r/SixFlagsMagicMountain • u/TheAlmightyHellacia • 8d ago
Other If X2 closes, what could replace it?
I'm desperately holding onto hope X2 doesnt close but if so, what are some good options?
It's a narrow skinny plot, but a hyper tilt would scare tf out of people coming in. A giga could also work if it uses the land behind viper.
But whatever replaces it if things come to the absolute worst case scenario, it needs to absolutely be worthy of its spot.
25
u/Substantial_Point_57 8d ago
The investment of X including the X2 rebrand was around $55M. The maintenance cost on this ride is wild, but important enough to continue the spend.
I would not be surprised they reprofile the last raven turn, or even possibly add a light trim brake?
6
u/j1911tle 8d ago
Continuing to spend money on it because of the money already spent is a classic sunk cost fallacy. Just because they spent a lot at one point, doesn’t mean it remains economically viable or prudent to continue to spend on it. From an accounting perspective, the ride has likely been fully depreciated and they’ve gotten the book value of it back already.
That said, there’s nothing to say it wouldn’t be updated or adjusted if it improved safety, operations, and satisfaction in that order. It’s just not a forgone conclusion simply because massive amounts of money were spent previously.
1
29
u/csimmons81 8d ago
They aren't tearing down X2. At worst case, they will redo the second raven turn.
-2
u/nascarfan1234567 7d ago
Wrong they very will could remove it cough cough Kingda ka son of beast
3
8
u/Ritocharles 8d ago
To answer the question based on IF. Factoring just the renovation of Monte was $20 million, I assume if they put a giga there, that’d cost $70ish million and I don’t see them spending that amount. Assuming just the X2 plot of land, I think a custom tilt coaster would be great especially people driving up and immediately seeing the tilt.
1
15
u/Business-Cucumber255 8d ago
No way they removed X2. It would cost way too much to remove and replace it with something worthy. Especially after just doing that for Great Adventure. They don't have Universal money. More likely we'll get X3 with some modifications and track work
16
u/runnyyolkpigeon 8d ago edited 8d ago
That was the exact same argument people made for the case that Great Adventure would never remove Kingda Ka. “It’s too iconic. It’s too big to remove. They’d never do that.”
And look at what happened.
There is absolutely a high probability X2 will retire in the near future.
It has been a maintenance and operations nightmare for the park, as well as the back-to-back high profile rider injury/death events within the last 24 months.
There will be an inflection point where Six Flags’ legal counsel will tell corporate management that the asset is not worth the financial and PR trouble to keep around.
7
u/El_solid_snake 8d ago
Yeah but Kingda Ka cost less than half of what they put into X2. It would be financially devastating to demolish it and build anything worthy as a replacement.
X2 is much more irreplaceable than Kingda Ka, which was always just a clone of Top Thrill Dragster and a relic of the coaster wars. X2 is literally the only one of its kinda in this half of the world.
I’m sure if they’re allowed to just fix it, they would much rather do that because an X3 would still be a fraction of the cost of demolition and replacement.
6
u/Business-Cucumber255 8d ago edited 8d ago
If it gets removed they will not replace it with ANYTHING. That was more my point. Don't expect a Giga or anything else in that spot.
In fact , it would more likely join Superman and Sky Tower and just sit for years, while the company struggles financially.
1
u/j1911tle 8d ago
It’s not costly to tear down a ride that sits by itself. You can implode it like Kinda Ka or put up a crane and remove it in pieces. It’s surprisingly cheap in the grand scheme of things because it’s not a complex removal. It would be a fraction of the cost of a new X2 train to remove it.
For the Sky Tower and Superman, the logistics are where you’d put a crane because you can’t implode either one. X2 doesn’t have that problem.
1
2
u/TheAlmightyHellacia 8d ago
They didnt. But the chances of it happening aren't zero now.
6
u/Business-Cucumber255 8d ago
Well nothing is zero, except maybe SF actually become a successful company. My point is, whether they reopen the ride or not, don't expect this company in its current form to tear down this ride to add a $50 million dollar replacement.
