Editing Kings Dominion (section)

===Paramount era (1993–2006)===
[[File:PKDParamountTheater.jpg|thumb|right|The Paramount Theatre (Now known as "Kings Dominion Theater")]]
Kings Dominion continued its growth when it became part of [[Paramount Parks]] in 1993 and switched its name to Paramount's Kings Dominion. New attractions and areas of the park themed to Paramount's television shows and films appeared at Paramount's Kings Dominion almost every season that they were under Paramount's ownership. In 1993, they added a [[motion simulator]] attraction, originally featuring the ''[[Days of Thunder]]'' film, and Lion County Safari was removed at the end of the season. Also in 1993, [[Smurf Mountain]] was removed, leaving only the Time Shaft and Haunted River remaining in The Lost World Mountain until 1995 when both rides were removed. The 1994 season saw the addition of a new area of the park themed to the 1992 Paramount motion picture ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]'', which featured its third full-size wooden roller coaster, [[Hurler (roller coaster)|Hurler]], a shop called the Rock Shop, and a Stan Mikita's restaurant similar to the one featured in the film. Since then, the Wayne's World section has been merged into the Candy Apple Grove; the Stan Mikita's was converted to the Juke Box Diner, and the Hurler was converted into Twisted Timbers, the park's newest roller coaster, in 2018. In the next year, another children's area, known as Nickelodeon Splat City, opened near the Shockwave roller coaster, this was a product of [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] purchasing Paramount in 1994. This was later converted into Nick Central. In the 1995 season, The Skyride and The Singing Mushrooms were removed.

In 1996, Kings Dominion introduced its second launched roller coaster, and first [[linear induction motor|LIM]]-launched roller coaster, [[Flight of Fear|The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear]]. The Outer Limits has a {{convert|54|mph}} launch, four inversions, and an identical "spaghetti bowl" layout to [[Flight of Fear]] at [[Kings Island]]. Almost as notable as the launch of The Outer Limits was the fact that the entire ride was in semi-darkness; the riders could not see where they were going. Five years after The Outer Limits opened, Paramount Parks' licensing agreement to use theming from [[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|the television show after which the ride was named]] expired; the ''Outer Limits'' theming in the ride and its queue was removed, and the ride was renamed Flight of Fear. Also after the 2000 season, Flight of Fear's trains received lap bars instead of shoulder restraints.<ref>{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Flight of Fear|location=Kings Dominion|url=https://rcdb.com/138.htm|accessdate=August 24, 2021}}</ref>

1997 featured the debut of KidZville, a re-theming of the Hanna-Barbera section. The park added the new Taxi Jam roller coaster, and Scooby's Playpark became a construction-themed playpen called Kidz Construction Company. Yogi's Cave was rethemed to Treasure Cave and many rides in KidZville, such as [[Woodstock Express (Kings Dominion)|Scooby-Doo's Ghoster Coaster]], George Jetson's Spaceport, and Huck's Hot Rods, continued to bear the names of Hanna-Barbera characters.

