Movie World speculation and dreaming - 2015 edition

[themagician]

Wonder what could be going on here?

[lifeofsamage]

They have been working over there for the past few weeks. Heard somewhere its going to be Arkham Alley

[Zanstabar]

If they finally do open it back up, I'm hoping for it to be themed to Gotham's "Crime Alley", or what was formally known as Park Row. Could easily put a couple of easter eggs that would definitely leave DC fans dead in their tracks...

[Brad2912]

That fencing has been up for months.

Good ol' TPSN! The source of amazing news!

[themagician]

^When i went to MW last month, I'm fairly sure that the fence didn't have the grass imaging on it and usually that is a sign that something is happening to that space.

[AllegroCrab]

I think we need someone with a particularly long selfie stick to go and have a gander.

[Theme Park Girl]

I think we need someone with a particularly long selfie stick to go and have a gander.

Or we could just send Andrewh on a field trip to Movieworld? (Sorry dude, couldn't resist )

[Zanstabar]

Not sure if this really contributes anything to this discussion, but I had some time to kill a little while back and decided to make a "Product Matrix" for Movie World. For those that don't know, a Product Matrix is basically used to find gaps in the market when designing products. It consists of a X & Y Axis, with various existing products scattered across the graph depending on their properties and attributes.

In this one, I had the Intensity of the ride on the X-Axis, and the Family Appeal of the rides on the Y-Axis. You can see that there are two pretty massive gaps in the park, one for a Medium Intensity-Medium Family Appeal Ride and the other for a Low Intensity-Low Family Appeal ride. Realistically, the Low-Low gap can't be filled, however the Medium-Medium gap can be.

I think it would be pretty crazy if the next addition to the park didn't try to attempt to fill this gap at all.

[AllegroCrab]

Or we could just send Andrewh on a field trip to Movieworld? (Sorry dude, couldn't resist )

I hope the Andrewh circlejerk continues forever

"Realistically, the Low-Low gap can't be filled."

Mick Doohan would argue otherwise.

Edited May 21, 2015 by AllegroCrab

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

That fencing has been up for months.

Good ol' TPSN! The source of amazing news!

Missed that one Brad - previously the park has had a solid timber hoarding, which was painted the same colour as the nearby conrete wall, and themed with the same embellishments that the wall had (which wasn't much - just a waist-high protrusion of a lighter colour) all done in cream and white. The fence is new, and therefore news.

[Brad2912]

Ok then, I must be wrong. I could swear that same fence was there during Carnivale!

Anyways, if a new fence means some action in the area, then I'm glad it's a new fence!

[Ryno]

Mad Max would be a great addition, but time and time again we see the theme parks let us down by introducing new attractions that are underwhelming. The forums here are great and gets everyone excited with the ideas that are thrown out there but the reality we are dished up with do not live up to the mark.

MW - Gets rid of a family ride in Looney tunes ride and replaces with Driving school designed for young kids which cannot be enjoyed by the whole family.

DW - If the Peter Brock car experience goes to DW and they expect it to draw in the crowd they are dreaming.

.

It appears that all of the GC parks at present are focusing on young childrens areas

WW - Wet and Wild junior opening

MW - Driving school

SW - New kids ride area being built on existing site

DW - ABC themed kids area

That's all well and good and I have two young children which will be great for our family but I still would like to experience either a medium intensity family ride or high intensity thrill ride of quality too.

.

We will never get the $20mil plus rides until the theme parks decide to charge a bit more but in doing so they can really lift the quality of the rides that can draw the crowds in.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Interesting view, Ryno.

It should be noted that the Driving School may be experienced by 'older' kids (ie: Adults who haven't grown up), and the attraction is squarely in the middle of the "WB Kids" Area... so perfectly appropriate.

Whilst I'll join many others lamenting the loss of such a fantastic attraction such as LTRR - the facts are simply that the attraction was old and tired, and required extensive (and expensive) upgrading for the ride to continue. Rather than throw good money after bad without a guarantee that the toon ride would get any major extension to it's operating life, the park made a hard (but necessary) decision to remove it. Driving School, whilst it could have been a lot better with more money thrown at it (i'm thinking some nice theatrical lighting rather than the 'factory' lights it has would have been nice)... I have to say the park has done reasonably well with the limited budget.

As for the Peter Brock DW situation, nobody has confirmed thats where the cars are going, although all indicators do point that way. DW haven't named brock, and brock haven't named dreamworld... so its all assumptions at this stage...albeit likely ones.

