In 1992, Six Flags Great America in Illinois unleashed a new prototype roller coaster that took the world by storm. Bolliger & Mabillard, a Swiss company, had designed this incredibly successful inverted coaster. The design has been copied 10 more times, 7 of which were also called "Batman the ride" at Six Flags parks.
Height | First Drop | Length | Speed | Inversions | Trains |
105 feet | 82 feet | 2,693 feet | 50 m.p.h. | 5 (2 vertical loops, 2 corkscrews, one zero-G barrel roll) | Two 8 car, 4 across trains, each holding 32 passengers |
All of the rides (except for the two mirror image ones) dive in a twisting left-hand drop off of the lift hill, directly into a 77ft loop. The trains then twist through the zero-G barrel roll before speeding through the second vertical loop, this time 68ft tall. You then enter a powerhouse helix to the left, and dive down to the right into the first corkscrew. A quick turn to the right leads to a drop into the second corkscrew, and then the final left turn into the brakes.
Year | Name | Park | Location |
1992 | Batman the ride | Six Flags Great America | Gurnee, Illinois |
1993 | Batman the ride | Six Flags Great Adventure | Jackson, New Jersey |
1994 | Batman the ride | Six Flags Magic Mountain | Valencia, California |
1995 | Batman the ride | Six Flags St. Louis | St. Louis, Missouri |
1995 | Diavlo | Himeji Central Park | Japan |
1995 | Gambit | Gotemba Family Land (moved to Six Flags New Orleans) | Japan |
1997 | Great White | Sea World San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas |
1997 | Batman the ride | Six Flags Over Georgia | Atlanta, Georgia |
1999 | Batman the ride | Six Flags Over Texas | Arlington, Texas |
2002 | Batman the ride | Warner Brothers Movie World | Spain |
2002 | Le Vampire | Six Flags La Ronde | Quebec, Canada | 2003 | Batman the ride | Six Flags New Orleans | Louisiana |
2004 | Lightning | Entertainment City | Kuwait |
While most of the Batman rides are identical, the Six Flags St.Louis and Six Flags New Orleans versions are exact mirror image rides. Gambit was re-located when Gotemba Family Land closed and a shopping center was built in its place.
There are other Batman rides at Six Flags parks that are not related to this design. At Six Flags Mexico there is a Batman the ride that is a standard Vekoma looping coaster (more commonly called Mind Eraser or Serial Thriller by other Six Flags Parks). Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in Ohio has a B&M floorless coaster called Batman Knight Flight. Six Flags Astroworld in Houston, Texas has an Intamin stand-up coaster called Batman the Escape. Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey has two intertwining launched looping coasters called Batman and Robin: the Chiller. There are also Riddler, Joker, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy themed rides at Six Flags parks around the country.