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I just got off a little bit ago and I must say the attention to detail was a very good . The interactive flashlights (which I was unsure how that would work) turned out very fun and kids are going to absolutely love it. All in all, I think they now have a new hit at Kings Island that will create family memories for generations to come.

Here just to post about my excitement!! I still struggle to grasp the idea that they brought Phantom Theater back. It is something I never thought would happen! I can't think of any theme park ride given a second life like this. I always thought it was dead and gone. I fly up there from Orlando on Friday, at the park on Saturday. Just, wow. I will be buying a lot of the merch!! My mind just wont give it a rest haha

Yes, red lights on the arms and then under the seats the traditional green and yellow lights. It is very bright.

I might be wrong but I noticed this in the ride and Isn’t that the original bust from the queue? Picture and video courtesy of melanin coaster network

Did anybody else notice the park didn't put up any signs at all for the grand carousel's 100th anniversary? The park probably realized they would have to use something other than AI to honor that type of anniversary.

I take back almost everything I said about current park management the last few weeks! Thank you Tony and team for bringing back the orchestral music!

Happy to report that the music on I Street has been changed.

Well since this thread is about to come to an end I want to thank everyone for another fun offseason of watching this come to life! Onto the next project whatever that might be!

Man. Looking better and better with every new glimpse we get. Loved getting a few glimpses at some yet to be seen, new versions of old characters. Gonna be a long week. Few screen grabs. Some clearer images of things we’ve kind of seen. Some new. Obviously spoilers, but nothing too crazy.

Honestly, I don't really care if it looks like a castle or a theater. I do kinda wish they changed up the front a little besides some new paint and exterior details. But as long as the inside of the ride is good, the exterior doesn't really matter to me. And the GP will just see an abandoned/creepy building and think it's cool. The actual ride experience is what really matters. But I will say I really do like the new look of the castle/theater facade entrance! I like the maroon-ish color. Can't wait to ride this!!!

Prague's National Theatre has a stone bridge leading to that theater believe it or not.

At first, I found the presence of soaps and the like pleasant as I saw that stuff at Sweet Spot but you have helped me realize the other side to it. Its clear between this and the AI slop shirts that are present that corporate doesnt care whether the products sold in stores look good and full of life. Corporate wants products that sell and thats it. Which means putting out things that are generic and/or AI slop generated instead of things that clearly had lots of effort put into them by graphic designers and the like. By working to cut costs so much, they have completely lost the points on why parks exist and why they continue to exist. If I had the power for just one day to have Cedar Flags do exactly what I want, I know precisely what kind of things I would make them make happen. Having it so they are creative people like illustrators and writers on the board of directors, for example. At least the quality of Sweet Spot treats remains excellent. It helps the kitchen and equipment for making the sweets is right there and if corporate tried to mess with what Sweet Spot has had going for so long, it would not end well. Fresh treats are important for a park to have, especially when so many mass produced treats have such a repetitive taste that is often really enjoyable at first until the satisfaction and joy diminishes as an example of the law of diminishing value. Corporatizing things only makes the world less full of life and diminishes the experiences that bring people to places like Kings Island. It is plastering a dull vibe and energy that is inconsistent with the life the arts and entertainment bring to society. And without the arts, the very meaning of what it means to be human could very well vanish. Art is ever present within Kings Island because posters, ride logos, fonts, treats, foods, drinks, inventions, rides, floral arrangements, and so on are all forms of artist expression when you get down to it. Creativity is why things like all the ride and coaster types in the world have ever been invented. Societies worldwide would not exist without creativity. And all of this is something corporate does not understand and does not want to understand.

Your comment about the voice acting is interesting—Richard Doyle does reprise his role as Maestro in this ride. So I would say that’s as authentic as you can get. I think the music definitely needs more fine-tuning. They turned it off on Thursday so they could film on-rides for media day, but while they turned it back on in the queue, I don’t think they turned it on the ride as of yesterday.

I don't think we've seen an opening day line this long since Orion or even Mystic. Bravo to the park for hyping everyone up for this! I can only imagine the opening day line for whenever The Vortex replacement happens if they hype it up right....