As has previously been said regarding the brock rumor - we have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what part the brock experience may play in Dreamworld's new V8 Attraction - so you CANNOT say this attraction won't draw a crowd when you have NO IDEA what the attraction will be - and with that said - I beg to differ - that the Brock vehicles alone will pull considerable crowds from those who attend both the Ipswich 300 and the Gold Coast 600 - which in themselves draw tens of thousands of interstate and regional visitors to the area each and every year.

You're right though - all the GC parks have recently been focussed on children's areas of late - theres a reason for that though...

MW: Prior to driving school, the last major attraction to appeal to younger guests was scooby doo - and even then it came with a fairly restrictive height limit. Sylvester's Pounce and Bounce was a more recent addition, but hardly what one could call 'major'... and before that was RRRC - installed 15 years ago. In that time we've seen updates to Arkham, a new stunt show, superman Escape, Justice League, Green Lantern, and several 4d films.

SW: Although their children's area has been repeatedly rebranded - Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, Cartoon Network... the attractions have very much remained the same for years. Sea World was LONG OVERDUE for a refresh to their standard children's offering - and in fact to the entire area. Other than the rebranding, the last major installation for kids was the 'treehouse thing' up near the waterpark which was quite a few years ago. They've also installed Jet Rescue and Storm as well as numerous animal exhibits.

DW: DW kind of run 'two' kids areas - littlies (Wiggles), and older kids (Dreamworks). Dreamworks was introduced, along with a new 'thrill' ride and a complete refresh of the area, we've also seen Mick Doohan's MotoCoaster, Shockwave, Buzzsaw, ToTII and a complete Wipeout Overhaul since Wiggles World was first introduced. Wiggles are becoming "less relevant" as they've slowly phased out the original 4, and the ABC brands have stood long and are therefore a good investment to diversify the area, as well as the chance to install some 'littlies' attractions without having to try and tie them into the Wiggles brand. Wiggles World was introduced in 2005, so after 10 years, it was probably due for a refresh.

WnW: other than the current 'WnW Jr' - the last kids upgrade to the park was so long ago I can't even remember, but the buccaneer theme of the area was there when I was a kid... the WnW Jr upgrade was long overdue as a place for younger kids to visit and enjoy - and given the technology, as well as the recent success of a similar installation at WnWS - it made perfect sense for it to happen then. Since the last kids upgrade, WnW have installed or upgraded over half the park.

Having two young children yourself, appreciate that the parks all aim to cater for these agegroups, and recognise that there is only a certain amount of capital for them to spend each year. It is highly unlikely the parks are able to manage to afford both a complete revamp of their children's area, or the installation of a major children's attraction, along with the installation of a "medium intensity family ride or high intensity thrill ride of quality too".

[GoGoBoy]

If they finally do open it back up, I'm hoping for it to be themed to Gotham's "Crime Alley", or what was formally known as Park Row. Could easily put a couple of easter eggs that would definitely leave DC fans dead in their tracks...

You've just explained to me the relevance of the 'Park Row' sign in the first scene on Justice League. I knew you were meant to be travelling through the alleyways of Gotham City, but was never sure what Park Row was all about.

[Ryno]

Interesting view, Ryno.

It should be noted that the Driving School may be experienced by 'older' kids (ie: Adults who haven't grown up), and the attraction is squarely in the middle of the "WB Kids" Area... so perfectly appropriate.

Whilst I'll join many others lamenting the loss of such a fantastic attraction such as LTRR - the facts are simply that the attraction was old and tired, and required extensive (and expensive) upgrading for the ride to continue. Rather than throw good money after bad without a guarantee that the toon ride would get any major extension to it's operating life, the park made a hard (but necessary) decision to remove it. Driving School, whilst it could have been a lot better with more money thrown at it (i'm thinking some nice theatrical lighting rather than the 'factory' lights it has would have been nice)... I have to say the park has done reasonably well with the limited budget.

As for the Peter Brock DW situation, nobody has confirmed thats where the cars are going, although all indicators do point that way. DW haven't named brock, and brock haven't named dreamworld... so its all assumptions at this stage...albeit likely ones.

As has previously been said regarding the brock rumor - we have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what part the brock experience may play in Dreamworld's new V8 Attraction - so you CANNOT say this attraction won't draw a crowd when you have NO IDEA what the attraction will be - and with that said - I beg to differ - that the Brock vehicles alone will pull considerable crowds from those who attend both the Ipswich 300 and the Gold Coast 600 - which in themselves draw tens of thousands of interstate and regional visitors to the area each and every year.

You're right though - all the GC parks have recently been focussed on children's areas of late - theres a reason for that though...

