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Volume 2, No. 7. April 12, 2002

New Arrivals

It’s a theme park!
Six Flags Inc. and Comunidad de Madrid announces the arrival of Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid, Spain, April 5, 2002. Measurements: 625 acres of which 370 are developed, five themed areas, 25 attractions, 14 retail outlets, 17 restaurants, 19 carts, 30,000-person capacity, 7,000-car parking lot and 1,600 employees. Delivered by Bolliger & Mabillard, Cunningham Group Architecture, HUSS Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Roller Coaster Corporation of America, S&S Power, Showorks Entertainment Group, Sim Tex, Wyatt Design Group, Zamperla, Zierer, Intamin and Vekoma.

The train trundled off on its maiden voyage from Madrid to St. Martin de la Vega 19 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Spain’s capital city, making a scheduled stop at the car park for Warner Bros. Movie World. There, its special passengers disembarked: the president and vice president and other officials of Communidad de Madrid, the state government. They were greeted at the park by Six Flags Chairman and CEO Kieran Burke, Six Flags President and COO Gary Story, and park Vice President and General Manager Tom Mehrmann, along with hundreds of local press.

The significance of this entourage cannot be understated. This is Comunidad de Madrid’s park, both fiscally (a 40 percent stake in the project) and symbolically, a project that brings an internationally respected venue to Madrid and highways and new train line to its underdeveloped southeastern sector. On the afternoon before the public got to see the park for the first time, Mehrmann led the dignitaries and their entourages on a tour of the park, which resembled a buffalo stampede of scampering paparazzi and journalists. That night at the press and VIP preview, Bo Derek and Christopher Lambert were the special guests, arriving with an arguably bigger star, Bugs Bunny, and police escort. In front of a curtain of silver star balloons and under a driving rain, the two actors along with Mehrmann and Sandy Reisenbach of Warner Brothers holding umbrellas greeted the crescent of press for a soggy photo-op. The balloons parted, a song and dance revue performed a tune of welcome, then the day’s second papparazzi stampede began down Sunset Boulevard.

Alas, rain and unseasonably cold temperatures played the largest role on this studio’s debut. On opening day, oppressively cloudy skies kept an expected crowd of 25,000 down to around 4,000. The ride mix looks like it will have a strong allure. B&M’s floorless coaster Superman: Ride of Steel scores with its speed and air time, the wood Wild Wild West Coaster runs fast and smooth, and the S&S Combo Drop The Riddler’s Revenge is Europe’s tallest freefall ride at 100 meters (328 feet).
However, several of the big attractions were not ready for opening day, leaving many teens disappointed. Parents, however, lauded the Cartoon Village and its array of themed family rides, and danced with their children to bluegrass music on the streets of The Wild West.

For Mehrmann, hearing such response from a particularly savvy market is encouraging. “You’ve obviously got high quality parks in this country, you’ve got high tourism and you’ve got a specific market here of about 9 million people in a two-hour drive time who are very prone to visiting parks if it’s what they want,” he said. “I think this is exactly what they want.”

Overshadowed in the European press by another studio park opening three weeks earlier across the Pyrenees, Madrid could still boast of its own new gem in the genre.

Complete coverage of Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid will appear in Amusement Today.