and better than ever in 1999. In fact, the expansion and additions are so extensive that it will be like experiencing a whole new Park,'' Burke note
Six Flags Great Adventure is owned by Six Flags Theme Parks, part of Premier Parks Inc., the world's largest regional theme park company with a total of 31 parks in the United States and Europe. Six Flags parks serve 16 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The parks annually host nearly 40 million guests worldwide. Premier Parks is a publicly held corporation with corporate offices in New York and Oklahoma City. The company's stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol: PKS.