That's a good explanation. You can't measure the profits from these rides directly (like you can with a movie, based on box office and home video sales) since people pay attendance for the whole park. Though in Harry Potter's case there was a noticeable jump in attendance (something like 30% ... which can attributed to the new area). Turnover/updating is something that goes on every theme park. Disney/Universal just do things at such a huge scale that the costs jump out at you.

Disney does get away with less updating than any major park I've seen. I suppose they can get away with having a steady stream of visitors regardless. Every years they'll have a major new thing. Which sounds like a lot until you figure how many separate parks they have (4 in Orlando, not counting the water parks). I was just there in December, and there are lots of things that are still there from the 80s (and earlier). Compare that to Universal Studios Orlando. Now that Jaws is gone, hardly anything from their 1990 opening remains (I think ET and maybe some shows/exhibits). Then again, they don't have the name brand of Disney (at least as far as parks are concerned) so they probably figure they have to try harder.

Out here in Anaheim they have things that date back to 1955!

This is actually a good thing. The only good rides at Disneyland are the ones that predate 1980. All their new rides suck and/or are dated. Strange that new rides feel dated already but old rides like the Jungle Cruise and Storybook Land are still awesome.

Also, while not so much a ride but a theme park attraction, the Halloween Horror Nights events at the Universal Studios parks often have attractions based on popular horror franchises. One of the houses last year at Orlando was based on The Thing and I know they've had Friday the 13th, Saw, and others in the past.

Backdraft, Jurassic Park and Back To The Future are all awesome at Universal. I remember liking the E.T ride as well, but that was back when I was a kid.

Also as mentioned the Top Gun ride at both Paramount's Great America (CA) & Kings Island (OH), before the name change, were fun.

Not based on a movie, but King's Island for a while also had Outer Limits: Flight Of Fear. Outside of completely destroying your neck, it was an awesome ride.

I've only been on it once, but I liked the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.

I read that the Harry Potter world cost somewhere between $200 and $300 million. If the park really got a 30% bump in attendance because of Potter World then that has to be one of the quickest paybacks of all time. Goes against my theory that people don't go just because of one specific thing. Potter is kind of a different animal though.

Of all those rides i still like the classic carnival wooden ones like The Goliath.

California Screamin' and Tower of Terror are a fucking blast, so you shut your whore mouth!