Wizard of Oz - Movie World Arkham Asylum Replacement

[Michelangelo]

6 minutes ago, New display name said:

@Michelangeloyou get a free dose if skin cancer with with every ride.

Looking forward to that compo claim…

[New display name]

It's a ploy so people buy more drinks.  

[Michelangelo]

2 minutes ago, New display name said:

It's a ploy so people buy more drinks.  

Hope you don’t want ice in your drinks though…

[Narra]

1 hour ago, Brad2912 said:

Big fail not keeping WoO open for white Christmas 

 

Just screams to me that they weren't ready to open it yet and only did it to be first. They wouldn't have the staff rostered to operate it because they didn't even intend for it to be open at all

[MARK28]

1 hour ago, Michelangelo said:

IMHO it looks like it’s been done on the cheap. MW need to ask for some refunds for their $100M, or have a serious look at their procurement processes.

I wouldn’t exactly say it’s “immersive” theming, with the exception of the one bit of queue for FOTWW. Everything else is just themed.

The rides themselves are great, and well done to MW for bringing some fun & variety to the GC ride lineup. But to harp on about the millions spent, the immersive theming and all that just set the bar too high, and they couldn’t reach it in the end.

Also, someone needs to have their execs line up for a ride in 34c+ sunshine for an hour +.

They NEED fans, shade and aircon for the inside bits.

Yeah the $100m is a bit of a head scratcher... but maybe that's just because we're in Australia and things are more expensive? I dunno. I definitely think they need to stop pushing that because it's gonne get people's expectations up. 

I thought the tornado house theming was immersive too... with the swinging lights and blowing curtains. Thought that was cool. 

And yes... I definitely think they need to add shelter over all queues... how they decided against that as queenslanders is beyond me. 

Also, this and Rivertown have these garish black modern fences everywhere... I know they're obeying a code but couldn't they manufacture them to blend in a bit more? 

[Ash]

The budget ran dry, maybe Albo was in charge with the wasteful money? Jokes aside, to have people lining up in the sun with lacklustre theming is not good. Crazy considering The New Atlantis was a massive step up. They did mention the que line would be on Levianthans level, and yet he we are. I’m sure more will be added, because the main area is just a painted concrete mess 

[New display name]

50 million for the IP. 

[Coppertine]

54 minutes ago, New display name said:

50 million for the IP. 

Another 40 million for the advertising.

[Michelangelo]

2 hours ago, MARK28 said:

Yeah the $100m is a bit of a head scratcher... but maybe that's just because we're in Australia and things are more expensive?

Rivertown is ~$60M + Steel Taipan was ~$33M… there’s still $7M left to spend…

No chance it’s because we’re just in Aus and things are more expensive.

2 hours ago, MARK28 said:

And yes... I definitely think they need to add shelter over all queues

If not shelter because it might impact the theming… at the very least some bloody fans!

The 80min line up for FOTWW was torture in the sun with barely a breeze. It was actually a slight relief when the ride went past and there was a small whoosh…

2 hours ago, Ash said:

I’m sure more will be added, because the main area is just a painted concrete mess 

Not sure if more will be added… atleast not anytime soon. If they really did spend $100M it’s going to take some time before they’ve got more funds to spend on any improvements or additions to it all.

[Michelangelo]

If anyone’s interested, I grabbed a commemorative WOZ coin from the little one’s new annual pass.

It’s a nice touch… wish both parks did this over the years for all the ride openings.

[Brad2912]

Should be available for existing pass holders at a nominal small amount as well….

Edited 20 hours ago by Brad2912

[Naazon]

Help me remember,  but didn't DC Rivals have queue shade issues initially also?  Or no fans or something like that

[casey96]

This waiting in the sun feels like a liability. I’m sure we’ll see some tin roof or shade cloth up in no time that will further add to the generic theme of everything beyond the indoor queue.
 

It’s clear whoever is planning and designing Movie World’s latest additions has no regard for the basic principles of theme park design that the park was originally built with. The beautiful entrance plaza and gate was such a considered photo op with superman centered over the archway and the Arkham Asylum tower and signage angled towards Main Street. Now with flash plonked inside Superman, the back of the emerald city and the back of the Kansas Twister lift hills visible from that front gate view, they’ve really killed what was a really nice sightline. Scooby doo they did such a good job hiding the ugly show building parts from the ride entrance, same with WWF. 

 

Feels like they just plonked some blueprint rides down in any sort of way with no consideration of how it looked, or worked from a guest experience standpoint. Like why not have the station for FOTWW right next to the main queue building. Why is it all the way in the back corner if they couldn’t afford to theme the pathway to get to it.

 

Also the main entrance/ photo op with the character statues being next to the superman break run, with a white shed and the back of the emerald city building with visible  support structure and a bunch of machinery for the KT lift hills… it’s quite ugly. And it feels like they know it’s ugly given the content they’re putting out showing only the couple of angles that the land looks good from. 
 

