Movieworld 30 Year Anniversary Celebration Predictions

[CR4ZE]

Is there any chance of more announcements today? Would be a fitting time to unveil the hotel, unless that announcement comes after Hooray for Hollywood.

[Naazon]

21 minutes ago, Slick said:

I presume so and I agree with that sentiment too - it's pretty drab, as is Wet 'n' Wild's entrance from the highway.

I really just wish you walked through a waterfall to enter Wet n Wild

1 minute ago, CR4ZE said:

Is there any chance of more announcements today? Would be a fitting time to unveil the hotel, unless that announcement comes after Hooray for Hollywood.

Any announcements made will only be for Hooray for Hollywood. Future park plans will be made once the event is over.

[CR4ZE]

While we're at it, I do have fond, vivid memories screaming my lungs out on WWF and Batman Adventure. The studio tour was a super cool immersive experience and PASS was a stellar highlight. This would have been 2000 or 2001, when I was 5 or 6, so any other attractions I may have went on I don't really recall. I'd like to think I went on LTRR but I'm really not sure. No way in hell I would have been able, or wanted, to do LW and I didn't get over my fear of rides till I was a teen. (I had PTSD from the Bush Beast when I was around the same age). Thinking back on that visit, while the memory is hazy, it does help clue me in to the "classic" MW era that more senior members reminisce and pine for.

13 minutes ago, Naazon said:

Any announcements made will only be for Hooray for Hollywood. Future park plans will be made once the event is over.

I might have guessed. So, at best, we're still minimum five weeks from finding out what the next chapter in MW's story is.

As @joz mentioned earlier, the big gap in the line-up is a really solid family dark ride. Of course a new coaster to replace Arkham would be great (I'm hoping they have plans for both), but a dark ride would help soak up crowds and fill out the day more. Inevitably, if they're going the theme park resort route, they'll need a greater focus on family attractions going  forward and to me that's a smart move.

We still don't know anything about the WB Studio Showcase replacement yet, do we?

Edited June 3, 2021 by CR4ZE

[Brad2912]

37 minutes ago, CR4ZE said:

We still don't know anything about the WB Studio Showcase replacement yet, do we?

pretty sure its going be memorabilia/throwbacks of the last 30 years as part of Hooray for Hollywood

[CR4ZE]

42 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

pretty sure its going be memorabilia/throwbacks of the last 30 years as part of Hooray for Hollywood

I imagine that would be a limited-time exhibit, no?

[Jdude95]

Hey guys, we've got this amazing lighting package. You can only properly experience it about 4 times a year when we are open at night and have it running. We're the best right? 

[Brad2912]

MW just posted this flashback piece on their socials 

 

[TimmyG]

7 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

^I think though the difference comes down to @Slick's old adage - a replacement has to be better than the original. I know there's some debate on some Universal attractions, but I think overall, the park's lineup today isn't suffering like MW's is.

The thing is that the parks management don’t think the replacement attractions suck, or aren’t as good as the previous attraction. So to them, it’s a winner..

[joz]

57 minutes ago, Jdude95 said:

Hey guys, we've got this amazing lighting package. You can only properly experience it about 4 times a year when we are open at night and have it running. We're the best right? 

Again, what are people getting at here? You know that all the parks invest in having lighting right? MW also is open quite a lot at night compared to what they were historically, and far more than all the other parks. Why shouldn't they add lights?

10 minutes ago, TimmyG said:

The thing is that the parks management don’t think the replacement attractions suck, or aren’t as good as the previous attraction. So to them, it’s a winner..

 

Thing is it isn't like all the replacements have been worse though. Sure JDS isn't as good as River Ride, and HSD isn't as good as PA, but Scooby is better than Gremlins. JDS is about on par with the second bat ride, (though not as good as OG Batride), Superman is better than special FX show. Not to mention Green Lantern, Batwing, Doomsday, West and Road Runner are better than nothing. Lethal Weapon was also better than nothing so that's fine. If that's the pedigree, it's OK to say 'Remember this that used to be awesome?' because the park backs it up. You couldn't do that at DW for example, because not only is the magic gone, but there is a really piss poor collection of rides to back it up. MAYBE when Steel Taipan opens and you get a log ride replacement, you can start being nostalgic, but for now it just reminds people of a better time. SW is a similar story, though I don't think quite as dire. At MW it's more about 'Hasn't the place changed?' than 'Look how shit the place is now compared to what it used to be!'

 

I would also argue that MW now is better than at basically any other point in it's history. It's a long way off perfect, and it could do with 1 of those old style rides just to balance things out, but the stuff that's there now, on balance is far better than what used to be there. That's not true of the other Gold Coast theme parks. SW & DW are hopefully on the upward from being at their lowest, & WnW just 'is', but MW is a far better park than it was at any other year you could name for my taste.

