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Non-Controlling Interests
3 Months Ended
Mar. 29, 2026
Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]  
Non-Controlling Interests Non-Controlling Interests
In connection with the Mergers, the Company assumed certain obligations regarding Six Flags Over Georgia, including Six Flags White Water Atlanta ("SFOG"), and Six Flags Over Texas ("SFOT", and together with SFOG, the "Partnership Parks"). The Partnership Parks are not wholly owned, but the Partnership Parks are consolidated as subsidiaries in the consolidated financial statements as it has been determined that the Company has the power to direct the activities of those entities that most significantly impact the entities' economic performance, and the Company has the obligation to absorb losses and receive benefits from the entities that can be potentially significant to these entities. The equity interests owned by non-affiliated parties in SFOT are recorded as "Redeemable non-controlling interests" within the unaudited consolidated balance sheet. Following the notification of the Company's intent to exercise the End-of-Term Option related to SFOG as further described below, the redeemable non-controlling interests related to SFOG are recorded as a liability, specifically "Current NCI call option liability" and "NCI call option liability", within the unaudited consolidated balance sheet. The portion of earnings or loss attributable to non-affiliated parties in the Partnership Parks is recorded as "Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests" within the unaudited consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Obligations related to the Partnership Parks continue until 2027. Such obligations include:

(i) Minimum annual distributions of approximately $93.5 million in 2026 (subject to cost of living adjustments) to the limited partners of the partnership entities (the "Georgia Partnership" with respect to SFOG and the "Texas Partnership" with respect to SFOT) that own the Partnership Parks. Based on the Company's ownership of units as of March 29, 2026, the Company's share of the distribution will be approximately $42.6 million.

(ii) Minimum capital expenditures at each of the Partnership Parks during rolling five-year periods, based generally on 6.00% of the Partnership Parks’ revenues. The capital expenditures at the Partnership Parks is expected to be in excess of the minimum required expenditures for 2026 and was in excess of the minimum required expenditures for 2025.

(iii) An annual offer to purchase all outstanding limited partnership units at the Specified Price (defined below) to the extent tendered by the unitholders, which annual offer must remain open from March 31 through late April of each year, and any limited partnership interest tendered during such time period must be fully paid no later than May 15th of that year (the "Partnership Park Put"). The Company is required to repurchase such limited partnership units through May 15, 2026 in the case of the Georgia Partnership and May 15, 2027 in the case of the Texas Partnership. As the Company purchases additional units, it is entitled to a proportionate increase in its share of the minimum annual distributions. As part of the 2026 annual offering and in the second quarter of 2026, the Company purchased 3.453 units of the Texas Partnership for $7.6 million. We did not purchase any units of the Georgia partnership in the 2026 annual offering.

The agreed price for units tendered in the Partnership Park Put is based on a valuation of each of the respective Partnership Parks (the "Specified Price") that is the greater of (a) a valuation for each of the respective Partnership Parks derived by multiplying such park’s weighted average four-year EBITDA (as defined in the agreements that govern the partnerships) by a specified multiple (8.0 in the case of SFOG and 8.5 in the case of SFOT) and (b) a valuation derived from the highest prices previously offered for the units of the Partnership Parks by certain entities. In light of the temporary suspension of operations of the parks due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, which would have caused the specified price of the limited partnership units of the Partnership Parks to decrease in 2021 and thereafter, Former Six Flags adjusted the annual offer to purchase these units to set a minimum price floor for all future purchases. Pursuant to the minimum price floor, the implied valuation of the Partnership Parks using the Specified Price, if determined as of March 29, 2026, is $409.7 million in the case of SFOG and $527.4 million in the case of SFOT. As of March 29, 2026, the Company owned approximately 32.1% and 55.4% of the Georgia limited partner interests and Texas limited partner interests, respectively.

(iv) Either (a) purchasing all of the outstanding limited partnership interests in the Partnership Parks that the Company does not then own through the exercise of a call option (the "End-of-Term Option") upon the earlier of the occurrence of specified events and the end of the term of the partnership that hold the Partnership Parks in 2027 in the case of SFOG and 2028 in the case of SFOT, or (b) causing each of the partnerships that hold the Partnership Parks to have no indebtedness and to meet certain other financial tests as of the end of the term of such partnership.

