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Village Theme Parks is no longer affliated with Warner Brothers. Rather Village is now licensing the use of the Warner Brothers name and characters etc. Movieworld is now an open free market for them to license anything they please into the park. The re-theme of Lethal Weapon could potentially be of any license. However consideration is taken by the lecensee of potential competing brands inside the park when negotiating a liscence like this. Hence it being very un-likely that Marvel would ever appear in Movieworld. One would assume though that this Marvel licence on a grand scale in Australia would be available should someone be interested in optioning it. I don't think Australia would be considered part of any of the current Marvel attractions license for other parts of th

A good wooden coaster to me needs good airtime, Terminator had none. True it was twisty and going through the tunnels and station was exciting. But i think it tried to do too many things, without gettingt the core excitement of a wooden coaster right... being airtime.

Dont forget that Lethal Weapon was built with no themeing first. The original track was red and blue... i beleive that was how it was for open and a few months until the cinema was added and the switch back, shops etc. Well at least thats how i remember it. I have looked for info but cant find anything. They may be getting the ride working operationally and then adding this after. I still however do no understand what all of the fuss is? This is a decent coaster, looks great where it has been put, has a light and sound package.... How much more enjoyable would eleborate themeing add? There are complaints left right and centre about the loss of Batman, Looney Tunes and Bermuda. Wouldn't you rather them channel their 'themeing' money and efforts towards these rides that demand eloborate themeing? I mean i relate it back to the Terminator Wooden Coaster at Six Flags, or whatever it is now called.... It had flame, tunnels, 2 pre-show rooms... the pre-show was LAME.... the coaster was LAME and the effects were naff. They should have saved all the money spent on themeing and focused on making a wooden coaster that was actually decent. The debate over themeing rages on....

The original trip i went on was by myself. I liked the boards and the way we share info to get to know each other, sharing Facebook profiles etc ahead of time. So i got to know a couple of people including my room mate before the trip. Once i got there it was epic! Like in 2 days i was best friends with a big existing group of fiends that formed during a previous trip. I have since been on two more TPR trips with the same group, have also made a best friend who lives in South Carolina, we will be mates forever. My first trip was East Coast August 2008, then Middle Amercia August 2010 and then this year Japan. So its awesome that i have made friends that i am still in contact with 4 years later. I have also dated people long distance that i met on trips, one who was American and one from Brazil. Definitely learnt the lesson of long distance relationships.... they are hard!!! So prob wont do that again. I will try and go on another TPR trip in 2013, likely go see my mates in the US maybe in October.

I have been a member from the begining but i go on TPR trips regularly. If you plan on going on a TPR trip it is best you join to get priority placement. And add to that its cool to be a member you get a pen and a member card and the tri-monthly newsletter. So yeah if you can afford it and love TPR its great!

It is entirely possible that MovieWorld will complete the ride with very basic operational infrastructre for the opening with the installation of more themeing after the fact. From memory was this not what they did with Lethal Weapon. When it was first installed wasnt it just the coaster and a load/unload station? The track etc. was red and black. Then shortly after the ride was in operation the additional buildings were added, or at least finished.

I honestly hope we see something like the Mummy at Universal an awesome inside roller coaster with a large focus on dark ride and special effects. Will this maybe suit both tastes? Those who seem to not be able to let up about how the bat, the bunny and bermuda are their childhood memories that have been stolen from them and the rest of us who want more thrills and coasters? Imagine an awesome inside spinning coaster replacing Looney Tunes River Ride AKA Space Fantasy the Ride at Universal Studios Japan? Its a great ride, very family friendly, tame in other words.... but awesome effects and use of themeing. I actually hope we see improvements to some other parts of Movieowlrd first which to be honest have been wasted un used space longer then the closer of the bat and the bunny. Namely the Western area and that showstage, i would rather see this area made larger and more purposeful. Imagine and awesome partially inside and outside wooden coaster that uses the western showstage. Its been a long time coming, but it is exciting watching MW play around with Lethal Weapon. I cant wait to find out how they are rethemeing and what they will do with the Chinatown set and the old queue building. This is the perfect spot for a new flat ride. I reckon a windseeker is perfect for this spot! They look very epic!

