SIX FLAGS, SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE ADVERTISING & PROMOTION CAMPAIGN FOR 'THE SMURFS®'

USA - English

• Latin America - español

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second consecutive season, Sony Pictures Entertainment is teaming up with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX), to help launch one of its summer blockbuster films.  The highly anticipated movie, "The Smurfs®," will be promoted during Spring Break events at all domestic parks in conjunction with an in-store promotion debuting Smurf-branded merchandise at Hot Topic stores nationwide.  "The Smurfs" will be released in theaters nationwide on August 3, 2011.

"Six Flags is thrilled to be working alongside Sony Pictures Entertainment again this season to innovatively showcase the film via our in-park media assets as well as execute a very unique experiential sweepstakes," said David McKillips, senior vice president, Corporate Alliances for Six Flags. "This campaign demonstrates our ability to strategically target specific demographics with a multi-medium, hands-on approach."

"After a successful pairing with Six Flags last summer on our worldwide hit film The Karate Kid, we're very pleased to reprise our relationship and add leading teen retailer, Hot Topic, to this creative, collaborative Spring Break promotion," said Gregory Economos, senior vice president, Global Consumer Products, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In support of "The Smurfs," Sony is bringing Six Flags and Hot Topic stores together to offer customers a retail incentive this spring.  With the purchase of Smurf-branded t-shirts at 200 participating Hot Topic stores across the country, from March 12 to April 25, 2011, customers will receive a $20 discount off general admission to all domestic Six Flags parks.  Additionally, Six Flags will sponsor a sweepstakes at sixflags.com/smurfs, providing Smurf fans the chance to win a 3-day/2-night adventure for two to New York City, Six Flags tickets, plus cash and other prizes. The sweepstakes, which begins March 12 and ends April 25, 2011 will be open to legal residents of 47 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and D.C. (FL excluded), 13 years of age or older. The promotion and ticket discount will be supported with a co-branded campaign in all Hot Topic stores and Six Flags using Six Flags Media Networks, which includes Six Flags TV, digital billboards, signage and online inventory.  Sony will also run advertising on Six Flags Media Networks to promote the movie release date, August 3, 2011, later in the summer.

The Smurfs make their first 3D trip to the big screen in Columbia Pictures'/Sony Pictures Animation's hybrid live-action and animated family comedy, The Smurfs. When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, through a magical portal, and into our world, they land in the middle of New York's Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down. Directed by Raja Gosnell.  The producer is Jordan Kerner.  The screenplay is by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss and Jay Scherick & David Ronn from a story by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss, based on the Characters and Works of Peyo.

About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world's largest regional theme park company with 19 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Six Flags Over Texas, the company's flagship location, is celebrating its 50th anniversary season in 2011.

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About Six Flags Media Networks

Six Flags Media Networks provides the advertising community with comprehensive, multi-platform media opportunities via its media touch points that go far and beyond that of traditional advertising. For its local, regional and national advertising partners it offers: Six Flags Television Network, Six Flags Radio, Six Flags Print, Six Flags Outdoor, Six Flags Outdoor Spectacular, Six Flags Attraction Integration, Six Flags Experiential Marketing and Six Flags Online. Six Flags Television Network is part of Six Flags Media Networks' recently-launched digital out-of-home offering that combines a collection of digital assets to deliver nearly 100 million annual impressions, or approximately 20 million per month during peak operating season.

About the Smurfs

The story of the Smurfs - a property created by Peyo - started in 1958 with the creation of comic books which were later brought to both the big and small screen.  Over the years, the little blue characters haven't just limited themselves to the page and the screen. They have inspired records and CDs that have sold millions of copies,  entire collections of figurines and toys, and many more products.   In all, more than 3,000 derived products have been produced and leading brands and companies have spread their messages worldwide with the help of the Smurfs.  A multitude of new projects appear regularly, thus making the success of the Smurfs planetary!

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 130 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at www.sonypictures.com.

About Sony Pictures Animation

Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its 2009 worldwide hit, the mouth-watering 3D comedy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the 2007 Academy Award®-nominated Surf's Up with a full slate of feature films including the live-action/animation hybrid film The Smurfs (3D) and the family comedy, Hotel Transylvania (3D). The division is also in production with Aardman Animations on two feature films, the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas (3D) and the stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates!  Band of Misfits (3D). Open Season 3, the third adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's successful Open Season franchise, was released on DVD and Blu-Ray January 2011. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.

About Lafig Belgium S.A.

Lafig Belgium is the owner of the rights to produce audio-visual works based on the Smurf universe and of the Smurf worldwide licensing rights (together with IMPS).  Lafig Belgium is controlled by the heirs of Pierre Culliford, better known under his pseudonym Peyo, the author/creator of the Smurfs. For 50 years, the Culliford family has controlled the Smurf characters and all licenses worldwide.

SOURCE Six Flags Entertainment Corporation