Disney CEO Bob Iger wasn’t the only theme park leader who had to meet investors this week. Six Flags Entertainment CEO Richard Zimmerman met investors just days after the company announced the closing of Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor in Bowie, Maryland, after the 2025 season.
This is the first season after the merger between Six Flags and Cedar Fair, and expectations were high for the combined company and its 42 parks. Zimmerman announced that the new Six Flags Entertainment saw an additional $102 million in revenue over the first quarter of 2024; however, that came in 393 operational days as opposed to only 117 operating days in 2024.
The late Easter holiday this year allowed the parks around the country to open earlier. The parks also saw an increase of six percent in season pass sails, which will enable guests entrance to all Six Flags Parks.
However, Zimmerman’s major announcement was a 10 percent reduction in corporate staff. Zimmerman did not mention which corporate positions would be cut, but he did say that this would save the company more than $16 million over its initial estimates.
Zimmerman said:
These changes and others we have underway. It will create new opportunities for the next generation of leadership within the company, support the cultivation of talent across the organization, and meaningfully reduce costs.
The primary concern for theme park fans is the possibility of Six Flags closing their local park. The combination of Six Flags and Cedar Fair creates some redundancy, which fans feared would force the closure of their local park.
A list of possible closures leaked earlier this year. Six Flags America was not on that list, so it was a shock when its closure was announced.
While Zimmerman said Six Flags has no plans to close more parks, the company did sell some land adjacent to Kings Dominion in Virginia. The land sale will not impact Kings Dominion’s operating schedule.
Zimmerman said:
As it relates to future divestiture of assets, we don’t have any plans to close any additional parks at this time. We will continue to evaluate all options and consider other potential transactions to enhance shareholder value. In the meantime, we are excited at the prospect of operating all 42 of our parks for the 2025 season.
Despite the increase in operating days, Six Flags parks only saw a one percent increase in attendance during the first quarter of 2025.
Six Flags will host an Investors Day on May 20. Zimmerman plans to outline the company’s growth initiative through 2028 during that event, and fans will make big announcements about the parks’ future.
Are you concerned Six Flags’ cuts could impact park operations? Let us know in the comments.
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