Bye bye, Boo Blasters

[johnjniehaus]

In general Kings Island is still in much better shape in terms of investment than most six flags and Cedar Fair parks located in mid size Midwest cities. I sometimes look at it in terms of was whatever they did an improvement over what was there previously? For example Franklin Flyers and Space Buggies replaced snoopy splash dance. Definitely an upgrade. Mystic Timbers was better than not having anything over there. Antique Autos replace Dinosaurs Alive entrance. 100% better. Orion replaced Firehawk which was an upgrade. Adventure Port replaced slingshot definitely an upgrade. Camp Snoopy replaced unused space so naturally an upgrade. Sure we lost Vortex and the drone show hasn't justified it's removal to me but that's one change the park has seen in the past decade that wasn't positive. We got a fantastic 50th anniversary season and in general while there's always room for improvement, the park has been trending in the right direction with the replacement rides being better than whatever was there before. Sure the new rides aren't as good as the real original ones from the 70s but sometimes having it back in some fashion is better than not having it. Would you rather have Kings Mills Antique Autos or just not have an antique car ride? The originals are never coming back as we knew them and anyone saying they'd just prefer not to have a new ride because it's not as good as the original ride it's similar to is crazy 

[johnjniehaus]

In general Kings Island is still in much better shape in terms of investment than most six flags and Cedar Fair parks located in mid size Midwest cities. I sometimes look at it in terms of was whatever they did an improvement over what was there previously? For example Franklin Flyers and Space Buggies replaced snoopy splash dance. Definitely an upgrade. Mystic Timbers was better than not having anything over there. Antique Autos replace Dinosaurs Alive entrance. 100% better. Orion replaced Firehawk which was an upgrade. Adventure Port replaced slingshot definitely an upgrade. Camp Snoopy replaced unused space so naturally an upgrade. Sure we lost Vortex and the drone show hasn't justified it's removal to me but that's one change the park has seen in the past decade that wasn't positive. We got a fantastic 50th anniversary season and in general while there's always room for improvement, the park has been trending in the right direction with the replacement rides being better than whatever was there before. Sure the new rides aren't as good as the real original ones from the 70s but sometimes having it back in some fashion is better than not having it. Would you rather have Kings Mills Antique Autos or just not have an antique car ride? The originals are never coming back as we knew them and anyone saying they'd just prefer not to have a new ride because it's not as good as the original ride it's similar to is crazy 

[disco2000]

The big concern I have if Phantom Theater comes back is everyone's memory and fondness of something usually grows bigger than it was and may result in a letdown.

While I have fond memories of it as well, I suspect if they put in an exact replica of it in its glory days and everything brand new, people now would be underwhelmed.

I hope I am wrong, but I suspect there will be a lot of Negative Nancy comments if PT returns as it won't live up to the memory and hype people have created for it.

[Captain Nemo]

Indoor Projects like these always intrigue me. No drone or aerial photography is going to give much away which imo makes them all the more mysterious. 
when a rollercoasters is announced everyone can speculate about what the experience will be like. We get POVs, outdoor construction, etc. Dark Rides in general are always more mysterious when you have no idea of what ride experience you are even in line for. 

[kingsislandfan1972]

1 hour ago, disco2000 said:

The big concern I have if Phantom Theater comes back is everyone's memory and fondness of something usually grows bigger than it was and may result in a letdown.

While I have fond memories of it as well, I suspect if they put in an exact replica of it in its glory days and everything brand new, people now would be underwhelmed.

I hope I am wrong, but I suspect there will be a lot of Negative Nancy comments if PT returns as it won't live up to the memory and hype people have created for it.

I doubt its going to be an exact replica but if it is with today's technology I would appreciate that as well as many other people. I do agree it wouldn't impress everyone possibly the younger generation think the majority would be happy about it.

The example of a dark ride done right after returning so many years later is at Six Flags Texas "Pirates Of Speelunker Cave" which if you are familiar with was a dark ride starring these creatures called "Speelunkers" and it was removed in the 90s I believe and as of recently it was brought back and was beloved by newer audiences and it had a whole new story, which if the bring back Phantom Theater is that kind of aspect I think its going to do fantastic. I think the main thing that makes or breaks this is it that decide to bring back animatronics.

[kingsislandfan1972]

1 hour ago, disco2000 said:

The big concern I have if Phantom Theater comes back is everyone's memory and fondness of something usually grows bigger than it was and may result in a letdown.

While I have fond memories of it as well, I suspect if they put in an exact replica of it in its glory days and everything brand new, people now would be underwhelmed.

I hope I am wrong, but I suspect there will be a lot of Negative Nancy comments if PT returns as it won't live up to the memory and hype people have created for it.

