Little bit of a different topic here, but its something I've been thinking about for a while.
When GAm first opened under Marriott's, it took a lot of inspiration from Disneyland. It had extensive theming, costumes and unique entertainment just to name a few*. It was also a brand new park with it's own image aside from the WB licensing. Almost all other theme parks parks (correct me if I'm wrong), are modern ancestors of either carnival type amusement parks or part of a Hollywood studio. MGam was the company's first venture into entertainment and managed to create its own version of a Disney quality park out of nothing. MGam was built in 1976, and since then I'm not sure any new theme parks on the scale of MGam have opened in the US.
Is the era of building theme parks dead? Do you think we will ever see an all-new park not based on an existing IP? It seems like the big boys (Cedar Fair/Six Flags/Busch Gardens/etc.) are not interested in creating their own parks, but rather taking over these amusement parks under their umbrella. Was MGam just a flash in the pan that ultimately failed@, or did it signal the end of theme park creation due to over saturation/disinterest?
*MGam also had unique dining, a fantastic advertising campaign, and an impressive commitment to detail. Most of which has been lost after Marriott's departure in 1984. Check out greatamericaparks.com if you haven't already.
@"Failed" as in Marriotts decided the theme park business wasn't profitable for them. I can only imagine what they could have done if they stayed. Could Marriott's have been the next Six Flags or Universal Studios?