New Flying Theatre thrill ride to open at Dreamworld as Ardent Leisure rebuilds confidence

DREAMWORLD has unveiled the first glimpse of a state-of-the-art thrill ride that it hopes will herald a new golden era.

The Flying Theatre iRide is to open at Dreamworld at Christmas.

DREAMWORLD has unveiled the first glimpse of a state-of-the-art thrill ride that it hopes will herald a new golden era.

The “Flying Theatre” iRide simulator, the latest trend in theme parks in Asia and the US, is on track to open this Christmas holidays.

An artist’s impression of Dreamworld’s upcoming Flying Theatre attraction.

It is a step to winning back visitors after the Thunder River Rapids tragedy and the subsequent inquest.

The $15 million attraction is being built on the site of the old IMAX theatre.

Gary Weiss, chairman of Dreamworld’s parent company Ardent Leisure, said it was a clear sign the ownership was dedicated to restoring the much-loved theme park’s fortunes, despite suffering an $88.6 million loss in the last financial year.

He said Dreamworld was still at the forefront of the group’s plans.

“When I came in as chairman I committed our group to a process of re-investment and restoring value to Dreamworld,” he said.

“We still believe there is a very strong future for Dreamworld.”

The flying theatre will be the first of its kind in Australia.

An interactive LEGO exhibition is to open for the September holidays, and a multimillion-dollar adventure river ride is also being planned for Dreamworld’s sister park WhiteWater World.

“These are all world-class attractions and we believe they will help bring people back to Dreamworld,” Mr Weiss said.

“I think they will deliver great success at Dreamworld.”

He said he could not comment on the inquest, which will resume for more hearings next month.