Dreamworld Closing Down?

[MickeyD]

Wow I bet this topic is going to get some attention! Whilst attending a conference over the past week I have heard from a few people that Dreamworld is going out of business and at serious threat of being shuttered permanently. I must say as a Theme Park nut this got my attention - and not for the right reason. Dreamworld can't close? Surely not.. Or could there be any truth to such a rumour? I sincerely hope not, that would be a very sad day indeed. Knowing how volatile Theme Parks can be, this could sadly indeed be a reality. Many years ago the iconic Castle & Magic Mountain was stripped from the Gold Coast skyline forever in favour of some of the ugliest apartments the city has ever seen - and Mercilessly so at the hands of John Longhurst's new little piece of Disneyland Down under. There simply wasnt room for a dated kiddie-oriented Park that was tiring to navigate with its countless flights of stairs over what Dreamworld had to offer. Magic Mountain was dead. Fast track 30 odd years and could it be a case today of the Hunter has now become the Hunted? Will the Rabbit have Kenny Koala's head mounted on the wall above his desk?

[mba2012]

Why don't Village just buy Dreamworld? Though, then there would be no competition and we might not get as many new rides...

[T-bone]

If any company was to buy dreamworld (not that it will happen) I actually feel Merlin entertainment (owners of Legoland, Alton Towers and a raft of other entertainment businesses) would be the most likely to do so. Lets face it, they couldn't do much worse than Ardent are doing with the park at the moment...

[jjuttp]

April fools was last month....

[Reanimated35]

[alex_1]

I highly doubt it considering the number of new attractions they've been adding lately. They don't exactly seem tight on cash.

[Spotty]

I highly doubt it considering the number of new attractions they've been adding lately. They don't exactly seem tight on cash.

Considering they are cutting down on staff, trading hours and all sorts of things as of late... it wouldn't surprise me to be frank. When you think about it all the attractions they have built would have been quite cheap. A Zamperla Air Race would be 2mill at the most, most of the Dreamworks precinct would have been pretty cheap due to the fact it was mostly just a repaint with a few minor additions. I'd put a price tag of maybe 5mill for the whole area including Pandamonium. Shockwave would have been around the 2mill mark as well. Compared to the money that Village is investing on their rides it is entirely possible. I am also going out on a whim and saying that the new AVPX replacement would be around the 1 mill mark, and with WhiteWater World not having any work done for ages... it appears to be the path they are heading down.

[colliric_855]

Why does Dreamworld need a lifeline?

WBMW is kicking it's ass. It needs a turnaround.

[alex_1]

I hate to say this, but honestly if Dreamworld really were to close down the only thing I'd miss would the Giant Drop.

[Brad2912]

No chance Ardent's Leisure's flagship theme park, selling it would send consumer confidence, and see there stock price plummet. Agree more can certainly be done, but it certainly isn't at the point of being closed. Channel 9 recently signed off on a further 2 seasons of big brother there as well

[colliric_855]

No chance Ardent's Leisure's flagship theme park, selling it would send consumer confidence, and see there stock price plummet. Agree more can certainly be done, but it certainly isn't at the point of being closed. Channel 9 recently signed off on a further 2 seasons of big brother there as well

Nines' deal is with the production company, who are using Dreamworld as their current studio. Although it probably does mean Dreamworld will be used for the next 2 years and probably has a deal with Southern Star, If DreamWorld went down, they'd most likely find another studio. Or else Nine would sue Southern Star, or cut their losses and cancel the show(if ratings dropped). Edited May 16, 2013 by colliric_855

[Gary86]

John Longherst should buy back Dreamworld and restore it to its former glory.

[Slick]

I do find it amusing that because Dreamworld has shown such a huge amount of contempt for its customers that despite how ridiculous the thought is in reality, that everyday park-goers think the place is closing.

I don't know how it could be screamed any louder - Dreamworld, your park is going to shit. Do something about it.

[jjuttp]

I do find it amusing that because Dreamworld has shown such a huge amount of contempt for its customers that despite how ridiculous the thought is in reality, that everyday park-goers think the place is closing.

I don't know how it could be screamed any louder - Dreamworld, your park is going to shit. Do something about it.

You've got a better chance of Spongebob passing a driving lesson than Dreamworld actually doing something.

I say we make a giant banner that runs from the top of GD to Buzzsaw telling them that the park is shit. Although they probably won't be able to read it because there are 3yr olds with better literacy skills than them, but hey it's worth a try.

[Slick]

Maybe we could do an online petition? Because they work and stuff.

[colliric_855]

Maybe we could do an online petition? Because they work and stuff.

