Combating a plummeting inventory worth and a decline in revenues, Six Flags Leisure Corp. named a brand new CEO Monday, weeks after firm officers instructed they’d promote extra underperforming theme parks.
Six Flags introduced John Reilly, a veteran theme park operator, as its new president and CEO. He had served as an interim CEO and chief working officer at SeaWorld Parks and Leisure up to now.
Reilly is taking the reins of the struggling Charlotte, N.C.-based firm that operates Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park and Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia.
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” stated Martin Lewison, affiliate professor of enterprise administration for Farmingdale State School in New York, who can also be a Six Flags shareholder.
Since its merger with Cedar Honest Leisure Firm final 12 months, Six Flags has upset some parkgoers with its cost-cutting efforts, together with transferring to a regional administration mannequin the place park presidents at Knott’s Berry Farm and Magic Mountain have been laid off. At some parks, stay leisure was diminished or principally canceled, and a few seasonal occasions didn’t return this 12 months, reminiscent of WinterFest and Methods and Treats at California’s Nice America in Santa Clara.
Lewison stated his personal expertise has been spotty at Six Flags parks, and two points the corporate might want to handle are the way it desires to model itself, and whether or not it desires its theme parks to be family-oriented or thrill-oriented.
“The company is just sort of a mishmash of a brand right now,” Lewison stated.
Whereas the vacations is usually a huge driver of site visitors to Southern California theme parks like Disneyland, Six Flags’ regional parks have skilled some challenges, Lewison stated.
At Six Flags, revenues and earnings have been down within the third quarter in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months, and there have been fewer guests in October in comparison with the identical month in 2024. Executives earlier this month instructed they’re taking a stronger have a look at closing and promoting off extra of its underperforming theme parks.
In an earnings name earlier this month, Brian Witherow, chief monetary officer for Six Flags, stated sure parks that characterize 70% of the corporate’s earnings are outperforming, whereas its different parks are struggling.
Witherow stated the corporate had invested extra money in upkeep to enhance the visitor expertise on the underperforming parks, “but did not yet achieve the commensurate uplift in profits we were targeting.”
In a pair of examples, Witherow cited a “historically well-maintained” theme park “with a loyal customer base,” the place the corporate was in a position to “minimize costs without impacting consumer demand or the guest experience,” and earnings grew 14%. Then, he cited an underperforming park, the place, regardless of vital spending to deal with deferred funding wants, earnings fell considerably.
“Going forward, we intend to be more nimble and strategic in allocating investment dollars, focusing only on our highest potential underperforming parks and the strongest opportunities to deliver near-term returns,” Witherow stated. He declined to record which parks have been underperforming.
Witherow stated it’s a precedence for Six Flags to slender its focus “and shrink our capital needs.”
“We’re going to look at the parks where our returns are the greatest, where the opportunities for growth are the highest, and we’re going to focus on those parks. The other parks we’ll look to monetize and use those proceeds to reduce debt,” Witherow stated.
Within the third quarter, Six Flags’ underperforming parks noticed attendance decline 5%, Witherow stated.
The corporate this month completely shuttered its Six Flags America theme park and Hurricane Harbor water park in Bowie, Md., and can put up the land on the market. In Northern California, California’s Nice America is about to shut within the coming years, with its remaining season both in 2027 or in 2032, relying on whether or not the corporate workouts an possibility to increase its lease by a further 5 years.
Might Six Flags be contemplating promoting both of its parks in Southern California? Not right now, Witherow instructed.
A few of Six Flags’ parks which have excessive property values are in Southern California, in addition to Toronto, however these are parks that “are critical to the long-term growth of the business,” Witherow stated. A sale of these properties, “I think from that perspective, would not be something, at least where we sit today, that we would be interested in pursuing.”
Reilly succeeds Richard A. Zimmerman, who introduced his plans in August to step down as Six Flags’ president and CEO and can go away the board on Dec. 8.
Reilly will be part of the corporate at a time when it’s going through strain from activist buyers like New York-based Jana Companions to enhance its operations. Final month, NFL soccer participant Travis Kelce joined an funding coalition — which incorporates Jana Companions — that owns about 9% of Six Flags.
Jana has stated it plans to interact with Six Flags’ board and administration crew to enhance the corporate’s advertising and marketing technique and operations, speed up expertise modernization, assess its management and consider potential acquisitions.
Zimmerman, within the earnings name, stated the corporate has an “ongoing constructive engagement” with the funding group led by Jana Companions, which incorporates Kelce. He stated following the announcement of the group’s curiosity in Six Flags, there was a surge of shopper curiosity, a response that “reinforces our confidence that Six Flags is as exciting and relevant as ever.”
“Travis Kelce, influencers of that ilk, have tremendous followings,” Zimmerman stated. “Travis Kelce is somebody that’s come to our parks in many of our locations and has an affinity for them. We are going to work very closely with him and his team to make sure that we optimize that opportunity.”
For the third quarter, web revenues have been $1.32 billion, down $31 million, or 2% in contrast with the third quarter of 2024. Adjusted earnings earlier than curiosity, taxes, depreciation and amortization was $555 million, down by $3 million.
That got here regardless of attendance totaling 21.1 million friends, up 1%. One warning signal was a decline in how a lot friends have been spending contained in the theme parks, with extra season move holders visiting however fewer single-day guests.
There have been extra warning indicators in October. For the five-week interval that ended Nov. 2, there have been 5.8 million friends, down 11% in comparison with the identical five-week interval final 12 months.
Six Flags shares closed Monday at $14.44, up 7%. Its 52-week excessive was $49.77.