MW: Prior to driving school, the last major attraction to appeal to younger guests was scooby doo - and even then it came with a fairly restrictive height limit. Sylvester's Pounce and Bounce was a more recent addition, but hardly what one could call 'major'... and before that was RRRC - installed 15 years ago. In that time we've seen updates to Arkham, a new stunt show, superman Escape, Justice League, Green Lantern, and several 4d films.

SW: Although their children's area has been repeatedly rebranded - Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, Cartoon Network... the attractions have very much remained the same for years. Sea World was LONG OVERDUE for a refresh to their standard children's offering - and in fact to the entire area. Other than the rebranding, the last major installation for kids was the 'treehouse thing' up near the waterpark which was quite a few years ago. They've also installed Jet Rescue and Storm as well as numerous animal exhibits.

DW: DW kind of run 'two' kids areas - littlies (Wiggles), and older kids (Dreamworks). Dreamworks was introduced, along with a new 'thrill' ride and a complete refresh of the area, we've also seen Mick Doohan's MotoCoaster, Shockwave, Buzzsaw, ToTII and a complete Wipeout Overhaul since Wiggles World was first introduced. Wiggles are becoming "less relevant" as they've slowly phased out the original 4, and the ABC brands have stood long and are therefore a good investment to diversify the area, as well as the chance to install some 'littlies' attractions without having to try and tie them into the Wiggles brand. Wiggles World was introduced in 2005, so after 10 years, it was probably due for a refresh.

WnW: other than the current 'WnW Jr' - the last kids upgrade to the park was so long ago I can't even remember, but the buccaneer theme of the area was there when I was a kid... the WnW Jr upgrade was long overdue as a place for younger kids to visit and enjoy - and given the technology, as well as the recent success of a similar installation at WnWS - it made perfect sense for it to happen then. Since the last kids upgrade, WnW have installed or upgraded over half the park.

Having two young children yourself, appreciate that the parks all aim to cater for these agegroups, and recognise that there is only a certain amount of capital for them to spend each year. It is highly unlikely the parks are able to manage to afford both a complete revamp of their children's area, or the installation of a major children's attraction, along with the installation of a "medium intensity family ride or high intensity thrill ride of quality too".

With regards to MW, Superman was and is a fantastic addition to the park my favourite ride on the Gold Coast, however the other additions are less than what I would say good additions.

.

Obviously there was an upgrade to Lethal Weapon in becoming Arkham asylum to make it smoother but it has the same track layout so essentially the same ride.

.

Justice League that replaced Batman the Ride in my opinion is not better than what it replaced.

.

Green Lantern, well the verdict is still out on that ride with regards to the accident, but I found it to be a not very exciting slow coaster.

.

I have never felt the urge to visit movieworld just because they have introduced a new 4D film. I accept that they need to introduce a new film every so often but surely that doesn't eat into the bank balance too much.

.

The new stunt show is a load of garbage.

.

The Driving school may be experienced by adults but the only adults I saw riding it, were doing so with their small children and not by themselves. Plenty of adults went on LTRR but I accept that its condition did not warrant it to be kept in operation.

With all that said MW is a half day park in its current state.

.

It is only your view that the proposed V8 experience will draw crowds in who attend the Gold Coast 600 and Ipswich 300. I dispute that that would sway people to come to Dreamworld based on that attraction alone. However neither of our views on this attraction are based on fact but merely opinion.

.

Like I said in an earlier post, the prices for entry into the parks are too cheap and that is holding back the parks from adding quality to their parks. Approx 1.3million visits are made to each of

DW, SW,MW. 1million to WnW and approx. 700 thousand to WWW. So DW and WWW look at a combined 2million visits and MW,SW and WnW a combined 3.3million visits. I have no idea how many 3 park super passes are sold but if they increased the price of a pass by $30 (not a whole lot in the scheme of things), that would add a great lot of revenue to the bottom line and scope to further develop the park rather than replace existing rides.

Does anyone know how may passes are sold each year compared to single entry tickets. Would 100,000 3 park super passes be out of the ball park to MW,SW,WnW. If that figure had any merit, putting it with my suggested increase of $30 per pass there is $3million.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

My point was simply that the park had added a lot of attractions (at various 'thrill' and 'appeal' levels), but had not done anything with their kids area, and was therefore long overdue.

[Zanstabar]

You've just explained to me the relevance of the 'Park Row' sign in the first scene on Justice League. I knew you were meant to be travelling through the alleyways of Gotham City, but was never sure what Park Row was all about.

That's why JL is one of my favourite rides. I feel those little references and Easter eggs add so much to the experience, and I wish we had more of them.