I doubt its going to be an exact replica but if it is with today's technology I would appreciate that as well as many other people. I do agree it wouldn't impress everyone possibly the younger generation think the majority would be happy about it.

The example of a dark ride done right after returning so many years later is at Six Flags Texas "Pirates Of Speelunker Cave" which if you are familiar with was a dark ride starring these creatures called "Speelunkers" and it was removed in the 90s I believe and as of recently it was brought back and was beloved by newer audiences and it had a whole new story, which if the bring back Phantom Theater is that kind of aspect I think its going to do fantastic. I think the main thing that makes or breaks this is it that decide to bring back animatronics.

[johnjniehaus]

Monster Mansion at SFOG has gone through numerous changes over the years too I believe and it's arguably one of the better dark rides in the six flags chain. PT doesn't have to be a carbon copy of the original to still be fun and nostalgic 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

5 hours ago, Shaggy said:

I have noticed that KI has been terrific about investing in infrastructure improvements.  That doesn't read to most enthusiasts as "major", but if they had not continually re-invested millions upon millions in maintaining general esthetics, KI would be a trash park.   Its actually, by far, one of the most well maintained parks in the country.

That doesn't mean there haven't been disappointments along the way.... that year they added Coney Bar-b-Que was very wah-waaah....  Yes, a new Coney Mall restaurant was needed - and welcome - but even I thought it was the least interesting season in terms of new additions and improvements. (Granted, this followed a season where a new coaster was added, and Winterfest returned.)

The continued overall investment into park infrastructure and major maintenance of aesthetics is something that sets Kings Island apart from most other parks in the chain. All of the general maintenance is also what keeps KI from taking 5+ years to do something like restore their carousels as Six Flags St. Louis did. 

I'd argue that some of the points made are reductive since, looking at the entirety of projects for some of the given years, the park went far beyond what could be considered annual maintenance and upkeep. I also think there is a lot of truth to the matter, so it's not an absolute truth either way. 

 

2018  Coney Bar-B-Que replaces Coney Potato Works and the Attitudes gift shop. Kings Island begins to make vast strides to improve food quality with the appointment of cooking champion Chef James Major as Executive Chef of the park. While not many additions are seen at KI in 2018, other major investments in the chain are opened. Firehawk closes to make way for a future roller coaster.

2019  Kings Mills Antique Autos replaces the now-defunct Dinosaurs Alive! entrance and gift shop tent. International Street also receives an extensive renovation to replace its aging infrastructure and make way for new passive show opportunities. Miami River Brewhouse opens in Rivertown. Grand Carnivale debuts as the park's newest festival event, and takes advantage of the new parade route on I-Street. A new daytime event called Hallo-Tween debuts for guests too young for Haunt but too old for The Great Pumpkin Fest. Halloween Haunt introduces four new scare zones and one new live show. I have some major gripes about the I-Street redesign. Trees and shade are something that KI already needed a lot more of, and this major renovation removed all of them. There are so many things I'd have done differently, but I have enjoyed the new sightlines the refresh has allowed. KMAA are also more lackluster than the originals, but there is no way we'd see anything like the originals come back unless the Stunt Coaster were to be removed — something KI could not afford to do having removed Firehawk and being close to removing Vortex.

Vortex closes after 33 years of thrilling guests with no apparent replacement in sight.

2020  Orion opens as the world's shortest Giga Coaster, while still being the tallest and fastest roller coaster at Kings Island. The park opens in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All seasonal events were cancelled with the new Tricks and Treats Fall Fest replacing The Great Pumpkin Fest and Haunt for the season. 2020 was a bad year for everyone, but I enjoyed that I was still able to go to the park and that we didn't have to buy new passes for 2021. The little troupe of cleaners that put on their short show was a nice surprise for a season where all entertainment had been cancelled.

2021  Still feeling the effects of the pandemic, Kings Island steadily returns to normal. I particularly enjoyed all of the small-stage entertainment options and wish some of them could come back full-time. The fact that a lot of the new things from 2019's Haunt didn't return was really upsetting. 

2022  Kings Island celebrates it's 50th anniversary season with extensive restorations to the park, including a full restoration of the Grand Carousel, new paint on rides, extensive historical displays, exclusive food options, and new shows that celebrated the park. Miles better than KD's 50th celebration with a ton of awesome stuff. Probably the peak of KI memories for me.

2023  Adventure Port opens mid-season with newer versions of Der Spinnen' Keggers and Skylab. Two refreshed dining/drinks options move into the former Biergarten and Adventure Express receives more theming. 

2024  Half-baked revamp with Camp Snoopy I have to agree with this.

- Cheapest coaster they could get by with.

- Cheapest play area they could get by with.

2025  Cheapest Water Coaster they could get by with. RiverRacers may be the cheapest water coaster, but I think Splash River Junction and the surrounding area refresh were well needed. The 5 restrooms being renovated across the park was also really good.