Standing by for 'Parkz mods are biased' comments for expressing my opinion

[Jdude95]

4 minutes ago, joz said:

Again, what are people getting at here? You know that all the parks invest in having lighting right? MW also is open quite a lot at night compared to what they were historically, and far more than all the other parks. Why shouldn't they add lights?

Like SW adding lights to only be seen a few nights a year? It looks great but it's only useful when there's actually people in the park and it's turned on. 
Look, if DW had installed a fancy lighting package like that, I'd be shitting on them too. It would be great if it was a sign that the park was pushing for even more night events or the park being open longer but as always, the local residents stop any fun happening after 5pm.

9 minutes ago, joz said:

Standing by for 'Parkz mods are biased' comments for expressing my opinion

I fully agree that the ride offerings at MW currently crap over anything the park has offered before. Yes we may have lost some classics and we may never see rides like them again but when you look at what we have now, we are pretty lucky.

[joz]

1 minute ago, Jdude95 said:

Look, if DW had installed a fancy lighting package like that, I'd be shitting on them too.

When DW install new lights I'll praise them, private events happen and they've also tried to make night trade more of a thing, so bring on permanent install lights and do it properly. Actually I drove past at night the other night and had the thought that they should put some lights on Steel Taipan Construction since you really can't see it at night.

[Jdude95]

9 minutes ago, joz said:

When DW install new lights I'll praise them, private events happen and they've also tried to make night trade more of a thing, so bring on permanent install lights and do it properly. Actually I drove past at night the other night and had the thought that they should put some lights on Steel Taipan Construction since you really can't see it at night.

I'll praise them too, as long as the lights aren't something that's only visible from within the park/carpark at night. SW did an amazing job with lighting up Leviathan but it doesn't get seen that often. Rivals looks great from the highway because of the lighting package so if Steel Taipan doesn't have a lighting package eventually, i'll be very disappointed. 

[Brad2912]

6 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Assuming you mean the Carpark \ Driveway Marquee and not the Archway, right?

Yeah should have been more specific, definitely speaking of the car park entry sign 

2 hours ago, joz said:

private events happen

Yeah I think that’s being overlooked. There is often multiple nights each week the park hosts private events or corporate functions 

[Park Addict 93]

6 hours ago, Brad2912 said:

pretty sure its going be memorabilia/throwbacks of the last 30 years as part of Hooray for Hollywood

Negative, WB showcase is not part of Hooray for Hollywood.

 

[TimmyG]

2 hours ago, joz said:

I would also argue that MW now is better than at basically any other point in it's history. 

I respectfully disagree. Ill Probably get flamed for this, but. Movie World I feel hit it’s peak just after Batwing was installed. Everything else has been average at best. 
 

Rivals, GL, yes, great killer coasters, but they aren’t anything overly unique in the way super man, and Scooby were. 
Doomsday is a complete waste of space. The park has lost so much of its original magic, like Dreamworld has. Reality is, it’s turning more and more into a six flags park with every addition, and it’s quite sad. 

[joz]

3 hours ago, TimmyG said:

Rivals, GL, yes, great killer coasters, but they aren’t anything overly unique in the way super man, and Scooby were. 
Doomsday is a complete waste of space. The park has lost so much of its original magic, like Dreamworld has. Reality is, it’s turning more and more into a six flags park with every addition, and it’s quite sad. 

Most of those things you've mentioned came at the expense of nothing, and Doomsday and the Villans miniland, flawed as it is, is better than that part of Western Town was. I don't think River Ride or PA made for a better park than what you lose by taking out Rivals, GL and Doomsday. For me, the park doesn't feel any more or less magic than it did then. That's not to say there haven't been missteps along the way, but if I could visit present day MW or 2006 MW I'd visit today's park.

 

Also you're allowed to disagree without being flamed. This a purely subjective argument. You gave a time and suggested reasons why you think one thing and I suggested why I disagreed. For some, the combo of PA, LTRR, BMA:TR2 are better than Rivals, GL, JL:AA, HSD & DD combined. Personally I disagree, but I don't think your opinion is unreasonable. It's not like you said anything mental like you think the park peaked after Gremlins closed and before Scooby opened.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

13 hours ago, joz said:

Superman is better than special FX show. Not to mention Green Lantern, Batwing, Doomsday, West and Road Runner are better than nothing.

I'll give you the 'replaced nothing' for GL, Batwing and west.