Here’s my initial thoughts after my first ride (spoilered just in case): I’ll probably have an essay to put here later tonight, but I wanted to get my first thoughts out there. The ride also took 18 minutes to complete lmao.

Another easter egg? 🤔

I watched the POV because I'm not sure when/if we're making it down to KI this year (think we're trying Dollywood instead). I won't spoil anything. But I'm beyond impressed. When this was announced, I really thought it was going to be a cheap Boo Blasters overlay or very screen-based. But the use of animatronics is great, and they've really put a lot of work into using projections, physical effects and new sets to make the ride look new and fresh. And I love that they've found ways to incorporate things from the old ride alongside new surprises. I think this is going to be a huge hit. Kudos to KI on this one; it looks like they pulled off something special.

I am speechless in seeing the new ride... it looks amazing! Also I think I spotted an Easter egg in this picture in case anybody else didn't catch it! 😄

I don’t know what I, whom is trying to avoid any new spoilers in the last ~38 hours before I’ll get to experience it, expected when I clicked on this. As such I’ll probably be offline until Friday (not that anyone asked), but like it’s still so surreal that this attraction I’ve been so obsessed with for 15+ years is finally returning which such a loving tribute. I’m so excited to finally be able to experience this world, as I never got to ride the original. I think from what I’ve seen so far, this is possibly the best dark ride KI or any six flags park has ever had. Hopefully by Friday I’m not proven wrong.

And the fence is gone.

Looks like the ribbons are going up on the trusses

We need to keep the fireworks. I understand they are expensive and not necessary and most people leave at 9 instead of 10 but they are tradition...and we are one of the few if not the only park in the Taft/Paramount group that still does nightly summer fireworks. Hoping the fireworks can stay and if they do need to cut back maybe they could move to Fri, Sat, Sun fireworks nights? Not that I want them to do that but I'm saying please don't get rid of them altogether

I doubt this would ever happen, but if Kings Island doesn't plan on removing Invertigo anytime soon, would it be possible they could order a new train from Vekoma? It would be similar to how some parks have bought new trains for their SLCs, though obviously it would have to be modified to be able to work with a Vekoma Invertigo model. The park could also tie this in with a retheme to Screamin' Demon to pay homage to that former attraction, which also went forwards and backwards.

I feel the line will be the story of this ride this whole season. I think we can expect a full queue for it everyday this season including weekdays. I even think the extended portion will be used most of the season as well. Hopefully if this is the case that the park and corporate will look at it and see the value of indoor attractions and look to do something in the Crypt building and/or Action Theater in the future that doesn't involve Haunt.

My review: https://themeparksbydon.com/kings-island-phantom-theater-opening-nightmare-review/

As they should.

There is a reason I did not post the AI designs on the KIC social channels. The channels that did, the replies are nothing but negative feedback on the designs.

I was looking at the merch and this one really popped out. Sorry the shirt is not flat for the best look of the logo. Does the normal park guest not realize or care the train's placement is not practical and makes no sense?

Removing the elevator attendant is kinda like removing the park ambassadors. Seen on the bottom line, but lots of intangibles that cannot be measured are now gone. Anyone that has worked the elevator attendant position can attest to the guest interaction that you got (and more so than probably any other associate position in the park) and undoubtedly had positive impacts on a guest's experience that day in the park. Whether it be answering a question, offering up ride or food suggestions, to just maybe listening to them vent a little bit if they had a bad day, it is all valuable interaction that is now gone.

it’s great that there’s such a high interest in this ride Practically every person in the world can ride this ride. A smaller % of the population can ride coasters. So it would be logical that this ride may attract more people. Maybe these parks will start figuring out that if they put in more attractions that everybody can ride, their attendance will quit being stagnant