I love how so many conversations on the boards loop around and back to the same fundemental problem everytime. Our theme parks are severly capped by the total capital expenditure they can ever spend in a single year. They will never be able to afford anything much over and above what they are already building. Everyone's ideas are fantastic and valid but its just not realistic and wont happen. I go back to the simple fact if you want to expereince the biggest, the fastest, the longest, the tallest scream machines... start saving because you need to go OS to experience large scale record breaking coasters......

I think this is a poor choice for replacing Nick Central. I find all Dreamworks properties a poor imitation of the quality Disney/Pixar films. Their stories and characters are shallow and in the market place are long forgotten after release in the eyes of the customers, albeit Shrek, which degraded with each subsequent sequel, though even Shrek's popularity is waining now the series has ended for good. Their movies are not long from a cheap DVD bin and tend to be buried with no chance of seeing the light of day again. Nick Central looked great years ago when it was first built but like the rest of the park and attractions was allowed to fall apart. They never really invested in the area over and above the installation of the Spongebob Flyers. I do question if this is a case of Nick taking back/cancelling or not renewing their licence. If i was Nick i would not be happy at how Dreamworld was presenting their brands. Will be interesting to see if there is any long term interest and results from a Dreamworks themed area using characters that are largely long forgotten about...... Makes me think back to Wonderland and Hannah Barbarra....

I find it funny that people complained that Bermuda was 'falling apart' and was not maintained by Village at the end of its life..... Let alone the fact that its so old. Then it gets removed and all of a sudden its everyone's favourite ride and its the worst thing in the world thats its removed..... I fall back on people like complaining and also have no extended knowledge of the time and effort required to successfully pull off massive projects like fixxed attractions.... I can not disagree more that theme brings in more money then thrills.... Actually i dont really think those two things really can be compared. Isnt the thrill the end result and the theme an actual component of the experience? People go to theme parks for thrills... not standing around looking at themeing. Rides you speak of like at Universal cost more money to build then all of the thrill rides combined in Movieworld. We cant afford to build rides like this and thus we get Buzzsaw.

Movieworld responded to the audience of the Theme Park which is why it has evolved to the theme park we have today. Gone are the days of large Japanese audience who like shows over thrill rides, now that tourism in general in Australia is down they are creating attractions to serve the domestic audience. Australians and families want rides and the most popular choice of ride in any Theme Park is a roller coaster its the pillar attraction that all Theme Parks are based from, Disney and Universal of course leverage a lot from their highly thememed atractions but with the budgets that they have they can afford to be completely unique and not just rely solely on mega coasters like Six Flags. If the general public are dissappointed with the current Movieworld i can understand that, but the general public needs to learn patience. Movieworld wont let Batman, Bermuda Triangle and Looney Tunes sit unused forever. They are working on plans for new attractions for these areas that they have likely had in place for many years. Imagine if they are currently wrapping up contracts with suppliers as we speak on the largest capital expenditure Village has ever spent on the parks in a single year. Replacing all of those rides.... retheming Lethal Weapon with new trains... creating a DC Super Heros area and hey maybe something for WNW! This time next year we could have 3 theme parks full to the brim with attractions again! I have never been let down by Movieworld i think they have presented a quality product since the doors on the park opened and i have faith in the exciting plans for the future. I guess at the end of the day its just in peoples nature to complain especially when people have a unrealistic level of expectation. If you want a park full of family rides for a 6 year old.... save up your money and visit Disneyland!

Agree.... the outwards banks look steeper on the Green Lantern Coaster.... I have a good feeling about this coaster more with each new post of information and pictures!

I have been on Steel Hawg... its was okay... it hurt alot as it was painfully slow taking the inversions. The outside bank was too slow as well and just felt wrong. The restaints where the worst part. I am hoping that not only is the MW version is a bit faster but the lap bar only restraints improve the comfort of the ride. Which i asumme it would.