[themagician]

Green Lantern, well the verdict is still out on that ride with regards to the accident, but I found it to be a not very exciting slow coaster.

I personally think that because it goes slower, it is better. At moments such as: the first turn to the left after the first brake section and the moments when you go upside down; these are more thrilling because of the slower speed. It adds to the thrill of the ride and can make me feel like you are going to fall out, as the feeling I get when I ride the BuzzSaw.

[Noxegon]

Obviously there was an upgrade to Lethal Weapon in becoming Arkham asylum to make it smoother but it has the same track layout so essentially the same ride.

Nonsense. The difference between the old and the new is night and day.

Justice League that replaced Batman the Ride in my opinion is not better than what it replaced.

Do you really, honestly believe that? Batman the Ride was junk. Justice League is a great family attraction.

Green Lantern, well the verdict is still out on that ride with regards to the accident, but I found it to be a not very exciting slow coaster.

I liked it a lot...

With all that said MW is a half day park in its current state.

If the operations were better I'd agree with you, but at present you kind of need a full day because everything other than Scooby Doo is run at about a quarter of the manufacturer's designed throughput...

Edited May 22, 2015 by Noxegon

[JacobSibbald]

I don't think you're ever going to come to an agreement over the changes to the parks over the years, given that all opinions are subjective.

[Gazza]

I personally think that because it goes slower, it is better. At moments such as: the first turn to the left after the first brake section and the moments when you go upside down; these are more thrilling because of the slower speed. It adds to the thrill of the ride and can make me feel like you are going to fall out, as the feeling I get when I ride the BuzzSaw.

For me, it is what it is. I have no problem with parks having a really good mix of coasters and sensations.

Most enthusiasts tend to gravitate towards stuff, that is fast paced, forceful, with lots of airtime....Check out the worldwide coaster rankings for proof.

And we have Superman for that, which will never get old.

But would I want a theme park just with coasters like that? Of course not!

I like GL precisely for the reasons themagician has stated. It has strange moments of banking, drop angle, and hang time that couldn't be accomplished with a full sized train....Different again to Lethal, which is mostly about positive G forces, and different again to Scooby which is all about the theming.

[rappa]

Batman the Ride was fantastic in it's original incarnation and really is a good example of the Movie World attractions of old. However I agree that in the state it was in at the end JL is a far superior replacement.

[Zanstabar]

For me, it is what it is. I have no problem with parks having a really good mix of coasters and sensations.

Most enthusiasts tend to gravitate towards stuff, that is fast paced, forceful, with lots of airtime....Check out the worldwide coaster rankings for proof.

And we have Superman for that, which will never get old.

But would I want a theme park just with coasters like that? Of course not!

I like GL precisely for the reasons themagician has stated. It has strange moments of banking, drop angle, and hang time that couldn't be accomplished with a full sized train....Different again to Lethal, which is mostly about positive G forces, and different again to Scooby which is all about the theming.

Can't agree more. I love Superman because it's fast, it's forceful, and it has a whole heap of airtime. At the same time though, I love the Wipeout & Green Lantern because they do these weird, contorted moves at a relatively slow pace.

If all MW had was "launched mega-lites" (like Superman), I wouldn't be mad but I would just love something else in the mix. I see it like my iPod. If I just had Red Hot Chilli Peppers, then I would start to get bored real quick. However, if I had a bit of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, a bit of Stevie Nicks, a bit of Jay-Z and a bit of Daft Punk, then I would be set for ages.

It's all about balance, in essence.

[Theme Park Girl]

Wonder what could be going on here?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I managed to sneak a peek through these dividers yesterday. The  alley was a mess, filled with random stuff - first thing I noted was a big pile of bread crates. 

An employee for the shop next door walked out the back as I was looking and I asked her about it, she said all it's be in used for atm is "rubbish". In other words, it's just a storage area. 

That's not to say it's gonna stay that way, but yeah, doesn't look like any immediate plans are on the cards. The alley is just barricaded off atm to give them a new place to hide their mess ?

[pushbutton]

I doubt they'd put up construction site hoardings just to have somewhere to store rubbish. There is already a fence behind the hoardings, so they could use the space behind that fence to store rubbish. 

My prediction is the Peter Brooks cars will go in front of the fence, probably with some theming around them (the fence will be painted to suggest a race track environment).

 

If so, I would hope that the China town theming would also be removed as it would be very out of placenot that that would be anything new)!(n

Not something that makes me excited, but perhaps slightly better than juscream painted plywood in front of a Chinese style gateway.