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[2024] Thorpe Park: Hyperia - Mack Hypercoaster

After the constant changes to the ride it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve spent £25 million on it. Maybe £13 mil initially followed by £10 mil or so on various incarnations.

Hyperia so far appears to be the best investment at Thorpe in a very long time.
 
Bowser said:
I've never been on it, what is the actual ride system? Are there other rides you could compare it to?
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The ride system alone is literally a train simulator. A very good one, granted, but when you look at that as a stand alone fact it is absolutely mental. Trains don't need simulating regardless of other effects and story, you can get on them cheaply and easily and it is in of itself not exciting. Space flight, stunt piloting, hanggliding above orange groves, that's what needs simulating.
 
I struggle to find anything remotely positive to say about DGBT.

Pound for pound it has to be one of the worst theme park investments of all time. Derren Brown was big on TV at the time, but even back then it seemed a slightly strange fit. Even when it worked the capacity way too low and the queue was constantly huge. Even on an off peak they they'd open it late and you'd end up waiting an hour.

I only actually done it once due to all the breakdowns and closures, and the actual ride was quite fun. For all the investment and hype though it was a huge let down.

They really should have cut their losses with it early on instead of lobbing more money at it year on year. Apparently that's why we had years of rubbish new rides like I'm A Celebrity, Black Mirror and Bouncezilla.

Edit: sorry thought this was the Thorpe thread!
 
RicketyCricket said:
rubbish new rides like I'm A Celebrity, Black Mirror and Bouncezilla.

Edit: sorry thought this was the Thorpe thread!
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It's fine just never say anything bad about Bouncezilla again and we'll forgive you.

Hopefully hyperia is going to break the cycle of poor investments, who knows if hyperia is super successful might be the first time thorpe gets over 2 million visitors since 2011 although I'd be amazed.
 
RicketyCricket said:
They really should have cut their losses with it early on instead of lobbing more money at it year on year. Apparently that's why we had years of rubbish new rides like I'm A Celebrity, Black Mirror and Bouncezilla.
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Pedant moment. The I'm a Celebrity attraction opened in 2015, a year before Derren Brown's Ghost Train. It was an awful attraction, but I don't think you can blame the latter for it.

Edit: Fixed typo.
 
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The main thing for Hyperia is, apart from the odd bit of crap, Thorpe should be marketing it better than Swarm. Should get a better return in response to that and hopefully won't be another 12 years between coasters
 
George W said:
We only do that when they redo queue line for subterra or move a can of WD-40
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Poisson said:
The main thing for Hyperia is, apart from the odd bit of crap, Thorpe should be marketing it better than Swarm. Should get a better return in response to that and hopefully won't be another 12 years between coasters
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I would expect another large coaster within the next 5 years. They will want something to push before the possible Universal opening. The island behind Swarm is rumoured to have had ground testing taking place and it would be the logical choice for the next coaster post Hyperia
 
George W said:
It's fine just never say anything bad about Bouncezilla again and we'll forgive you.

Hopefully hyperia is going to break the cycle of poor investments, who knows if hyperia is super successful might be the first time thorpe gets over 2 million visitors since 2011 although I'd be amazed.
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It is possible. Hyperia, Big Easy Boulevard and the Colossus revamp is a certainly a good package of investment.

I agree with you though, they probably won’t.

Paultons Park apparently doubled visitors when Peppa Pig Land opened, and Islands of Adventure got a spectacular increase when the original Wizarding World opened, and so did California Adventure with Cars Land. But to go from 1.5 million to over 2 million in a single season would be very unusual. Particularly with the UK economy where it is.

I do think though that Thorpe Park’s attendance is low when you consider how many days they’re open for each year, and the quality of the coasters. I know that’s partly because they’re lacking in other areas, like general upkeep and live entertainments. But it feels like a park that should be getting more visitors than it is.
 
Relife said:
They will want something to push before the possible Universal opening.
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If they are going to attempt to compete with Universal, they will need more than another ride. They will need infrastructure and hotels to start.

Hyperia's success will no doubt mark the parks strategic direction, but I'd say they will be looking more to capitalise on the day trip market, more than the resort stay market. As such, I'm not sure you will see as much concern at Thorpe as you will at Chessie and Towers - both of which are in the "stay & play" market. Just my thoughts though... who knows what will happen.
 