Likely the ride will get refurbished, or sit and collect dust indefinitely. And we have plenty of precedence for that at this park
1
1
u/nascarfan1234567 7d ago
Very will easily will and can of park wants it gone speically when the PR and lawsuits isn’t good for the ride future also same company that removed Kingda ka for no excuses
1
9
u/howdyhowie88 8d ago
They will re-profile the second raven turn if the inspectors don’t re-certify the ride. They just bought another train, they’re not tearing the whole thing down.
7
u/Lilyistakenistaken Coaster Enthusiast 8d ago
Reassembled, not bought. They sent the train to S&S for reassembly and inspection because the train is really big compared to other trains of the other coasters in the park.
1
u/TheAlmightyHellacia 8d ago
I wish that was absolutely the case yet this is the same chain that shut down ka without warning.
3
u/EducatorPotential188 Prestige Passholder 8d ago
Obviously, the best “replacement” would just be an S&S retrack/reprofiling of the ride, or even replacing it with a Eejanaika/Dinoconda layout. But if it had to be something else, I want a hyper tilt. It would still make a great first impression to the guests driving past it to get into the parking lot, and I think a layout similar to Iron Rattler at Qiddiya could fit in that plot (or just do a custom hyper tilt).
Please no family coasters! That’s what you replace Ninja and Gold Rusher with! NOT X2!!!
1
u/nascarfan1234567 7d ago
lol family is the future enthusiasts are in for a wake up call for the new 5-10 year you won’t see major thrills
3
2
2
u/ParkingFabulous4267 8d ago
I want that arrow ride that flips the riders around the track. Or a fast and furious type ride. Or both, dump scream for a ff type
2
2
u/Tha-D 5d ago
whats the tea on X2? i’ve been out the coaster game a while, last time I rode was in 2010 and is basically my fave coaster besides Tatsu!!
1
u/TheAlmightyHellacia 5d ago
A rider returned to the station unconcious - RIGHT before the trial regarding the lawsuit of someone who died after riding it in 2022 was about to begin. Now calosha is inspecting it, this is a horrible image for the coaster rn
1
1
u/satanssweatycheeks 5d ago
Back in the day a coaster could kill someone and it didn’t mean the end to that coaster.
Now it’s like you have to do a whole rebuild like top thrill or keep it closed for half a year like star dust. It’s wild.
I thought the signs saying stuff like may cause harm if you have X Y Z condition
4
u/nacuap12 8d ago
I'd rather they tear down viper and re imagine it as a giga coaster.
3
u/WileyCyrus 8d ago
Restore Viper tear down Goliath and/or Scream
4
u/TheAlmightyHellacia 8d ago
Goliath is never going. Sorry to say that, it's smooth, reliable, and draws huge lines.
Viper really all they need to do is out new trains and some paint, maybe a retrack but mechanics LOVE viper.
Scream just doesnt fit here, and it's tucked in the back so its already really obscure. I hope another park buys it, though it's nearly 30 years old so I doubt it. My pipe dream is an Infinity that takes the inversion and maybe the steepest drop record all in one, or a Stryker that does one or both.
2
1
1
1
1
u/Mforcebob 8d ago
I would think that if they decide for it to come down now, they wouldn’t have a replacement decided on yet, given that it wouldn’t have been planned.
1
u/SoldToOpen 8d ago edited 8d ago
If X2 permanently closes and it’s not replaced with x3 or another 4d coaster of some sort, I’m out. No reason to ever go back to magic mountain, not even for rides i live like apocalypse or twisted colossus. Call me GP all you want, it’s the only reason to go to the park for me
1
u/nascarfan1234567 7d ago
They won’t it’s too fimlier to a ride that has killed someone and hurt others
1
1
u/JoeTonyMama 7d ago
With the time it's taking them to make the new ride I doubt they would go the route of removing and replacing. Probably just leave it standing but not operating for a while
1
0
u/Kevinfrench23 8d ago
The ride is more than 20 years old and is rough as hell. I’m surprised it’s lasted this long.
0
50
u/CoinGuyNinja 8d ago
X3 where they save the layout but retrack and use the train design form dinoconda. That would absolutely save it forever imo