Merlin Entertainments General Discussion

[nemefan08]

The usa has the largest theme park market, will merlin be entering this soon. I think they should buy great escape and renovate and add theming. By the way im not counting legolands.

[Alex]

The title to the thread is misleading, it implies Merlin will be entering the market rather than just being your opinion on the matter.

[Dom]

They have already entered the USA theme park market. Legoland Florida and Legoland California Resort. They are Merlin owned.

[nemefan08]

Yes but legoland could be scene as its own brand. Im mean ones like alton towers and thorpe park, where the gp have know idea without searching it up.

[Dom]

Honestly, i don't think they would. There is already 3 major brands out there i can think of of the top of my head. Busch Gardens, Disney and Six Flags. Merlin wouldn't stand a chance in my opinion.

[Vanessa Feltz]

Legoland isn't seen as it's own brand, It's very well known that Merlin operate the Legoland parks. You literally can't not count the Lego parks as part of the Merlin Group, It'd be like saying that Tesco Express isn't part of Tesco cos you know it's not 'pure'.

[nemefan08]

Yeah but legoland is probaly better known as owned by lego to the gp. merlin should just go ahead and try it. They already own the uk
so they should try it, nobody really cares who owns paeks.

[Alex]

I very much doubt they have the capital available to build a theme park from scratch. It's one thing to buy/make midway attractions but actual parks cost a whole lot more!

[Chaz]

Does your perfect Halloween leave you tickled, excited or terrified? Whichever it is, and wherever you live, Merlin's 31 Worlds have something for everyone – including yoooooou!

Take your pick...

http://www.seasonofscares.co.uk/

[Adz]

It's an interesting website, in that I can't really see the point of it?

It's nice but it only seems to exist to get people to sign up to the Merlin Newsletter.

[ponder]

As already mentioned, Merlin already own the Legoland parks and are developing a midway complex on International Drive at the moment. I don't think Merlin have the capital nor will-power to go toe-to-toe with Disney, Universal, Seaworld Entertainment, Six Flags, Cedar Fair etc.

[Ryan.B]

Merlin have the legoland parks and if they do open non Lego parks they will only have 2 as the uk is merlons biggest theme park country and there's non in Scotland or Northern Ireland, they only have 4 parks the italian parks and legoland parks as far as I'm aware and are not planning to unless a big earning existing park is up for sale.

[Themeparksandy1981]

Well they know that the theme park market in Orlando is just Disney and Universal you only have to look at Pics of Legoland Florida and many days the park is dead. But they know that families during the busy summer months will want to go something else instead of queuing hours for 1 ride so will go to the sea life centre,Orlando eye and Madame tussuards.

[lucozade]

Why enter a mature saturated market when they could take a HUGE piece of Asias rapidly growing market. Chinas OCT and Haichang make up 4th and 10th in the world for most visitor numbers.

I would love it if merlin bought ocean park in hong kong, its awesome!

[Morgan]

I reckon in 10 or so years, when their current parks are sorted on pulling in the crowds, thats when Merlin can start thinking.

[Morgan]

For me, Deadmau5 reminds me of Alton Towers, as that's what I was listening to when I went last Scarefest.

[haydn!]

I don't know if I like this idea or not, and I can't really see the parks going for it beyond what's already been done. Although they're all part of the Merlin Groups, the theme parks are still very much operated independently and are still competing with each other to win visitors. I think we'll see more Midway Attractions within the parks, just like they've added Sealife to Towers and Dungeons to Warwick Castle - but I don't think it will go as far as a 'Alton Towers' land in Chessington.

[TheOutpatient]

Its a cool idea, this whole idea of creating little "parallel universes" and is something that is already employed on different levels in parks such in such as in Alton Towers hotel, you have rooms themed to various rides and the crazy golf of AT is themed to different areas of the park. Even when you had Burger Kings and McDonald's, this created parallels with said restaurants through out the world. My problem with this however, is to do with scale...I mean how big should these parallel lands be? This is already being done on a relatively minor scale with Nemesis Inferno (and as someone has already said, with the Sea life centers.) being spun off from the original Nemesis at AT. I like the idea of an Oblivion, (same branding and colour palette) being built at Thorpe or a Stealth being built at AT but you really need 2 to 4 rides at the minimum to class something as a "land" and when you think about how much that would cost when you can make unique rides and themed areas for the same price -you can see why they would do the latter instead. In short I can see a parallel-attraction or 2 happening but not parallel-lands.

[themealgang]

Absolutely has to be Hard Fi with Hard to Beat as it was on the radio as we drove into Alton Towers for the first time back in 2005.

[abigsmurf]

In The Hall of the Mountain King for Alton Towers for Obvious reasons.

A lot of 90's dance music reminds me of evenings spent at Blackpool Pleasure Beach (as it was played all the time on their radio station back then).