The agreements for the Georgia Partnership and Texas Partnership began in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The agreed-upon value for the partnerships when the agreements were executed was $250.0 million and $374.8 million for SFOG and SFOT, respectively.
On December 17, 2024, the Company provided notice to the Georgia Partnership of its exercise of the End-of-Term Option relating to SFOG. In addition to the outstanding limited partnership interests, the Company will acquire certain related entity general partnership and managing member interests in January 2027. As of March 29, 2026, the agreed-upon value, as adjusted for CPI, would be $522.3 million for SFOG. The agreed-upon value, if determined as of March 29, 2026, multiplied by the 68.5% of units held by the limited partner for SFOG represent $358.1 million that would be required to be paid to the limited partner of SFOG at the End-of-Term Option. The actual agreed upon value of the End-of-Term Option will be further adjusted by CPI until the end of each respective agreement and reduced by any units put to the Company through the annual Partnership Park Put in 2026.

On January 5, 2026, the Company announced that it would not exercise the End-of-Term Option related to SFOT. Following the expiration of the Company's option, the Texas Partnership entities may be sold with the proceeds applied to redeem the outstanding interests. Alternatively, the remaining units could be put by the unitholders to the Company or the agreement may be extended or amended with new terms. The Company will continue to operate and manage SFOT pursuant to the existing partnership agreement, and it will continue to make capital investments and minimum distribution payments as required.

Cash flows from operations at the Partnership Parks are used to satisfy the above requirements before any funds are required from the Company. After the payment of the minimum distribution, the Company is entitled to a management fee equal to 3% of prior year gross revenues and, thereafter, any additional cash is distributed first to any management fee in arrears and then towards the repayment of any interest and principal on intercompany loans. Any additional cash, to the extent available, is distributed 95% to the Company in the case of SFOG and 92.5% to the Company in the case of SFOT. The Partnership Parks spent approximately $54.6 million of cash in 2025, after deduction of capital expenditures and excluding the impact of short-term intercompany advances from or payments to the Company, primarily due to increased capital spending at both SFOG and SFOT.

Former Six Flags entered into a Subordinated Indemnity Agreement with certain of the Company's entities, Time Warner, and an affiliate of Time Warner (an indirect subsidiary of AT&T Inc. as a result of a merger in 2018), pursuant to which, among other things, Former Six Flags transferred to Time Warner (which has guaranteed all of the obligations under the Partnership Park arrangements) record title to the corporations that own the entities that purchase limited partnership units of the Partnership Parks, and Former Six Flags received an assignment from Time Warner of all cash flow received on such limited partnership units, and the Company otherwise controls such entities. In addition, Former Six Flags issued preferred stock of the managing partner of the partnerships to Time Warner. In the event of default by the Company under the Subordinated Indemnity Agreement or of the Company's obligations to the partners in the Partnership Parks, these arrangements would permit Time Warner to take full control of both the entities that own limited partnership units and the managing partner. If the Company satisfies all such obligations, Time Warner is required to transfer to the Company the entire equity interests of these entities at the end of the term, which is 2027 for the Georgia Partnership and 2028 for the Texas Partnership.

As described above and following the notification of the Company's intent to exercise the End-of-Term Option of the Georgia Partnership, the redeemable non-controlling interests related to the Georgia Partnership are classified as a liability, specifically "Current NCI call option liability" and "NCI call option liability", within the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The liability was recorded at the net present value of the call option price as of December 31, 2024. The difference between the net present value of the call option price and the redemption value was recorded as a deemed dividend to retained earnings within the consolidated statements of equity for the year ended December 31, 2024. The liability will be accreted to the final purchase price over the remaining Georgia Partnership term. For the three months ended March 29, 2026 and March 30, 2025, $10.3 million and $8.2 million of accretion was recorded as interest expense within the unaudited consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss, respectively.

The Company will continue to have the obligation to purchase, at the Specified Price, any units of SFOG that unitholders elect to put as part of the annual Park Partnership Put in 2026. If all put options of the Georgia Partnership were exercised, the redemption value would be $278.3 million as of March 29, 2026. Changes in the call option liability of the Georgia Partnership for the three months ended March 29, 2026 were:
(In thousands)SFOG
Balance as of December 31, 2025$323,902 
Interest accretion10,276 
Balance as of March 29, 2026$334,178 
As of March 29, 2026, redeemable non-controlling interests, representing the non-affiliated parties' equity interest, of the Texas Partnership was $235.0 million, which approximates redemption value.