Six Flags Entertainment Corp. enjoyed its sixth consecutive year of record financial performance in 2015. Watch video
JACKSON - Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the largest regional theme park company in the world, announced Thursday that it enjoyed record revenue and attendance in 2015.
The company saw its revenue grow by $88 million, or 7.5 percent, to $1.3 billion over 2014, marking the sixth consecutive year of record financial performance, John Duffey, chief financial officer of the Grand Prairie, Texas-based company, said during a conference call on Thursday.
Attendance throughout the company's 18 North American properties also grew by 2.9 million guests, or 11.4 percent, to 28.6 million guests in 2015, Duffey said.
"It was another fantastic year, our best ever, and our team is ready to deliver another record-breaking year in 2016," said Jim Reid-Anderson, Six Flags Entertainment Corp's chairman, president and CEO, adding 2016 is expected to be the company's biggest new product launch year in a decade with several new rides and attractions currently under construction.
Reid-Anderson and Duffey both credited a strong fourth quarter - during which attendance grew 22 percent over 2014 - for significant portion big the company's overall growth in 2015.
This increase in both season pass visitation and single-day admissions was the result of the company's continued investment into its popular Fright Fest promotion and the emergence of its Holiday in the Park events, Duffey said.
Locally, this was the first year Holiday in the Park was held at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township.
"We had a great 2015 full-year and an excellent Q4 2015 at the park. Holiday in the Park delivered on our expectations. It was definitely a driver in Q4," Six Flags Great Adventure President John Fitzgerald said via email, adding Six Flags does not break down numbers for its specific parks.
Six Flags Great Adventure hosted a drive through light show, called Winter Lights, in its parking lots in 2002 and 2003. However, the theme park was never open past Fright Fest, which has been the end of its season since the event began in 1993.
That changed this year with the arrival of Holiday in the Park, which ran through Jan. 3, bringing crowds of people and new revenue to the theme park during a time of year it was normally closed.
"Holiday in the Park and Fright Fest are great ways to show value to our season pass holders, who are our most loyal and highest revenue consumers. They are an ever-increasing part of our business. Holiday in the Park and Fright Fest are then a large part of our success. It drives incremental revenue and increased season pass sales," Fitzgerald said. "But it is more than that. Holiday in the Park delivers an excellent guest experience, which we know not just from anecdotal feedback, but from guest survey scores. It was a 'Wow.'"
Fitzgerald said Six Flags Great Adventure's success in 2015 was driven by innovative new products, expanding value-added events and enhanced season pass offerings, such as the Season Dining Pass.
"Our value-for-the-money scores from guest surveys are at all-time highs. ... (And) our guest satisfaction scores as a whole are at record highs," he said. "It is a testament to the friendliness and service focus of our team members."
Six Flags Great Adventure is poised to have "another great revenue and attendance year" in 2016, Fitzgerald said.
"For the new season, we will introduce THE JOKER 4D Free Fly Coaster which will deliver the thrills that teens and young adults crave. We will also open Caribbean Cove in Hurricane Harbor, which will be a hit for families. We will continue our expansions of Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park," he said. "Six Flags Great Adventure now delivers four seasons of family fun and record-breaking thrills. Our innovative products and events are what give us so much confidence as we move into 2016."
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.