Glancing out the windows in Six Flags Magic Mountain Park President Brian Oerding’s office, one can glimpse one of the world’s most exhilarating rides as teenagers and families whoosh past, screams and laughter filling the air.
On a wall are two maps overlooking the giant establishment, which spans 262 acres, making it the largest amusement park in Los Angeles County. As the sun sets in from the half-shuttered window, its occupant is often on the move.
Having just relocated across the country to the Golden State in April, Oerding believes in team spirit and immersing oneself in the trade, and he wastes no time in the office. On a typical day, he will walk past guests enjoying funnel cakes, hear the magnetic hums of roller coasters launching their carriages, and see the construction sites that will bring new rides to the 55-year-old park – designated by Six Flags Entertainment Corp. as “The Thrill Capital of the World.”
“I walk this park,” Oerding says. “Picking up trash, talking to associates, talking to guests, because that’s the way that you have the heartbeat of the business.”
His approach mirrors the objectives of his position, which has been brought back after a year’s hiatus. An amusement park veteran who started as a freshman at Missouri Western State University, Oerding has spent 24 years in the industry, rising from manager of operations to vice president and park manager at Cedar Fair’s Carowinds before coming to Six Flags.
Today, he faces a landscape of both challenge and opportunity, balancing historic glory with recent turbulence and an uncertain future. His solution: homing in on success closer to the doorstep.
Industry headwinds
The Valencia-based theme park has been deeply embedded in the memories of generations of thrill-seekers from around the world. It once hosted the most roller coasters across the globe, with 20. It’s also home to some of the most electrifying rides of all time, including “Tatsu,” which was the world’s tallest, fastest and longest flying coaster when it first shuttled screaming riders over the Samurai Summit in May 2006. One of its oldest rides, “The Great American Revolution,” just celebrated its golden jubilee this year as the first modern vertical loop coaster. The park’s semicentennial history as one of the largest employers in Los Angeles County also shaped the local community it grew up with – one teenager it hires at a time.
Industry headwinds, however, have chilled theme park performance across the board. Heightened price sensitivity, declining international tourism and severe weather steered some guests to spend less at the parks, which still reel from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Six Flags, specifically, had a turbulent five years. For the full year of 2020, it reported total revenues of $357 million, an approximate 76% decline from 2019. Its $8 billion all-stock merger with Cedar Fair in 2024 was expected to save the company $120 million. Though initially achieving that by shedding corporate jobs, the company still shouldered $5 billion in combined debt.
Amid declining attendance and revenue losses, Chief Executive Richard Zimmerman stepped down by the end of last year, succeeded by John Reilly. The departure was followed by an exodus of C-suite executives in June, including Chief Financial Officer Brian Witherow, Chief Marketing Officer Christian Dieckmann and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Brian Nurse.
The second quarter of 2025 saw a 9% drop in attendance, compared to a year ago. Six Flags further sold $1 billion in junk bonds this January to service its mounting debts and announced plans to sell off seven of its parks to focus on long-term growth.
“Our financial results through the first six months of the year reflect a significant decline in attendance,” said Zimmerman during an earnings call with analysts last year, pointing out that the focus is to “manage through short-term disruptions and focus on the things we can control.”
The major structural shakeups brought back the park presidents in a bid to closely manage the parks through strong local leadership. Reilly has emphasized the importance of proximity in running the business. The restructuring effort would allow for more flexibility and local innovations, according to a statement in April.
The restructuring efforts, along with dynamic ticket-pricing initiatives and higher food and beverage sales, gave the company a slight recovery. The parks welcomed 2.9 million visits in the first quarter of 2026, a 4% increase from the same period last year, and increased net revenue by 12% to $225.6 million.
“These changes are about putting leadership, expertise and accountability as close to our guests and team members as possible,” Reilly said in the statement.
A local focus
The battle is not yet over, and Oerding took on his new post with care.
The first steps that he made included opening Looney Tunes Land, renovated from the 41-year-old Bugs Bunny World. Divided into four sections over 5 acres, the sub-section of the main park plays on Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.’s Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Taz and Road Runner. It also features slow rides, live shows and augmented reality treasure hunts – all catering to a child’s experience.
Opening the family-friendly area has been part of a strategy to expand Six Flags’ offerings, Oerding says.
While former Six Flags Chief Executive Selim Bassoul controversially called the parks “cheap day care centers for teenagers” during an August 2022 earnings call with analysts, Oerding has noticed an untapped market to appeal to families.
“At the end of the day, you come (to) Magic Mountain because we’re the thrill capital of the world … we’re never going to lose sight of that,” Oerding says. “We’re also going to be smart and make sure that we also broaden that so that thrills mean something for everybody.”
Another step he takes is to upgrade the dining experience. The nostalgic menu of funnel cakes and corn dogs should stay as an amusement park staple, he says. However, the quality can improve with fresher ingredients and processes.
“We’re now doing much more elevated food and beverage offerings,” he says. “We have executive chefs now; we have a culinary program. We really dive in because, as we talk about your experience, I want it to be great everywhere.”
The company is facing an industry-wide shift. Besides a customer base that increasingly wants an immersive, convenient and tech-assisted experience, theme parks have noticed a bifurcated spending pattern. Where some wealthy customers spend hundreds – or thousands – of dollars on skip-the-line passes, luxury hotels and elevated food, low- and middle-income families spend less in amusement parks and go less frequently.
Some parks, such as Disney, have leaned into the premium offerings for its high-spending clientele. Six Flags, on the other hand, is taking a local approach that caters to families and locals with memberships and diverse price points.
“When national tourism is down, especially in L.A. County, we don’t get the overflow that we would usually get from big tourism groups coming in,” Oerding says. “That just means that, myself and the marketing team, we have to go back out to the local group right here and be more creative and remind them that we’re here and tell them to come out … That’s how we have just been classically trained to adjust to every single shift that an economy can throw at us.”