[[File:Volcano, The Blast Coaster (Kings Dominion) 02.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Overview of Volcano: The Blast Coaster and Flight of Fear in the background]]
Kings Dominion added another launched roller coaster in 1998, [[Volcano: The Blast Coaster]], in the former Lost World mountain. The mountain's previous rides had all been removed several years previously, and Volcano gave the mountain a major transformation. Volcano, which was manufactured by [[Intamin]], was the world's first LIM-launched inverted roller coaster. The ride featured two separate launch sections, a roll-out inversion on the top of the mountain, and three [[zero-g roll|heartline rolls]] on the way back down. Volcano was themed to the 1997 film ''[[Volcano (1997 film)|Volcano]]''; the other Paramount Parks added [[inverted roller coaster|inverted]] or [[suspended roller coaster|suspended]] roller coasters themed to ''[[Top Gun]]'' around the same time. During the next two seasons, Kings Dominion expanded Hurricane Reef behind the Rebel Yell and renamed it [[Soak City (Kings Dominion)|WaterWorks]]. The new portion of WaterWorks includes Pipeline Peak, a set of four enclosed water slides, one of which (the Night Slider) is the world's tallest dark free-fall slide. In 2000, Nick Central opened, replacing Nick Splat City and part of Kidzville.<ref name="waterworksofficial">{{cite web | title=Paramount's Kings Dominion | work=WaterWorks | access-date=14 December 2006 | url=http://www2.paramountparks.com/kingsdominion/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=15 | archive-date=10 December 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210062453/http://www3.paramountparks.com/kingsdominion/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=15 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The park added its third launched roller coaster, [[Hypersonic XLC]], in 2001. Hypersonic XLC, a [[Thrust Air 2000]] air-launched coaster made by [[S&S Power]], launched riders from 0 to {{convert|80|mph}} in 1.5 seconds, taking them up an 87-degree incline and down an 87-degree drop.<ref name="hypersonicgallery">{{cite web | title=COASTER-net.com | work=Ride Gallery: Hypersonic XLC | access-date=14 December 2006 | url=http://www.coaster-net.com/hypersonic-xlc-xtreme-launch-coaster-defunct.html}}</ref> The entire ride's duration was about 25 seconds. Hypersonic XLC broke down frequently and was closed for the first three months of its second season; no other Paramount Parks installed a similar ride.<ref name="rcdbxlc">{{cite web | title=Roller Coaster Database | work=Search Results (Hypersonic XLC) | access-date=28 July 2006 | url=http://rcdb.com/qs.htm?quicksearch=hypersonic+xlc | archive-url=https://archive.today/20080201045217/http://rcdb.com/qs.htm?quicksearch=hypersonic+xlc | url-status=dead | archive-date=1 February 2008 }}</ref> Nevertheless, Hypersonic XLC helped establish Kings Dominion's reputation as "the launched coaster capital of the world".<ref name="coasternetxlc">{{cite web|title=COASTER-net.com |work=Hypersonic XLC |access-date=28 July 2006 |url=http://www.coaster-net.com/hypersonic-xlc-xtreme-launch-coaster-defunct.html}}</ref> Hypersonic XLC was removed after the 2007 season.

The early 2000s saw Kings Dominion opening new rides similar to existing rides at other Paramount Parks. In 2002, the park opened its new [[wild mouse roller coaster]], [[Ricochet (Kings Dominion)|Ricochet]] (Now known as Apple Zapple), [[Carowinds]] also installed its [[Ricochet (roller coaster)|Ricochet]] in 2002. Diamond Falls, the [[Shoot the Chute]] ride closed that season. The 2003 season saw Kings Dominion become the final of several of the Paramount Parks to open a Drop Zone: Stunt Tower, now Drop Tower: Scream Zone. The {{convert|305|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} Drop Zone at Kings Dominion was the tallest freefall ride in the world at the time it opened. In 2004, Kings Dominion added [[Scooby-Doo! And the Haunted Mansion]]; similar Scooby-Doo-themed [[dark ride]]s had opened at three other Paramount Parks during the three previous seasons. In the next season, Kings Dominion added a Huss Top Spin called [[The Crypt (Kings Dominion)|Tomb Raider: Firefall]], and was named The Crypt, which was a standard size and outdoor version of a similar, but larger, ride named [[The Crypt (Kings Island)|Tomb Raider: The Ride]], also now The Crypt, at [[Kings Island]]. The differences between the two were that at Kings Dominion riders' feet dangle freely and at Kings Island, which installed a Giant Top Spin, there was a floor. In the 2006 season, Kings Dominion opened the [[Backlot Stunt Coaster|Italian Job Turbo Coaster]], its fourth launched roller coaster. Unlike the previously built launched coasters at Kings Dominion, each of which was faster than its predecessor, the Italian Job Turbo Coaster was designed more like a family ride and features multiple launches at {{convert|40|mph}}. The coaster was later renamed the ''Backlot Stunt Coaster'' in 2008. It is similar to the ''Backlot Stunt Coaster'' rides at [[Kings Island]] and [[Canada's Wonderland]], which both opened in 2005.