Six Flags New Orleans last operated on August 21, 2005. By August 30, 2005, the park was submerged in water as a result of a levee break following Hurricane Katrina. Since then, the park has sat mostly silent. Although guests haven’t passed through the park’s turnstiles in nearly eight years, the park has found a second life—as a movie backdrop.
Several major Hollywood movie productions have flocked to New Orleans and have used the abandoned amusement park as a giant set piece.
Last summer, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters shot for several weeks at the park. The park did need some sprucing up to meet the director’s vision for the film. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (set for release in 2014) recently shot in the park’s parking lot. Other movies such as Killer Joe (2011) and Stolen (2012) also used the shuttered park’s infrastructure as set pieces.
This article published in The Advocate details some of the recent developments surrounding the park. A recent plan for an upscale outlet mall fell apart in March of 2013. Two major film studios are reportedly in talks with the city for leases of the park through 2014. Another proposal for the park’s future is due in October of this year.
Until then, the park’s future remains uncertain.
Read more about Hollywood’s new fondness for Six Flags New Orleans at Nola.com. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters opens in theaters this Friday, August 7, 2013.
Below is a chilling video of the abandoned park from a few years ago:
What do you hope to see become of Six Flags New Orleans? Share your ideas for the park’s future in the comments section below.
Another amusement park should be put on the spot ! So the people in NOLA can have a fun place to take there families