 

That all being said, I do agree with the sentiment that these companies have not been investing as much into Kings Island projects as the park deserves. The budgets did appear to get cut big time and the park has not been doing as well for guest service as it used to IMO. 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

3 hours ago, kingsislandfan1972 said:

I doubt its going to be an exact replica but if it is with today's technology I would appreciate that as well as many other people. I do agree it wouldn't impress everyone possibly the younger generation think the majority would be happy about it.

The example of a dark ride done right after returning so many years later is at Six Flags Texas "Pirates Of Speelunker Cave" which if you are familiar with was a dark ride starring these creatures called "Speelunkers" and it was removed in the 90s I believe and as of recently it was brought back and was beloved by newer audiences and it had a whole new story, which if the bring back Phantom Theater is that kind of aspect I think its going to do fantastic. I think the main thing that makes or breaks this is it that decide to bring back animatronics.

The Pirates of Speelunker Cave is an awesome dark ride that uses a lot of animatronics and practical effects like Phantom Theater did. I really hope we can see at least that level of care going into whatever will replace Boo Blasters.

 

Here's a thought: maybe the reveal on Thursday will be an announcement for when the Monster will reopen!

[DonHelbig]

5 hours ago, disco2000 said:

The big concern I have if Phantom Theater comes back is everyone's memory and fondness of something usually grows bigger than it was and may result in a letdown.

While I have fond memories of it as well, I suspect if they put in an exact replica of it in its glory days and everything brand new, people now would be underwhelmed.

I hope I am wrong, but I suspect there will be a lot of Negative Nancy comments if PT returns as it won't live up to the memory and hype people have created for it.

Nothing is as good as it used to be, and it never was. 

[kingsislandfan1972]

I wonder if Kings Island will do a walk through for a small amount of visitors for Boo Blasters similar in 2002 for the Phantom Theater before the next ride transformation.

https://www.dafe.org/articles/darkrides/phantomPharewell.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAMbXz1jbGNrAxtesWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeXdNQhTPZmblExf2EDIDA-6PjJ4KE3QCTt9_1khv0JjoI2zJgU41B_UAOubw_aem_hQ2Bm8kNrwtiT7lP6XdCbg

[MaestroJr]

Very excited for the announcement tomorrow, however, I do think there is one thing that we need to understand, first of all there’s no way that if we do get a phantom theater ride then it’s going to be as good as the original, I just don’t see anyway how it’s better, but hopefully the younger generation will be able to make memories with the maestro, I don’t mind screens on rides as long as they complement the ride with animatronics, I will say Disney does a good job with their Toy story mania ride at Hollywood Studios, I do think that it would be a good idea to keep the competitive element on the ride, not sure if the younger generation would go for a phantom theater ride unless it has the blaster element and I for one I’m fine with that as long as it gets some TLC, even a moderately decent Phantom Theatre will be better than boo blasters

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

3 hours ago, kingsislandfan1972 said:

I wonder if Kings Island will do a walk through for a small amount of visitors for Boo Blasters similar in 2002 for the Phantom Theater before the next ride transformation.

https://www.dafe.org/articles/darkrides/phantomPharewell.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAMbXz1jbGNrAxtesWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeXdNQhTPZmblExf2EDIDA-6PjJ4KE3QCTt9_1khv0JjoI2zJgU41B_UAOubw_aem_hQ2Bm8kNrwtiT7lP6XdCbg

It's really nice to see all of these photos from 2002! I've never been able to find a good quality photo of the auditorium scene, so I enjoyed those in particular. Between the two glass walls and the grainy footage, that scene never translates well to video.

One thing I'll make a wish for: If this new ride does turn out to be a new Phantom Theater, I hope they find ways to improve on the aesthetics of the queue room and bring back the charm of how the loading area looked. Returning the skeleton chase and living room scenes back into one large auditorium would also be amazing, but I'll have to see what's in store with whatever we get tomorrow.

[BryanJay]

[SmartCat7162]

17 hours ago, Captain Nemo said:

Indoor Projects like these always intrigue me. No drone or aerial photography is going to give much away which imo makes them all the more mysterious. 
when a rollercoasters is announced everyone can speculate about what the experience will be like. We get POVs, outdoor construction, etc. Dark Rides in general are always more mysterious when you have no idea of what ride experience you are even in line for. 

Also usually permits do not need to be filed for smaller changes which makes the excitement more for me because it truly is not spoiled until a pov is released or you get to see it in person! I am super excited for the change no matter what of course I want it to be great, but no matter what it will be nice to have something new.

[gabelogan99]

12 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

Nothing is as good as it used to be, and it never was. 