Long read and... I know that I tend to be very critical of things I care about.. so to partially counter that, I made myself go back n forth for negative and positve thoughts. From videos before riding: 👎 We use flashlights.. but lack a 'lights out' scene. 👍 A nice shooting system that works, and has sounds and haptics to confirm points 👎 The Opera lady doesn't sing operatically.. doesnt sound serious, originally it was a powerful vocal that, when paired with the cracking mirror felt intense. I wish they had a lady that sang "properly". This voice is kind of.. annoying, i hesitate to say. 👍 The queue has lightning in the windows 👎 The Facade wasn't truly redone 👍 Many animitronics 👎 Too many reused assets from boo blasters.. Scooby to Boo was understandable as it was a required redo while the entire park redone.. but at least phantom to Scooby did, albeit less dazzling, mostly new effects. 👍 the boiler scene returns! 👎 There's no pepper's ghost effect & in its old location is all the characters, admittedly moving, but in one place.. on an empty stage.. peppers ghost wouldve been cooler as a static display if they had the whole audience area depicted like the OG 👍 There are some callbacks/ redos of the OG on even small-detail scales. The Gargoyl, the guy caught in the ropes, the mummy. 👎 The ride aint spooky at all.. I understand making it more family friendly for younger ages too but, I was 4 when I started riding & remembering Phantom Theatre and I still really liked it.. I feel we couldve gone more ghoulish than this.. afterall they went and put "Nightmare" on the ride title. 👍 The ride vehicles are paired with one other vehicle now allowing for a fresher riding configuration and, in theory, allowing for longer audio sequences without hearing the other groups' scene. 👎 connected to previous positive-- No Legs Larry repeats his first line loudly twice for some reason at the beginning 👍 They attempt a decent story for why you're shooting these ghost notes 👎 no legs larry, should be sassy and making puns that are slightly spooky themed like in the show's opening meet n greet.. thats why ppl loved him 👍 maestro says "youll be back" 👎 the audio repeats way too frequently for the showboxes being more spread out than before.. tocatta in d minor & "back on the stage once again". 👍 projection mapping After riding 👍 The shooting system was much more responsive and satisfying than expected 👎 There are several moments where there's nothing happening 👍 The windows in queue have thematic lighting 👎 The 2nd buggy in the "train" doesnt get the best views because the cars don't rotate to look at the same time.. wouldve liked the cars to stay separately spaced since none of the scenes needed to last super long anyways.. the reused ride can only rotate at certain moments on the track.. car 1 and car 2 can never be triangulated on the same moment, because they will experience the exact same physical movements.. wouldve liked the system to program in different rotation points also. OG phantom had different rotations compared to scooby... but ever since scooby, its been the same. This was a good chance to change it up. 👍 The indoor queue can fit more people and yet still does not feel cramped so the line will be out in the hot sun less often. 👎 The castle has gashes in the concrete already 👍nice easter eggs throughout including invered bust, The Beastie vulture etc 👎REALLY shouldve brought the peppers ghost effect back 👍Boo Blasters is gone! 👎 Volume on No Legs Larry incomprehensible in most places in the queue yet the cats meowing hurts my ears its so loud. 👍 The bats on the metal railing are nicee 👎 The boiler scene had nothing happening with the 2 guys, no notes going in.. then the secondary portion.. you dont get blasted with heat. (Many complained of it being hot.. but its still a better effect with the heat) 👍 The new tangled in the ropes scene is superior 👎 The 2-carriage showbox configuration ultimately led to my experience having 1 or 2 times where the dialogue/ action finishes early because it was designed for the 1st car to see. I remember the notes changing a little early once. Since the cars cant be made to rotate to triangulate on the same scene.. I think they should've kept the cars equally spaced out. Nothing lasted so long to need the extra spacing from my quick impression *shrug* 👍 the haptics when you capture a ghost note is great 👎 Larry's intro dialogue need to go through the carriage speakers instead of loudy screaming it twice within 3 seconds.. the riders hear both iterations. 👍 despite wishing for a "lights out"moment.. i actually like the choice of that same character now turning up the lights to try to help get rid of the notes.. though, I wouldve opted for a flood light moment then haha.. maybe a quick strobe disguising a photo op -- Overall, Im so very glad to finally get rid of Scooby/ Boo Blasters. I remember the debut of Scooby as a 7 year old and being severely disappointed lol I have always joked "I was the target demographic.. and scooby doo was a lame addition as a 7 year old that actually DOES like scooby doo" Outside of my whining, this ride is very acceptable. Bringing a (for now) well operating shooting system that doesnt feel clunky & gives you great visual and physical feedback. I think kids as old as 13 will very much enjoy this ride as it is.. but, I think it leaned a bit too much into family friendly that it doesnt excite for older guests as much (except YOU who's reading this disagreeing). I mean the ride has "Nightmare" in the name.. probably a difficult balance. Ive heard people say kids used to get really scared of the old one but, Im coming from being maybe 3 or 4 and I dont remember ever being scared; my parents have never reported me crying from OG phantom *shrug* Im glad to see most people posting are fans of it (assuming mostly adults have been posting) I wish I was amongst the crew with mostly positive things to say. Tis my nature. But, Im glad the park put it the effort to give us a ride inspired by something that arguably was one of the best attractions to ever grace Kings Island. Let's all agree to keep it Phantom Theater forever now haha Ill be sure to ride this every time... the line is not crazy.

