19 Feb 2019
Six Flags reports record results for ninth consecutive year
BY Andy Knaggs
Thirty-two million guests passed through the gates of a Six Flags theme park in 2018, helping to give the company record revenue figures for the ninth consecutive year.
The theme park operator reported an increase of US$105m (€92.79m, £81.27m) in revenue for the year, to reach US$1.5bn (€1.33, £1.16bn). It said the revenue growth was primarily driven by a 5 per cent increase in attendance, a 2 per cent increase in per capita spending, and a 7 per cent increase in sponsorship, international agreements and accommodations revenue. The per capita increase was assisted by changes in pricing for admissions and sales of memberships with premium tiers, said Six Flags.
Six Flags' expansion programme, which saw five parks in the domestic market acquired in 2018, also continued strongly. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) for the year was US$554m (€490m, £429m) – up 7 per cent on 2017.
In Q4 2018, revenue grew by US$13m (€11.49m, £10.06m) to US$270m (€239m, £209m), a 5 per cent improvement on the same quarter 2017, while the guest spending per capita for the quarter increased by US$2.35 (€2.08, £1.82), most of which was realised through increased admissions per capita (US$1.74) rather than in-park spending per capita (US$0.61).
There was an unfavourable revenue adjustment of US$15m (€13.26m, £11.61m) in Q4 2018, as a result of delays in the expected opening dates of some of Six Flags’ parks in China, caused, it said, by “a challenging macroeconomic environment”.
Speaking of his pride upon recording a ninth consecutive year of record results, chair, president and chief executive officer Jim Reid-Anderson commented: "Our exceptional operating performance in the fourth quarter demonstrates the strength of our pricing power, membership strategy, and in-park spending programmes, all of which, together with our domestic and international park expansion initiatives, will provide a strong platform for growth for many years to come."
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