I have been on plenty of B&M's sure there smooth and BIG... but i find them very forceless and very generic. Superman Escape is better then most B&M's i have been on. It may appear the cost is comparable but unfortunately there are many factors at play with building something in Australia that is not in the stated price of $12mil. For one the biggest thing against us getting anything MASSIVE is the cost of shipping, the cost to get goods to Aus is one of the reasons we pay more for most things here. The bigger the coaster the more you need to ship. I also beleive bigger coasters require specialist engineers over and above what would be available in Australia when installing the attraction. As a rule, the further from design and manufacture the more you will pay over and above anyone else geographically. Sadly.... we are pretty much as far away from the rest of the cilivised world as you can be. Makes you feel pretty good for what we have acheived already. Anyone else get the feelig that maybe Green Lantern Coaster is MW's smallest investment in a much larger overall redevelopment? Like DW start with the small attraction then a bigger one. Maybe this time next year Batman Ride 2 will be converting into an even bigger budget attraction? Hmmmmwould be smart of VRTP to do that because i would doubt Ardent throwing another $5-$10 mil at DW the very next year of a large capital expenditure spend. Imagine if they invest in replacements for Looney Tunes and Bermuda Triangle the years following. 4 years of massive capital expenditure would be a killer for the competition.

Business doesn't work like that... if the movie sectors slumps, the theme park sector as a result is not propped up... Disney Theme Park are a buisness unto themselves... and they are highly profitable in their own right. Their investment in Theme Parks is their solution to adding to their business to ensure their continued succes and growth. Its clever if you think about it.. people may slow their consumption of consumer goods as the cost of living increases.... but imagine if Disney immoratilises their characters in a physical place you can visit... I might not buy DVDs or Blu Rays anymore... i just watch stuff at the movies thats it... but this year i went to Tokyo Disney and spent thousands of dollars! So in the end they got my dosh... Also Disney has only had 2 true 'flops' in recent years Atlantis and Treasure Planet which have lost them money, which admittedly where released towards shortly after CG films become really popular, this was the reasoning for Disney to stop making animated films. Disney has never lost money on a CG film.

You also need to take into account Disney's closed loop approach to their entertainment. They have had massive continued success based around, watch, buy, experience.... Their theme parks are one of the most profitable sections of their business hence all the money invested into their continued success. But it is this process that gives Disney the upper hand over small operaters. They own the large majority of properties that they create attractions for. In fact one could only assume that in the future, if not now Disney is engineering movies that can be turned into attractions, many Disney properties are worked on for years. Some music artists these days before an album is finsihed or released have already begun rehearsing their world tour. It isn't too far of a stretch to imagine Disney co-developing projects. Movieworld is paying royalties for the right to just label the coaster Green Lantern let alone the extended cost for themeing. I dont agree that Movieworld is Six Flags Gold Coast.... Dreamworld is much closer to this. But i think they are improving. At least BuzzSaw matches its area and has helped reinspire Gold Rush.. Movieworld is still investing into licening rather then removing them.

I think Bermuda and Looney Tunes are great rides in comparison to their Disney like companions.... lets say looney tunes Versus. a standard Disney dark ride, like Alice in Wonderland, Monsters Inc. But if you have been on Poohs Honey Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland you would not be saying that any of our attractions come close. Pooh Vs. Wiggles ride on a very basic level have a simialr ride mechanic... but the comparison ends there. Would you compare Bermuda to the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman???

As much as i love the themeing and story of a ride... In Australia i prefer DW and MW concentrate on the thrill over the theme... Everything comes down to cost... it sounds like MW has secured a larger model of the EL Loco which looks awesome... but maybe this has come at a cost of the themeing and story. Hence this being more of a Six Flags coster... paint it green call it Green Lantern end of story. I guess at the end of the day what would you rather? Themeing or Thrill? Personally i take thrill... we stand no chance in the area of themeing and story on the world stage... have you seen Journey to the Centre of the Earth? That ride coast more money to build then all theme parks and attractions in our entire Country. Their theming budget along could probably build DW and MW in their entirity. If you want core thrill but with just as well thought out and extensive stroy and themeing... you will need to pack your bags and head OS. The most expensive ride ever built in Aus i beleive would be Superman at $12million? Although DW Tower cost more but its 2 rides built over 2 years. Journey alone is $300million.... No comparison.

