Roller Coaster News

Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington to debut extreme new coaster in 2026

Six Flags Tormenta Rampaging Run roller coaster

Courtesy rendering

There's a new roller coaster coming to Six Flags Over Texas: The Arlington amusement park will unveil Tormenta Rampaging Run, destined not only to get one's adrenaline pumping and redefine the thrill-seeker experience but also to change the city’s skyline.

According to a release, it'll be the tallest, fastest, longest and first-ever giga (300+-foot-tall) dive coaster in the world.

Unfortunately, it is themed after Spain’s "running of the bulls," an annual tradition in which bulls are shocked with electric prods and loud rockets to encourage them to run onto the narrow, crowded streets of Pamplona, Spain before being sent to their deaths in bullfights. Animal groups have condemned the event, while more than 100 Spanish towns and cities have stopped holding bullfighting events, with a 2019 poll finding that more than half of Spaniards want to see them banned.

Tormenta Rampaging Run will elevate riders to a height of 309 feet and, just like waiting for the release of the bulls, the train will release plunging riders into a record-breaking 95-degree, beyond vertical drop complete with sharp turns followed by other exhilarating drops that replicate the thrill of the running of the bulls.

The new attraction will tower over a new Spanish village called Rancho de la Tormenta and new restaurant Cocina Abuela, all fittingly located in the park’s Spain area.

Record-breaking features of Tormenta Rampaging Run are as follows:

Height: Soaring to an epic 309 feet, Tormenta Rampaging Run will give riders an expansive view of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area before plunging them into a high-speed descent.
Speed: Reaching a speed of 87 mph, Tormenta Rampaging Run will be the fastest dive coaster on the planet.
Length: Spanning 4,199 feet, this ride will offer an extended journey full of airtime (weightless) moments, sharp turns and drops that will make riders feel like they are bull runners.
Tallest vertical loop: At 179 feet, the loop on this coaster will be the highest of any coaster, of any type.
Highest Immelmann inversion: Being upside down at 218 feet will become a must for thrill-seekers.
Highest 95-degree Beyond Vertical Drop: The train will drop riders a record 285 feet down at a beyond-vertical 95 degrees.

“Six Flags Over Texas has always been a leader in creating unforgettable experiences, and with Tormenta Rampaging Run we are soaring to new heights,” said Six Flags Over Texas VP and Park Manager Mark Boyer. “This coaster is a true testament to our commitment to providing world-class thrills and innovation, and we can't wait to bring this historic ride to life in 2026.”

“As the world’s first giga dive coaster, Tormenta Rampaging Run introduces a completely new ride category, blending giga coaster heights with the fun and thrill of a dive coaster,” said Sophie Bolliger, President of Bolliger & Mabillard, consulting engineers and designers of the coaster. “This level of innovation sets new standards for the theme park industry and our company is honored to be part of this historic moment with Six Flags.”

The Spanish village
Rancho de la Tormenta will be an immersive, themed area depicting a fictional Spanish village, with colorful banners and Spanish music.

It will also feature a new restaurant called Cocina Abuela, featuring flavors from Spain and Latin America such as Spanish rice, papas bravas, chicken tinga, and guacamole.

The 2026 opening of this multi-record-breaking roller coaster will be part of an important milestone for Six Flags Over Texas as it celebrates its 65th anniversary; Six Flags Over Texas opened on August 1, 1961.

openings

Movie Review

Jessica Chastain drama Dreams stumbles through steamy romance

Photo courtesy of Teorema

Isaac Hernández and Jessica Chastain in Dreams.

The opening scenes of the new drama Dreams are bracing, fictional sequences that call to mind real-life scenarios. In them, a young Mexican man named Fernando (Isaac Hernández) goes through a somewhat harrowing journey from the back of a semi truck in South Texas all the way to San Francisco. It’s a familiar immigrant story that seems to set the stage for a film with something interesting to say.

It turns out, however, that Fernando has not made the long and arduous trek for a job. Instead, it’s to be with Jennifer McCarthy (Jessica Chastain), a rich woman who helps lead a foundation dedicated to multiple things, including funding dance academies. Fernando, a talented dancer, and Jennifer have been in an off-and-on affair for years, with Jennifer wanting to keep their relationship a secret.

Although both are drawn to each other in an inexplicable, lustful way, their bond is tenuous, with each of them dissatisfied for different reasons. Fernando clearly sacrifices much more of himself than Jennifer, who wants for nothing except maybe more affection from her father, Michael (Marshall Bell), and brother, Jake (Rupert Friend).

Writer/director Michel Franco seems to try to inject tension into Fernando and Jennifer’s relationship from the start, an attempt that is only halfway successful. It’s clear from the way they greet each other - not to mention a steamy sex scene shortly thereafter - that they have known each other for a good length of time. Franco is able to get across this familiarity with an economy of scenes, and the intensity of their bond holds for a while.

But as the film progresses and both of them grow disenchanted with their arrangement, Franco starts taking the story in some odd directions. The biggest issue is that it’s never clear at what point in time the story is taking place. Fernando ends up making multiple trips back and forth across the border, with Jennifer doing the same at one point, and Franco’s use of flashbacks muddies the waters, wrong-footing the audience when he should be trying to draw them further into Fernando and Jennifer’s complications.

Revelations in the final act make the story even more confusing, as both main characters start saying and doing harsh things that seem to come out of nowhere. That would be all well and good if Franco actually committed to their changes of heart, but he keeps things wishy-washy for most of the final 15 minutes, resulting in an ending that makes little sense for either character.

Despite the story issues, both Chastain and Hernández give compelling performances. Chastain has been a little under the radar since winning an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, but she keeps this character interesting longer than it should have been. Hernández has limited credits and appears to have been cast for his dancing ability, but he goes toe-to-toe with Chastain on more than one occasion and acquits himself well.

Dreams had all of the ideas to explore a more in-depth story about the complicated immigration policies between Mexico and the U.S., or how wealthy people take advantage of those less fortunate. But Franco never finds the right footing, settling instead for a titillating and somewhat mystifying relationship story that feels half-baked.

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Dreams is now playing in select theaters.

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