MGM and Six Flags Theme Parks to Launch Stargate SG 3000 Interactive Simulation Adventure at Selected U.S. Parks
March 29 2004 - 6:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
MGM and Six Flags Theme Parks to Launch Stargate SG 3000
Interactive Simulation Adventure at Selected U.S. Parks LOS
ANGELES, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Studios announced today that
it has signed a two-year deal with Six Flags Inc. to open
attractions based on MGM's popular syndicated television series
"Stargate SG-1" at Six Flags theme parks in three U.S. cities. This
marks the North American premiere of Stargate SG 3000, an
interactive simulation adventure that made its debut at Space
Center Bremen in Germany in December 2003 and has already become
one of the most popular attractions there. The Stargate attractions
will open over the next few months at Six Flags Marine World
(Vallejo, Calif.), Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, Ky.) and
Six Flags Great America (Chicago). "For the first time ever,
American fans of MGM's wildly popular Stargate franchise will
experience the excitement of stepping through the Stargate portal
into untold worlds," said Travis Rutherford, Senior Vice President
of MGM Consumer Products and Interactive. "Partnering with Six
Flags, which has a network of successful parks throughout the
country, allows us to introduce this exciting adventure to millions
of people at once -- and based on the Stargate television show's
successful ratings and the proliferation of fan club members and
conventions, we know there is significant brand awareness and
interest that should make Stargate SG 3000 a highly anticipated and
popular attraction right from the start." "Stargate is a perfect
fit with the Six Flags line-up of thrill rides and attractions,"
said Hank Salemi, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Six Flags,
Inc. "Stargate SG 3000 is a great example of the type of new
attractions we add in park to give added value to our guests and
drive attendance." Stargate SG 3000 features a four-minute
simulation film that lets audiences experience what happens when
they soar through the Stargate into different dimensions. The
20-minute overall guest experience includes a themed queuing area,
the mission briefing/pre-show and the motion simulator theater.
Building on the cosmology established in the Stargate television
series, the film's story is set in the year 3000. For over 700
years, the Stargates had beendisabled due to concerns that they
would end up under the control of sinister forces. Now in the year
3000, Stargate Command has developed a Gate Key, a device that
provides ultimate control of all Stargates throughout the universe.
The evil Queen Satra, a character created especially for Stargate
SG 3000, wants to capture the Gate Key and gain control over the
universe. The guest's mission is to retrieve the Gate Key from
Satra and her powerful army and return it to Stargate Command.
MGM's "Stargate SG-1" television series debuted in 1997 and is
based on the 1994 feature film "Stargate." For the last six years,
"Stargate SG-1" has been the top-rated hour-long series in U.S.
syndication and it is currently the number one show on the Sci Fi
Channel. The eighth season of "Stargate SG-1" begins in July on the
Sci Fi Channel alongside the debut of spin-off series "Stargate
Atlantis." "Stargate SG-1" now airs in 64 countries. "We expect
this deal with Six Flags to create synergies between the Stargate
television series and the interactive simulation adventure, as well
as create co-marketing and co-branding opportunities for both
organizations including our respective partners such as the Sci Fi
Channel," Rutherford said. Stargate SG 3000 is MGM's latest
expansion into the leisure licensing industry. Recent research
shows that MGM has the highest unaided brand awareness of any
studio among consumers worldwide. The studio's strong brand, its
ownership of the world's biggest library of modern films and its
attractive business model have enticed developers of out-of-home
attractions and location-based entertainment to explore business
deals that will bring MGM's properties to life in exciting new
ways. About MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (NYSE:MGM), through its
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. subsidiary, is actively engaged in
the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures,
television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and
licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library
of modern films, comprised of about 4,000 titles. Its operating
units include MGM Pictures, United Artists, MGM Television
Entertainment, MGM Networks, MGM Distribution Co., MGM Worldwide
Television Distribution, MGM Home Entertainment, MGM On Stage, MGM
Consumer Products, MGM Music, MGM Interactive and MGM Online. MGM
also has ownership interests in television channels reaching more
than 100 countries. For more information, visit
http://www.mgm.com/. About Six Flags Inc. Six Flags, Inc. is the
world's largest regional theme park company. Through its
subsidiaries, it owns and operates a total of 39 parks in North
America and Europe. Six Flags parks serve 35 of the 50 largest
metropolitan areas in the United States. Six Flags, Inc. is a
publicly held corporation with corporate offices in New York City
and Oklahoma City. The Company's stock trades on the NYSE under the
symbol: PKS. For further information, please contact David Bloom,
VP, Corporate Communications of MGM, +1-310-449-3660, ; or Max
Martens of Porter Novelli, +1-310-444-7084, , for MGM. DATASOURCE:
MGM Studios CONTACT: David Bloom, VP, Corporate Communications of
MGM, +1-310-449-3660, ; or Max Martens of Porter Novelli,
+1-310-444-7084, , for MGM
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