I would sign it 10 times if it was pertition to partner, fully license(the whole park) or just plain sell it all to DreamWorks Animation.... Edited May 17, 2013 by colliric_855

[joz]

As for the topic at hand I'd say it's not Movie World that's hurting Dreamworld, it's Dreamworld's inability to compete with the VIP pass. They so far haven't come up with a coherent plan to beat the VIP pass. That combined with sky rocketing land prices around the park make it easy to speculate about the park's demise. On the flip side though, according to all the reports the park is still profitable, and they are still investing in the park, what people on this site think about those investments is another matter entirely. If I could say one thing to Dreamworld management though it'd be that Dreamworld holds a special place in the hearts of many people. If they look after the place, invest in it wisely and don't treat it with contempt, it'll stay profitable forever.

EDIT: The disscussion of the idea for DreamWorks to buy Dreamworld has been moved here.

Edited May 17, 2013 by joz

[Randy23]

Ummm.. isn't the CEO at dreamworld from Wonderland? Go figure.

[Spotty]

Ummm.. isn't the CEO at dreamworld from Wonderland? Go figure.

Yes, he is one of the old CEO's from Wonderland Sydney from 1995 - 1998 when it was sold to Sunway Group and then he was the Managing Director for Sydney Harbour Bridgeclimb. So he had nothing to do with anything that Sunway did to the park up to and including it's closure. In fact i'm also fairly sure that he was responsible for Space Probe 7 being built, which at the time was groundbreaking (Tallest freefall tower in the world when it opened, and in fact I think it was actually the first Intamin drop tower built, the only other one was Superman: Tower of Power that was also built in 1995. This would also explain all the motor issues SP7 had due to being a "prototype") So it could be interesting to see what he does in the long term. Yes in the short term it looks like a lot of cost cutting is going on, but in that time alot of repairs and cleaning up is also being done. So it could just be short term to get the park up to scratch again and then working on some capital to hopefully pull the park back up. Only time will truly tell though.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Spotty

[Gary86]

Heres a quote from Dreamworld I found on there facebook page... "Belinda Brown: Hi Andrew, We appreciate your passion and interest in Dreamworld and both your support and suggestions however each time you visit our page it is to say the same thing. We would love a fresh approach and some new thoughts. We get it, you think we are cost cutting to the expense of you getting the Rollercoaster that you would like to see. You love the steam train, and you wish the rides were always run with two operators. We are doing what we can to give a great experience efficiently while tourism is down and maximising the rides over peak periods when it is needed, all so that we will be here for a long time to come with new attractions we select to suit our guests and our precincts being developed. There has been so much done this year, but you know that. More is coming but you know that too. You should be excited that other parks have rollercoasters you love and we have different attractions, it wouldn't be right to all live in the same space. The themeparks see themselves as Gold Coast ambassadors and not just competition to each other. Each has something that makes us special, and don't you think in the bigger picture that is a good thing? WE love you guys guessing what is happening in the park but remember that your speculations or information from rumours are just that until confirmed by us. We share information about what is coming when that information is developed and ready... so feel free to ask, guess and hope for your favouites in the meantime, we invite you to consider the idea that we care, we plan and we strive to create memories, happiness and loyalist like yourselves. Stick with us because it will be worth it, I can promise you that. You can always ask Kenny or I questions directly if you would really like to know something and wish to share ideas"

Edited May 19, 2013 by Gary86

[buzzkill13]

In addition to that neatly worded response on DW's behalf, I think we forget the range of wildlife available at Dreamworld which will continue to bring revenue and visitors from tourists and many other income sources like Big Brother and school groups (they have a neat education plan for school kids, aswell as those one day visits at the end of the year) Basically, they each have their own qualitys as pointed out in that comment.

[Gazza]

I love the Dreamworld FB page, and I love coaster enthusiasts.

On one side of the fence you have people hounding Dreamworld non stop to buil a big new coaster, on the other hand you have people saying that we should get a small, 3rd hand Vekoma boomerang as the next coaster because it happens to be on the market.

Yay, because people apparently didn't accept Buzzsaw, yet a Boomerang will suddenly complete the park, make it attractive compared to VRTP and make people renew their passes

Edited May 19, 2013 by Gazza

[themeparkgc]

on the other hand you have people saying that we should get a small, 3rd hand Vekoma boomerang as the next coaster

....despite the fact that the ride has been sold to a park in India.

[colliric_855]

I love the Dreamworld FB page, and I love coaster enthusiasts. On one side of the fence you have people hounding Dreamworld non stop to buil a big new coaster, on the other hand you have people saying that we should get a small, 3rd hand Vekoma boomerang as the next coaster because it happens to be on the market. Yay, because people apparently didn't accept Buzzsaw, yet a Boomerang will suddenly complete the park, make it attractive compared to VRTP and make people renew their passes

I don't recall suggesting that for them... Did I? I was suggesting it for LPM wasn't I? A far more lunatic suggestion in hindsight, but I don't recall saying DreamWorld should get it.... Edited May 19, 2013 by colliric_855

[Gazza]

^There was somebody repetitive poster on the DW page also saying they should buy it.

Just makes me laugh a bit...If fairly average parks like Adventure World can get their act together and spend $12 mil on a ride then it's not like we should "downgrade" our expectations for what other parks could do.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Gazza