I think Hyperia will remind Merlin than consistent large investments are needed to stay competitive. Universal would not be able to offer the coaster lineup Thorpe have or will have in the future and that's something of an advantage for Thorpe. I still think they will have another big coaster within the next 5 years but it may also be time to learn look at those hotel plans from years ago.
 
Relife said:
I think Hyperia will remind Merlin than consistent large investments are needed to stay competitive. Universal would not be able to offer the coaster lineup Thorpe have or will have in the future and that's something of an advantage for Thorpe. I still think they will have another big coaster within the next 5 years but it may also be time to learn look at those hotel plans from years ago.
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Although they will be keeping a close eye on the Universal story, plans for this year and beyond will be based on current projections of market conditions until something materially changes. Whatever is planned for the next couple of years would have been drawn up already and will only change when those conditions also change. One of those changes could well be how successful their new coaster turns out to be.
 
Funcone said:
It is possible. Hyperia, Big Easy Boulevard and the Colossus revamp is a certainly a good package of investment.

I agree with you though, they probably won’t.

Paultons Park apparently doubled visitors when Peppa Pig Land opened, and Islands of Adventure got a spectacular increase when the original Wizarding World opened, and so did California Adventure with Cars Land. But to go from 1.5 million to over 2 million in a single season would be very unusual. Particularly with the UK economy where it is.

I do think though that Thorpe Park’s attendance is low when you consider how many days they’re open for each year, and the quality of the coasters. I know that’s partly because they’re lacking in other areas, like general upkeep and live entertainments. But it feels like a park that should be getting more visitors than it is.
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I think famous IP's that encompass entire themed areas like the ones you listed are far more of a draw to crowds than individual rollercoasters, especially long term. They also cover a broader range of demographics than a high thrill rollercoaster with the maximum height restriction.

It was very much the thinking behind tying in Mandrill Mayhem with the Jumanji brand at Chessington, although i'd argue that's a comparatively weak IP. Unless Thorpe Park were including Hyperia within say their new Lord of the Rings area, it's always going to face limitations to mass appeal.

That being said, a good push behind a record breaker can make a notable difference, as we saw in the 90s with The Big One at BPB and the various Alton Towers "World's Firsts".

Unfortunately Hyperia is only breaking UK records and looks like it will have limited theming plus it comes in the same year many UK parks are adding big attractions so i do wonder if the impact on attendance is going to be significant.
 
Relife said:
I think Hyperia will remind Merlin than consistent large investments are needed to stay competitive. Universal would not be able to offer the coaster lineup Thorpe have or will have in the future and that's something of an advantage for Thorpe. I still think they will have another big coaster within the next 5 years but it may also be time to learn look at those hotel plans from years ago.
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Yes I agree, Thorpe need to consider a proper hotel again as well as continuing to add the smaller family attractions so there are at least a few coasters for those at 1.2m in case families are bring a range of kids. Removing Walking Dead and restoring X (or replacing with a new coaster in the dark) would be a good move too.
 
I struggle to see how they can make the business case for a full blown hotel stack up at Thorpe Park.

The fact the park is shut for nearly 5 months out of 12 with no other draw for people to stay out of season it would struggle to pay its way.

The traditional option of pushing corporate events during quiet times has significantly reduced since covid, that market has dropped a lot because companies just do a giant zoom call now.

Since Merlin are planning on spending £30million on a new water park at Chessington only 10 miles away I can’t see there being enough demand for 2 water parks in such close proximity, so that rules out that option.

I think they are just better off focusing on being a solid day park, with a few rooms for the minority of guests that have a desire to stay over.
 
Bowser said:
I think famous IP's that encompass entire themed areas like the ones you listed are far more of a draw to crowds than individual rollercoasters, especially long term. They also cover a broader range of demographics than a high thrill rollercoaster with the maximum height restriction.
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The main issue with IP is longevity. The majority of evergreen IPs have gone and it's extremely difficult to predict the next big one. You've used Jumanji as an example and rightly pointed out it's rather a weak choice, which it is, considering that the last film in the franchise was quite a bit ago now (5 years ago). When the World of Jumanji was being designed and consulted on though it was a hot IP. It takes many years from concept to realisation and with how flash in the pan a franchise can be IPs are always risky and you end up with areas, or rides, that seem dated. Angry Birds would be a good example.
 
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