Superman is an incredible coaster, and it is absolutely a great addition to the park (integrated far better than Rivals too) but at the loss of one of their last 'we're a park about making movies' attractions. Sure it was tired and hadn't been updated in years and it was easier to pave paradise and put up an accelerator than to refresh it that required specific movie making skill. SFX show was always repeatable - Most people I know would go every visit. Superman however is now a 'once and done' attraction for me (and sometimes not even once if the queue is too long), primarily because of the wait time and the stench of the unwashed in the queueline.

I think suggesting Superman is better than the SFX show is really subjective. Not everyone enjoys high thrill. Not everyone meets the height requirements (and some are too tall!) but SFX literally burned through people and was a capacity monster (and filled out the day at MW as it went for more than 60 seconds), and actually let people explore movies. I love Superman - but I think comparing SE and SFX is like comparing apples with helicopters - no fair comparison.

Doomsday's area is awesome. The design is great. But the interactive elements were always going to break down and become unusable, and the ride is a complete disappointment, and Blazing Saddles was a really nicely themed area leading to the Western Stage to really set the mood. Sure, it was still a 'nothing' area - but that was by design - it was meant to be a crowd containment area for a really popular showstage - that then never got used. My issues with the doomsday \ blazing saddles area all stem from one single thing - which leads me to -

Road runner. 

Junior coaster. 1000% necessary in the kids area (although the increased height restriction killed much of that), but at the expense of - another show stage. Roadrunner wasn't a 'nothing' replacement. It replaced the kids area stage. Maybe not as good as the Western Showstage, but it kept the kids entertainment INSIDE the kids area. Folks with little'uns are less likely to trek across practically the entire width of the park to see a Looney Tunes show that isn't in the Looney Tunes land. Which is why the show saw low attendance, which eventually led to them canning the show altogether which is why a huge amount of stadium seating is now hidden behind some black drapes and the stage area has been converted into a glorified prop house.

Losing these two show stages mean temporary performances occur in the HSD Arena, hardly ideal for non-car shows, or they occur in the middle of main street. Static performances in your main (and only) arterial link between the front and back of the park choke up the area. There are no upwards seating pits, so its standing room only and the shows only attract a handful of guests because nobody else can see once the crowd thickens. (And watching it on the big screens isn't nearly the same).

Movie World has had a lot of improvements, and a lot of things are a change for the better. But there are some changes which are only subjectively better for some people in some respects. And some 'nothing' replacements weren't actually 'nothing'. And some changes are ultimately worse. Is the overall package better overall? I think the answer there is a big 'that depends'...

I'll leave you with my final thoughts - Back when we had Western Showstage, SFX, Studio Tour, BATR, LTRR, PASS - was the park a full day park?

...And barring one-train ops with 5 minute despatch times, is the park still a full day park?

Edited June 3, 2021 by DaptoFunlandGuy
tried to spare everyone my rambling but the spoiler tags don't seem to work.

[Naazon]

 

15 hours ago, Brad2912 said:

MW just posted this flashback piece on their socials 

 

I really liked this and agree with @joz and happy to join the "MW is best World" bandwagon if need be, but 1 thing is massively glaring in this video is "nothing" has happened at the park since 2017. Rivals doesn't feel that long ago and yeah, its 4th birthday is this year. Just kinda feels weird, and I would say the turn of the decade is likely playing tricks with my mental processing.

11 hours ago, TimmyG said:

I respectfully disagree. Ill Probably get flamed for this, but. Movie World I feel hit it’s peak just after Batwing was installed. Everything else has been average at best. 
 

Rivals, GL, yes, great killer coasters, but they aren’t anything overly unique in the way super man, and Scooby were. 
Doomsday is a complete waste of space. The park has lost so much of its original magic, like Dreamworld has. Reality is, it’s turning more and more into a six flags park with every addition, and it’s quite sad. 

Aren't Rivals and GL the literal defenition of unique coasters? Rivals being a custom Mack Hyper with rear facing seat and non-inverted loop and a colour no one could agree on.  There are no identical copies that exist right? 
Plus even to this day, whenever I see pic's or videos of Rivals posted online on YT/Reddit ect, people comment saying they can't wait to come to Australia to go on Rivals.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

18 minutes ago, Naazon said:

Aren't Rivals and GL the literal defenition of unique coasters?

I think the interpretation of 'overly unique' is that although Rivals and GL aren't clones, they're still standard variations on standard coasters the world over. The clue is that he's referencing Scooby and Superman - both of which have an added uniqueness you can only get on those two rides - they both have a dark ride element prior to the 'standard coaster' part and those elements are unique to them and them alone. 

Non inverting loops aren't unique. Backwards facing seats aren't unique either (even before Rivals). I think you're being far too narrow on your definition of 'overly unique'.  