I don't know if the popcorn scent wasn't working yesterday when I was there, but I did not smell any sort of popcorn scent in that section of the queue. I agree with your point about the animatronics and the risk of unruly kids potentially destroying them. When I first saw photos of Larry in there while the ride was under construction, my first thought was I was afraid that unruly kids may throw objects at him and/or go behind the barrier and try and touch him. I really hope they enforce zero tolerance of any sort of interfering with the animatronics in the queue and I really hope in 5-10 years they're still on top of the animatronics and it doesn't become one of those rides where some stuff is working and some isn't like Boo Blasters was.

So not only is it raining, but the temperature dropped significantly. Kind of an ugly, miserable rain. Phantom Theater is a HUGE improvement over Boo Blasters. I do prefer the original due to nostalgia, but the new one is good. Beast's retrack is solid. A bit more laterals starting the drop into the helix and the trim is smoother.

IAAPA News goes behind the curtain at Kings Island--and Sally Dark Rides--to discover how the newest incarnation came to be. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRflPyJjp50

I just heard Hoedown by Aaron Copland, an old track that played during the KECO era.

I definitely heard the Gone With The Wind theme.

Unreal. Totally in shock. Loved the whole thing.

I was wondering if that would be an issue just with the amount of people in the lobby que area. Hopefully they can fine tune it as they go

Still in line…. Totally surreal. 3 hour wait. Popcorn scent in front of the “snack bar” is a nice touch!

Headed to Kings Island this weekend? Have a good day—if you choose to. Most days, whether it's a good one or not is up to us. Some things during your visit will be beyond the park's control, but how you respond to them will ultimately decide the kind of day you have.

I’m getting hungry….

It's almost time to raise the curtain....

Having so many programmable LED show lights can be a challenge to keep functioning, especially ones that are kept outside and are in hard to reach or annoying places. In personal experience, it only takes one signal pin to get corroded or lose connection for a light to completely change color or get out of sync with show programming.

The monster has cars installed!

I was hoping for a hat! As we won't be there until the end of May... fingers crossed they don't sell out! 🤞

Merch Drop… A few pics with some out of focus views of the facade. Looks like the “teeth” are gone from the entrance. Looking good. Get a quick glimpse of the new outdoor queue and merch cart as well. 2 1/2 days… Not that I’m counting. @kingsislandfan1972 looks like your hat wishes are coming true.

And sadly it looks like the Kings Island Theater will be dark during the peak summer season. I really hope we see something else in there after Brad leaves. KI really needs that indoor AC during that peak July/August heatwave!

The Sally Dark Rides newsletter today featured this great video with interviews, concept art, and footage of the attraction's development:

New small look from KI’s instagram story which confirms there is a built in extended queue (which I hate short term because I am dreading any long wait times) but I know that the Boo Blaster’s queue did spill out frequently during the busier days, so this should save the employees from having to bring out temporary barriers.

I for one am hoping that they bring back in an on ride photo of sorts, I think that is a nice souvenir that is something you can take with you for cheap