Sounds like a Yogi Bear quote! 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

The hype is building as Kings Island posted a reminder that something is coming tomorrow via their Facebook Story. It's not much besides the word "TOMORROW..." in white text against a black screen, but it makes me think tomorrow will be the announcement. There are also four icons (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube) presumably letting us know where we will be seeing the announcement being posted to.

 

I'm excited!

[kingsislandfan1972]

21 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

The hype is building as Kings Island posted a reminder that something is coming tomorrow via their Facebook Story. It's not much besides the word "TOMORROW..." in white text against a black screen, but it makes me think tomorrow will be the announcement. There are also four icons (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube) presumably letting us know where we will be seeing the announcement being posted to.

 

I'm excited!

I'm really excited as well, honestly this is the most I've been excited since the teasers for Mystic Timbers.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

One thing I find interesting is that there are a lot of effects that can be achieved rather cheaply and with most of the time and work going into the creation/installation of each effect. Scrims, mirrors, lighting, and strings can all be used to make an awesome ride. Attractions like the Haunted Mansion uses tons of practical effects in addition to their high-tech projection mapping, and I think the balance between practical effects and screens may be what makes or breaks this new attraction. 

 

My final pitch for what could be announced tomorrow: Nights in White Satin - The Trip, a Sally Dark Rides psychedelic revival of their attraction formerly at Hard Rock Park. It'll have the ride system of Phantom Theater with the screen technology of 2008 and beyond!

 

[kingsislandfan1972]

Today's the day! 

[flightoffear1996]

Anyone know what time this is happening?

[Diamondback_Is_King]

3 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

Anyone know what time this is happening?

Nope. But my guess is somewhere around noon-ish

[beastfan11]

26 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

Anyone know what time this is happening?

According to the parks Instagram story with a countdown, a bit after 10:00 AM. 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

33 minutes ago, beastfan11 said:

According to the parks Instagram story with a countdown, a bit after 10:00 AM. 

I'm still gonna check every 30 minutes regardless 

Very excited!

[beastfan11]

17 minutes ago, Diamondback_Is_King said:

I'm still gonna check every 30 minutes regardless 

Very excited!

Been up since 6 checking. Ha. 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

8 minutes ago, beastfan11 said:

Been up since 6 checking. Ha. 

That makes two of us!

Probably more...

[johnjniehaus]

I'm on PST so I don't have to wait as long as y'all 

[IndyGuy4KI]

I moved the new ride discussions to the announcement thread. 

 

[Tr0y]

On 8/26/2025 at 1:23 PM, disco2000 said:

 

I have said for years, good or bad, that because KI is so woven into the fabric of the community that enough people buy passes for themselves or grandchildren and never go and still buy passes every year because of the perceived value that the park could cut back on spending without much loss of revenue.  Sad but true.  Sure they lose some enthusiasts, but it is more than made up with new families.

This is supported with Six Flags stating KI is the most oversaturated park in the chain.  That dictates the spending.

I have joked here that we could Geauga Lake the place and still sell 100,000 passes to a closed park LOL.  KI passes are that much of a summer tradition to many people.

I have also joked here we could go years without spending any money before enough would say "I am not renewing" to make a measurable impact.   Now who knows if that is 2, 5, 10, or 15 years LOL.  Let's hope they don't go that extreme.

They will never admit this, but they probably wanna see how little can they spend before they see measurable drops in passes and attendance at KI.

KI is not in growth mode.  They are in maintain their base with small incremental growth mode and that drives the spending amount.  That is what happens when a park is oversaturated in their market.  The small enthusiasts communities don't like that, but you would be surprised how many people rate their experiences as great because they are not following the "drama" found here and on social media.  They go and have a great time and don't care who the PR person is or that a trash can hasn't been emptied yet.

One could say they are complacent.  And in a sense they are, but as long as people keep coming and spending, they have no incentive to do more than what they need to.

Well, the fact they are willing to sell gold passes for 40 dollars cheaper ($140 if you include all parks passport) than last season tells me the complacent idea that "The passholders will always comeback." mentality is not working. Especially given the fact that the season passes are dynamically priced based on the park.

No company in their right mind reduces the cost of things dramatically that is selling like hotcakes.  Or at least that they claim is selling like hotcakes. 

[disco2000]

52 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

Well, the fact they are willing to sell gold passes for 40 dollars cheaper ($140 if you include all parks passport) than last season tells me the complacent idea that "The passholders will always comeback." mentality is not working. Especially given the fact that the season passes are dynamically priced based on the park.

No company in their right mind reduces the cost of things dramatically that is selling like hotcakes.  Or at least that they claim is selling like hotcakes. 

True....however, if they are down chainwide but doing consistent numbers at KI, they can't have ours be higher than the rest or everyone will renew and purchase at another park selling it cheaper and that does have indirect effects on KI.