Does anyone else get the feeling that this isnt an El Loco coaster? I mean i think i read something somewhere that said the cars are 4 seats across 2 rows deep, 2 cars per train? From anything i have seen El loco's are 2 seats across, 2 rows deep, 1 car per train. I also remember Steel Hawg was an exceptionally small footprint.. The area cleared for the Movieworld's new coaster looks fairly big. One can only hope when comparing Spongebob at Mall of America Vs. Steel Hawg... Spongebob was by far the better ride. Fingers crossed!

Hmmm i tend to agree with the statement... Mick Doohan was 2007 and $10 million, that was 4 years ago. I think we can expect to be waiting the same amount of time until anything significant again.

Wet 'N' Wild is a sessional park i wouldn't read into the closures too much. Especially Surfrider... no point running it if the park is not at capacity.

^ I have seen some comments from people saying that this isn't a vertical loop. The actual structure may not be a vertical loop but with the correct launch, speed and weight you will rush around the outside of the tube vertically remaining upside down. The reason for the tilt i beleive is to keep the ride safe. If the loop was in fact vertical and you lost speed right on the top of the slide you could fall downwards the width of the slide, which could cause injury or get you stuck then you would dangerously fall back down the other side. If you loose speed drastically on the Aqualoop that is positioned at an angle you will just slowly slide down the side. I beleive it is this part of the design that has essentially made it possible to safely install these commercially. If you watch the youtube clips you can see the rider through the tube almost remain upside down for the peak of the loop.

I think the Six Flags updates to their rides have been very good quality. They are hardly just some flames... they have done extensive upgrades which have cost a lot of money. I think it is definitely a more intelligent way to handle old rides rather then letting them run down and fall apart. I would expect in line with the budget level of actual rides in Australia one could infer the same level of update to Seaworld could be expected in comparison. I think we will see a new train and maybe some panels showing some preshow and thats about it. Since the board walks around the Corfscrew all look very new and they appear to have changed the plaza in front of it i cant see the entrance or station changing. I could see them encloce the station and possibly ad a tunnel after the loop... maybe on the corner to the corkscrew. Some simple lights in the tunnel and maybe a cool zone.... I think about it like this.... A car manufacturer makes some changes to an engine, improves the computer, changes colours, improves the internal and they call it the all new 'Something' why cant Seaworld make improvements similar to this and call it 'An all new ride experience'? If they put new cars having you sit above the track then it is a new experience and thats all they have said so far. So lets hope they keep selling it like this and not move to 'The new Sea Viper'.... cause then that would suck.

Hey everyone, I was at Seaworld on Saturday and saw the sign... i will post it when i am work and can conect my phone to my PC. I talked to the ride op who said the trains are all new and instead of sitting in a conventional coaster car the train is more like Superman, you sit on top exposed. Not quite sure if he was meaning on top of track and floorless if you get me. I don't have a problem with them re doing the Corkscrew... but after riding Lethal Weapon which feels like it is going way too fast... they need to replace the trains. The new trains are so much better and the intensity of the ride is enjoyable without your head banging on those ridiculous head supports. It just seems a bit silly to re-do Corkscrew when after i road it Sat it was going really well and was not rough. I get that the train is 27 years old... but Lethal Weapon just hurts and i think this should be addressed first. Guest comfort should come first... and i think you would be hard pressed to find a train of guests not get off complaining that their head hurt.

Sorry i wasn't being exact i was just estimating off what i remembered. So i have looked at the numbers again, based off www.rcdb.com. Tatsu would be $30,000,000 AUS dollars. Griffon would be $23,833,896 AUS dollars. Superman Escape was $12,000,000 AUS dollars. The Tower of Terrors was $16,000,000 AUS dollars. My point was that The Tower of Terror as a total expansion plan, remember it was planned from the begining to have the giant drop added to the tower later; so this was a major development and was a very long term expansion. The Tower of Terror was built and seen as the saviour of Dreamworld when it was having some troubles back in the late 90's. None of the current Theme Parks are in anywhere near a similiar situation and are all going very well at the moment. So none of these parks require such an enormous capital investment. I think we are going to see Dreamworld continue to make small changes throughout the park and Movieworld possibly remove and update something they already have.