[Jdude95]

GL is unique in that it's the only El Loco to derail 

Edited June 3, 2021 by Jdude95

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

13 minutes ago, Jdude95 said:

GL is unique in that it's the only El Loco to derail 

That serves only as a failed yeeting. Adventuredome knows how to yeet properly - you need to prepare the guests by removing their legs before they ride.

Edited June 3, 2021 by DaptoFunlandGuy

[joz]

I'll do my response to all those points as quick as I can:

 

I much prefer 'Ride the movies' over 'DVD extras land'. Superman is also genuinely rated as one of the world's best rides. You can argue 'I like special FX shows better' if you like and that's fine, but I would say if you closed Superman to put a special FX show in, park attendance would decline, and most people would lament the old coaster that was there was better.

 

Road Runner also replaced nothing as the show was moved elsewhere in the park, simple as that. The location of the show was better in toons village. Maybe, but also who cares? Road Runner is a far better use of that land. Road Runner also gets through more people than the show did and has broader appeal.

 

Like I said originally, the only thing I miss are the 2 stunt shows and studio tour. If HSD was good I wouldn't care that there's only 1 stunt show instead of 2. Western Town was *fine* and I get that it was just a nothing area for crowd control, but that's it really. The loss of an area for crowd control for a new ride, disappointing or not with interactive elements (that still largely work btw? Haven't been since for a while but they all worked last time I was there) is no loss.

 

GL's layout is a clone, but Rivals is totally unique. I think there has to be an element of digging heels in to argue that it's not because individual elements aren't. Yes there are other hypers, and there are also other launch coasters with preshow dark ride sections. Doesn't make Rivals or Superman any less unique. The other thing I'd say is who is going to travel thousands of Kms to go on those other coasters? For all intents and purposes, those rides are totally unique, there is nothing like them anywhere where 99% of MW guests will ever go.

 

2 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

I'll leave you with my final thoughts - Back when we had Western Showstage, SFX, Studio Tour, BATR, LTRR, PASS - was the park a full day park?

Having visited the park in those days, I can 100% confirm the park was not a full day park then. It also lacked the kenetic energy and excitement that the rides provide. As a kid, MW was poor third to DW and SW which just dominated it in every way. Nostalgia aside, if given the choice for a day out at current MW or 1993 MW, it's current day all the way. Given how much MW struggled with attendance in its early years, and that pre Covid it became the first GC park to pull in over 2 million in a year, I don't think I'm alone in thinking that.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I think you've misunderstood some of what i'm trying to say. I don't disagree with you about a lot of this, and a lot is more nuance and specifics. My long rebuttal only repeated a lot of what I said originally - so instead i'll just clarify - I didn't say SFX was better than Superman, just that it was different. I'd like to see a park that had room for both (although the SFX sorely needed an upgrade) - and the old ShowStage would have been a perfect place for a modern special effects show like this one:

[4K] Special Effects Show (July 2019) - Universal Studios Hollywood - YouTube

As for the 1993 park, I can't speak for that - my first visit was 94. I do think post-West&Lethal, the park would easily round out a 7 hour day, and I don't think it can do that currently. Ultimately I think i'd prefer a modern park with some of the classics left in.

[Jdude95]

3 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

That serves only as a failed yeeting. Adventuredome knows how to yeet properly - you need to prepare the guests by removing their legs before they ride.

So MW should have first collaborated with the park up the road? 

[joz]

Yeah, and that's the thing, it's different, and it's purely down to personal taste if it's 'good different', 'neutral different', or 'bad different'. I would argue it's good different, and I feel I could justify why, but if you can justify why you think otherwise, that's totally fine. 

37 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Ultimately I think i'd prefer a modern park with some of the classics left in.

I think a modern ride in that old school adventure ride style would work well. I think Justice Leauge already is that kind of ride, they just didn't add the preshow.

I mean picture it, queue outside like when it was batride for a tour of the Hall of Justice, go into the first room, some explanations about the justice leauge, then news breaks of an alien invasion, and 'We need you to help us!' Throw in an explanation of the ride vechial and that you're meant to be teleporting when you go through the doors, give the 3D glasses a story that they'll protect you from the spores, and then boom! You're into the switch back room with fewer switch backs and less people in it.

 

That is EXACTLY what old MW was like and I think it would work quite well with that ride. I think guests would revolt if you added a preshow to JL since it's been established for so long without one, but that element seems to be the classic thing that people are missing. Family friendly rides where the preshow is part of the attraction and makes the whole thing a more lengthy experience.

 

I wouldn't be mad if they added 1 of those style rides, fixed HSD, replaced Arkham and did some version of a studio tour. Even without those though, I still rate the park now above what it was.

 

Also one thing I would say, MW in 2019 with Arkham is better than MW 2021 without it. So long as Arkham's replacement is better, the comment that the park is at it's peak for me will still stand.