RIPCorky
TS Member
No one is sure whether the ride system remains in place or not. They could well be using this building for a scare maze called "Sub Terra" It's possible.
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Nemesis: Sub-Terra
Yep it is possible, although I really hope that it’s not the case.
Either way I’m interested to see what work, if any, has been done since the photos over Christmas showing the work on the queue line, it may give an indication as to what the building will be used for this season (ie the entrance sign could be reinstalled).
RIPCorky
TS Member
Think we'd get some sort of teaser/marketing by now for it. Only a month to go now?
You’d think so yeah but perhaps something will be announced closer to the time, they’ve said further announcements for Nemesis will follow so I suspect it will be in accordance with that. The Curse is clearly the big budget project for this season so I guess that’s where they’re trying to maximise the exposure.
Danscott22
TS Member
The ride system was never removed. Every reliable source (including team members of this forum) have all said the same.
dazza4783
TS Member
I think it is likely we will hear something in the next week or so. With all the press coverage that the park will be getting for The Curse at Alton Manor pop-up you would assume they will want to let everyone know about other new attractions too. When Sub-terra originally opened Ice Age 4D opened at the same time. Sub-terra was probably the main focus but they both got coverage.
Pillaged for parts is something I've heard tho.
RIPCorky
TS Member
Me too
Jb85
TS Member
Just to spark controversy....I have heard the opposite. Its still in place, and has been secretly operating ever since to transport the Phalanx deep underground.
Not at all, just countering the 'all sources say it's there' statement.
Zeock
TS Member
In short, nothing new has happened.
Danscott22
TS Member
Nothing really, the only thing we ever see on overhead shots are about 3/4 cars parked outside the building. I assume work is still taking place inside, obviously with it being indoors, the same as The Curse at Alton Manor, it's hard to tell how much has happened/is happening and when. Still pretty confident about its return though.
Matt N
TS Member
My thought now is that if Sub-Terra returns for this season, it will definitely be more of a footnote, with The Curse at Alton Manor receiving most of the attention.
If it is returning, I am a little surprised that they haven’t announced anything about its return yet, but I guess they probably want the bulk of the attention to be on The Curse at Alton Manor.
I’d also imagine that the changes could perhaps be more limited than some were expecting. If the ride does return, I’m expecting some things to have changed, but the lack of any marketing for it suggests that any changes won’t be overly major if they do happen.
The park have done later announcements before, but the lack of any announcement about Sub-Terra is curious, to say the least…
If it is returning, I am a little surprised that they haven’t announced anything about its return yet, but I guess they probably want the bulk of the attention to be on The Curse at Alton Manor.
I’d also imagine that the changes could perhaps be more limited than some were expecting. If the ride does return, I’m expecting some things to have changed, but the lack of any marketing for it suggests that any changes won’t be overly major if they do happen.
The park have done later announcements before, but the lack of any announcement about Sub-Terra is curious, to say the least…
Curious based on which precedent? The only ride I can think of which had any fanfare about its reopening was The Smiler, which was a pretty different circumstance, but that was only confirmed a couple of weeks ahead of time right?
Could just be that it quietly reopens and gets a couple of social posts at that point, allowing it to quietly disappear again within a couple of seasons (for more "TLC").
Or could even simply not be happening, or held in some kind of strategic reserve if Nemesis being out goes worse than they expect.
Matt N
TS Member
I’d argue that Smiler reopening was slightly different. Smiler was a major coaster that had been shut for less than a year, so it was still firmly ingrained in the public conscious. Its reopening was also unlikely to have entailed any significant CAPEX investment.
Sub-Terra, on the other hand, was a filler attraction that has been shut for 8 years and not even acknowledged by the park for a solid 5, so I wouldn’t mind betting that it would need re-selling to a good percentage of the park’s current guests to justify the investment into reopening it.
For most current Alton Towers visitors, Sub-Terra may as well be a brand new experience if it reopens. That wasn’t the case with things like Smiler and Hex, as these were only shut for a shorter period of time. And in the case of Smiler, it was a major attraction significantly more ingrained into the public conscious.
We don't know what CAPEX has gone in to Subterra (nor what went in to the Smiler for that, it wouldn't have been insignificant though!).
I'm not sure I agree that secondary rides and attractions have to be 'ingrained in the public conscious' either. I'm not sure "Funk n Fly" means anything to an average member of the public, yet significant amounts have been spent making that available for the last 2 seasons.
Matt N
TS Member
I get your point, but the park did still market the RetroSquad to some degree, even if it was a secondary addition for 2021. They also marketed the addition of Spinjam for 2022.
I’m certainly not expecting a full on TV campaign advertising Sub-Terra’s return or anything, but I did wonder if we’d at least see a social media post or two like we had with the RetroSquad.
A month ahead of opening?
The retrosquad marketing seemed to mostly be about generating content for and driving engagement from the park's social media presences than it was for actually getting bums on seats. I expect we'll see similar for Subterra (or whatever they're doing with that building) if and when its opening is confirmed.
The actual primary business justification for the travelling rides (and Subterra if it happens) is creation of ride capacity during a (temporary-ish) shortage.