For 2002, Six Flags purchased their last brand new Batman: The Ride and opened a park they managed that also featured a Batman: The Ride.

The first of those Batman to open was “Batman: La Fuga” (Batman: The Escape in Spanish) at the brand new Warner Brothers Movie World Madrid.  Located in San Martin de la Vega, a suburb southeast of Madrid, this brand new park was built by local investors and Six Flags took a minority stake and the management contract to run the park.  Two B&M coasters were selected as the premier attractions and one of them was a Batman: The Ride Inverted Coaster.  It follows the familiar layout, but the transfer track and station were modified for 7 car trains, like Gambit.

For their Batman coaster, it was placed in the Gotham City section of the DC Superheroes Adventure section of the park.  The chosen storyline was that we were escaping from Arkham Asylum, the infamous mental hospital where supervillains are held in the Comic book and movies.  Accordingly, the queue and station were built in a large castle like building patterned after the comic book Asylum and we walk past the various cells and treatment facilities.

Welcome to Gotham City!  Photo by Allan M.

Gotham City. Photo by Florian Y.

The entrance to the attraction with the portal to the Asylum.

In a nice tribute to the original, the ride exit features a crashed police carafter exiting the Asylum.  Photo by Florian Y.

The car is next to where the train leave the station and in what is the Asylum recreation area.  Photo by Florian Y.

 

The test seat is inside the Asylum.  Photo by Arthur L.

A hapless guard was ensnared by Poison Ivy and is about to fall down on us.  Photo by Florian Y.

The guards target practice room.  Photo by Allan M.

An abandoned surveillance room.  Photo by Allan M.

Poison Ivy cell.  The Asylum features many graffitis written by the inmates to taunt Batman.  Photo by Florian Y.

A taunt to Batman.  Photo by Arthur L.

The shock therapy room at Arkham.  Photo by Arthur L.

Mess Hall.  Photo by Florian Y.

It is obvious that when the riot broke out, some people were playing cards and checkers in the mess hall.  Photo by Allan M.

The ride trains were painted grey with blue seats and yellow restraints.   The ride track is yellow and the supports a rich maroon color.

The back row of one of the ride’s two train.

The first two cars.  Notice the wheel covers with the Batman logo and the seat foam also has a molded Batman symbol.  Photo by Allan M.

The train at the top of the lift hill.  Photo by Florian Y.

The train going down the first drop.  Photo by Allan M.

The train at the top of the first Vertical Loop.  Photo by Allan M.

The Zero G Roll goes right over the Asylum walls and the recreation area.

The park had some challenges and in 2004, Six Flags sold their stake back to Warner Bros. who renamed the park “Warner Bros. Park” and in 2006 to its current name, “Parque Warner Madrid”.

Why did the park have challenges?  The initial ride package was very good and Batman: La Fuga was among the most popular ride in the park.  The park was overbuilt for the market and the ride waiting line was simply too big and too expensive in relation to its use.  Going for perhaps the approach seen at the American parks where you have the Gotham City Park followed by a Skid Row would have been more sensible budget wise.  If you notice, it’s the same issue that the Dueling Dragons/Dragon Challenge have.  Warner Bros. Movie World is a fascinating subject that we will expend on in the future.