I think the coasters are great additions don’t get me wrong. It’s just a shame it feels like they’re investing so much with the right idea but just really average execution. Reminds me of Dreamworld in it era of Motocoaster and Buzzsaw. 

[Noll_57]

5 hours ago, MARK28 said:

I thought the tornado house theming was immersive too... with the swinging lights and blowing curtains. Thought that was cool. 

I agree, the Tornado house is definitely one of the highlights of the land and is very well executed. It’s just a shame that level of theming couldn’t be extended throughout the rest of the area. 
 

1 hour ago, Naazon said:

Help me remember,  but didn't DC Rivals have queue shade issues initially also?  Or no fans or something like that

From what I remember, the shade sails and fans weren’t there on day one, but were installed not long after opening. Hopefully the same thing happens for the queue lines in OZ. 

[New display name]

8 hours ago, Coppertine said:

Another 40 million for the advertising.

10m for endless fencing.

[Park Addict 93]

On 20/12/2024 at 3:27 PM, Lakyn17 said:

The somewhere over the rainbow performance was at the land today. They also did a few new little shows not listed on the app at the land. When they do a character appearance they sometimes perform so it’s not listed on the app yet but Glinda sang a song when she appeared, the Oz gang did a song and dance and obviously Dorothy’s somewhere over the rainbow. Felt like there were performances all day. 

Glad to hear these are taking place despite not being listed on the app/website.

I visited yesterday and agree with most of the thoughts mentioned here. Witnessed the response to the medical incident in the FOTWW que, another guest also had vomited in the que. 

By the time I returned to the land near park close they were holding guests inside the aircon/forest before letting them proceed to the castle.

I think the $100m figure is absolute puffery, and there are obvious issues that are quite clear, no seating in the land or bins. I think the coasters are great and fill a whole in MW's lineup well, but yes the land as a whole has many misses.

On a positive note for a family land there is a new toilet block through the ride photo area, as part of the same building that houses the staff green room.

Edited 12 hours ago by Park Addict 93

[New display name]

@Park Addict 93queuing inside was probably the intention of the original design.  Somewhere along the line, somebody thought it was a good idea to stick everyone in the cattle run.

[Michelangelo]

28 minutes ago, Park Addict 93 said:

By the time I returned to the land near park close they were holding guests inside the aircon/forest before letting them proceed to the castle.

Yeah it’s a bit ridiculous. They hold majority of the line inside within the first half of the queue, then sending a small group to wait at the halfway point of the cattle run in that random shade part, then the final small group of 20ish would wait before the castle.

I don’t think the forest is actually air conned as waiting around those stairs was torture, not as bad as in the sun, but not as nice as when you first walk inside and the queues split.

Also, was it just me or was the final “cattle run” leaving both rides leave you feeling like you’re walking a prison exercise yard? (Thankfully haven’t experienced it in real life)

[Coppertine]

13 minutes ago, Michelangelo said:

I don’t think the forest is actually air conned

It actually is, just ONLY the forest area of that room. Not the stairs down outside. You can feel sections of chilly temps within the forest queue.

[Brad2912]

Back this morning to check out Oz after no luck last night. 
 

I do find it crazy that even if the rides open at 10 that they don’t open the park gates at 9:30 to let people in. Queues out to the roadway for all gates and it’s already bloody hot in the sun. 

[Park Addict 93]

11 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

Back this morning to check out Oz after no luck last night. 
 

I do find it crazy that even if the rides open at 10 that they don’t open the park gates at 9:30 to let people in. Queues out to the roadway for all gates and it’s already bloody hot in the sun. 

You can thank cost cutting, it used to be 9:30am open rides at 10 even in offpeak.

[Brad2912]

Gates opened 9:55am but only to the rope under the arch. Rope down at 10:01am.

Twister queue opened 10:08.

witch opening now at 10:11
 

[Baconjack]

I reckon the $100m figure is a bit of a yarn. I can recall the project being marketed as $50m-$60m as recently as a few months ago. What’s the extra $40m been spent on since then? Surely the budget for the project hasn’t blown out that much.

Do fans exist in the outdoor portions of the FOTWW queue (like the ones Rivals has)? I’d be shocked if they weren’t there given how harsh the QLD heat gets at this time of year

Edited 5 hours ago by Baconjack

[Coppertine]

12 minutes ago, Baconjack said:

Do fans exist in the outdoor portions of the FOTWW queue (like the ones Rivals has)? I’d be shocked if they weren’t there given how harsh the QLD heat gets at this time of year

No fans existed in both FOTWW nor KT iirc. A bit of an extreme oversight that seems to be common among VRTP parks.

[Michelangelo]

1 hour ago, Baconjack said:

Do fans exist in the outdoor portions of the FOTWW queue (like the ones Rivals has)? I’d be shocked if they weren’t there given how harsh the QLD heat gets at this time of year

No fans at all in the whole of WOZ