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Gardaland

QTXAdsy said:
However using live actors for these attractions for the whole season round is just doomed to fail and yet as mentioned already with Merlin having done this so many times yet seem to not learn anything from it defies disbelief. Surely someone up at the top most of noticed this problem?
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I don’t think Black Mirror Labyrinth uses live actors, in fairness. I think it literally just uses some batching hosts and then you’re on your own in the mirror maze itself.

If Jumanji Labyrinth is similar, then I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t just blend in and last as a filler attraction.
 
I'm A Celebrity is on the phone... they want to know why they aren't invited to the Labyrinth party.

Surely the Merlin portfolio is scattered with skeletons of failed and shuttered IP projects like this, why would they waste valuable CAPEX on something that will be closed by 2025? Even if they don't utilize actors, their popularity is short-lived.

Having ridden the Jumanji ride in September this year, I have to say for a Merlin dark ride, it was fairly impressive. There were great bits, and there were average bits, but overall it felt like a fairly impressive ride on the face of it, and was the most popular ride on-park all day.

There are so many shuttered and SBNO rides at Gardaland - they surely would be better off spending some money on getting some of these operating again!
 
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When I visited earlier in the year for the first time, it was clear that the park had some great infrastructure and a stunning setting, with some pretty decent rides too.

Worryingly though there was a clear delineation between a lot of the older infrastructure and the Merlin additions. It felt as though the park was slowly being sterilised by formulaic investments. Jumanji was a prime example of a headline but lacklustre Merlin dark ride. I fear this announcement only indicates this disappointing trend will continue, probably in a short-sighted pursuit of draining as much value from the licence as possible.
 
If it is a scare maze, it does feel like trolling the new CEO. Couldn't he have done something cheaper, like leaving a turd in his locker.
 
Funcone said:
If it is a scare maze, it does feel like trolling the new CEO. Couldn't he have done something cheaper, like leaving a turd in his locker.
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TBF, the new CEO hasn't come in yet and all the things we are seeing that are coming out for release such as Jumanji are all from the current board.

I've no doubt once the new CEO is fully into the role that in the next few years we'll see a different approach for the parks.
 
Funcone said:
If it is a scare maze, it does feel like trolling the new CEO. Couldn't he have done something cheaper, like leaving a turd in his locker.
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Its not going to be a scaremaze, its described as suitable for families of all ages. I expect it will be closer to the Black Mirror one where it is screens and similar with no scare actors.
 
QTXAdsy said:
TBF, the new CEO hasn't come in yet and all the things we are seeing that are coming out for release such as Jumanji are all from the current board.

I've no doubt once the new CEO is fully into the role that in the next few years we'll see a different approach for the parks.
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For the worse perhaps. When they have brought in a CEO with zero themepark experience, but highly skilled in transforming big business. It makes you wonder what is actually going on.
 
Sounds sensible to me. Gives them the opportunity to further expose the main Jumanji ride by keeping the brand front and centre for a second year, using a tiny levels of Capex.

Furthermore, the whole "OMG I can't believe they are doing this again!1!1" thing ... the company that has done it previously is doing it again - naturally, this community can't believe it because it was the other attractions in this space were obviously such a disaster ... the fact that they keep doing them perhaps suggests that Merlin are getting something out of them, whether it be brand exposure, merchandise sales, wins on the 'rides per day' KPI.

They're cheap to build, I don't think they're looking for a long lifespan out of them. I quite enjoyed the Black Mirror thing and so did the group I was with.
 
I agree with @Rick. The fact that Merlin continues to build this type of attraction suggests that they are getting some business value out of them.

Yes, they don’t tend to have the longest lifespans, but perhaps they’re not necessarily meant to?

The CAPEX involved with them must surely be pretty low (I’d take a stab at comfortably under £1m), so Merlin will recoup their investment very quickly, and this type of attraction is never going to be a major draw within a theme park. With that in mind, I can’t imagine that Merlin care an awful lot about them not lasting a very long time, because they’ve already provided more than adequate business value within the lifespan they do last. And it’s not like retooling the attraction with a different IP or theme every few years or so would cost an awful lot, either; once the infrastructure’s there, there’s not an awful lot else to do. It’s like a 4D cinema, where the infrastructure remains for a long time but the show changes every few years.

Given that these IP mazes and walkthroughs do give them something new to sell, I’d actually imagine that they’re quite reliable money spinners in years where budgets are a bit tight following a major investment. And in the case of things like Black Mirror, I can’t imagine that the staff requirement would be all that high, either… aren’t you basically on your own after the initial batching bit?
 
I think it just always seems weird when after about 2 years these kind of attractions end up being limited opening before being mothballed and closed.

Guess they factor that in when building them. But certainly had left a trail of abandoned buildings/areas in their wake
 
Benzin said:
I think it just always seems weird when after about 2 years these kind of attractions end up being limited opening before being mothballed and closed.

Guess they factor that in when building them. But certainly had left a trail of abandoned buildings/areas in their wake
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I don't think this is one of "those kind of attraction". I've not visited but from what I've heard the Black Mirror one only needs batching hosts, its not staff intensive like I'm a Celeb or Saw Alive were. It seems reasonable that Merlin Magic Making are learning and creating more self-guided walk-through attractions.
 
James said:
A copy and paste of Black Mirror Labyrinth with a Jumanji overlay. Can't blame Merlin, it's an easy investment.
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Surely it doesn't have to be the same layout? I also believe that the Jumanji overlay will definitely differentiate it from Black Mirror Labyrinth.
 
Looks like it could be a good addition to the park, what they have done is just use the already existing courtyard and put a maze in the middle, and repaint the buildings. Simple but if executed right could work well!
 
Garda have finally removed Sequoia Magic Loop
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Meanwhile the new for this year Jumnaji Labyrinth has opened - it's basically just a half indoor, half outdoor funhouse really.
 
I'm actually surprised Sequoia Magic Loop has gone. A year ago when I was there it looked like the cars had been serviced and were ready to go back on.
I can't imagine anyone would buy it, so I was sure they did intend to reopen it.
 
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