Editing Kings Island (section)

===Paramount's Kings Island (1992–2006)===
In 1992 [[Paramount Communications|Paramount Communications Inc.]] (formerly Gulf+Western) purchased KECO along with Kings Island from American Financial in a deal worth $400&nbsp;million.<ref name="1992 Purchase-WashPost" /><ref name="KECO sale 1992 – Amusement Business">{{cite web|url=http://business.highbeam.com/53/article-1G1-12864545/acquisition-keco-sharpens-paramount-marketing-edge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151110234651/http://business.highbeam.com/53/article-1G1-12864545/acquisition-keco-sharpens-paramount-marketing-edge|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 10, 2015|title=Acquisition of KECO sharpens Paramount's marketing edge|last=Zhito|first=Lisa|date=August 10, 1992|publisher=Amusement Business|access-date=November 10, 2015}}</ref><ref name="KECO sale 1992 – LA Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-23-fi-7444-story.html|title=More Studios Open Theme Park Attractions That Tie Into Their Movies : Entertainment: MCA, Paramount, Walt Disney and Time Warner now control 13 of the top 20 most popular parks in the U.S. and Canada.|last=Woodyard|first=Chris|date=August 23, 1992|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 10, 2015}}</ref> Paramount formed a new division known as [[Paramount Parks]].<ref name="KECO sale 1992 – Amusement Business" /> KECO owned 20% of Canada's Wonderland, and Paramount bought out the remaining 80% stake in 1993, raising the total number of parks to five.<ref name="KICentral – Development" /><ref name="Canada's Wonderland purchase">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/viacom-may-sell-billion-dollar-baby/article18217012/|title=Viacom may sell billion-dollar baby|last=Bloom|first=Richard|work=The Globe and Mail|publisher=February 25, 2005|access-date=November 11, 2015}}</ref> Later that year, Paramount Parks began incorporating themes from its movies into each park.<ref name="KICentral – Development" /> [[Viacom (1971-2005)|Viacom]] entered the picture after acquiring Paramount in 1994, paving the way for the inclusion of [[Nickelodeon]] themes. [[Nickelodeon Splat City]], an interactive [[splash pad]] area,<ref name="Splat City">{{cite news |title=Slime Time at Kings Dominion May Turn Your World Upside Down |url=https://www.mcall.com/1995/04/16/slime-time-at-kings-dominion-may-turn-your-world-upside-down/ |access-date=May 23, 2023 |work=[[The Morning Call]] |date=April 16, 1995 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230523044635/https://www.mcall.com/1995/04/16/slime-time-at-kings-dominion-may-turn-your-world-upside-down/ |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> was added in 1995, which later evolved into Nickelodeon Central (2001) and eventually Nickelodeon Universe (2006).<ref name="Park timeline 1972-2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.visitkingsisland.com/media-center/timeline |title=Timeline: A History of Kings Island |publisher=Kings Island |access-date=July 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312200056/http://www.visitkingsisland.com/media-center/timeline|archive-date=March 12, 2012}}</ref><ref name="50-year timeline">{{cite web |last1=Helbig |first1=Don |title=A look back at 50 years of fun and memories at Kings Island |url=https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2022/april/a-look-back-at-50-years-of-fun-and-memories-at-kings-island |publisher=Kings Island |access-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525134937/https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2022/april/a-look-back-at-50-years-of-fun-and-memories-at-kings-island |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |date=April 11, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Kings Island Eiffel Tower at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The Eiffel Tower and the fountains at night]]
In 1997, a year after leaving Deerfield Township, the city of [[Mason, Ohio|Mason]] annexed most of Kings Island.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://homefinder.cincinnati.com/closetohome/cth_deerfieldtwshp_011297.html |title=Close To Home: Deerfield Township |date=January 12, 1997 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=July 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126220717/http://homefinder.cincinnati.com/closetohome/cth_deerfieldtwshp_011297.html |archive-date=January 26, 2011 }}</ref> A temporary measure allowed for some land to remain in Deerfield in an attempt to appease park officials and reduce the impact on the township.<ref>{{cite news |last=McNutt |first=Randy |title=Bite by bite, neighboring cities take land |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |date=August 31, 1998 |url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/08/31/loc_lemonclose31.html |access-date=December 28, 2006}}</ref> The rest would be annexed in 1999.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://enquirer.com/editions/1999/09/15/loc_mason_annexes_all_of.html|title=Mason annexes all of Kings Island|last=Aldridge|first=Kevin|date=September 15, 1999|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|access-date=July 7, 2012}}</ref> In 2005, Viacom split into two companies, [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] and [[CBS Corporation]], with CBS inheriting Paramount Parks.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/06/14/viacom.split/index.html |title=Viacom board opts to split company |date=June 14, 2005 |publisher=CNN |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref> CBS made the decision to sell its theme park division in January 2006.<ref name="CBS Sale - Announcement">{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2006/01/23/daily43.html|title=CBS to sell Carowinds, other theme parks|date=January 26, 2006|work=Charlotte Business Journal|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref><ref name="CBS sale 2 - Fasig" /> CBS CEO [[Leslie Moonves]] stated that despite the health and profitability of Paramount Parks, the business was "one that just doesn't fit our core strategy".<ref name="CBS sale 2 - Fasig">{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/02/20/story5.html|title=Paramount's Kings Island riding coaster of offers|last=Fasig|first=Lisa Biank|date=February 20, 2006|work=Cincinnati Business Courier|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>

In 2000 [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] revealed that they would build a giant record-breaking, 218-foot, looping [[roller coaster]] by the name [[Son of Beast]]. [[Son of Beast]] was built by [[Roller Coaster Corporation of America|RCCA]] ([[Roller Coaster Corporation of America]]) who was under qualified to build such a large [[roller coaster]]. Halfway through the [[Son of Beast]] [[project]], [[Roller Coaster Corporation of America|RCCA]] was fired and [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] finished the [[Roller coaster|coaster]] themselves. This led to many problems with the structure and many incidents which eventually led to the coaster being closed in the [[Cedar Fair]] era in 2009. The plot of land was replaced with the [[Son of Beast]] ghost themed [[Roller coaster|coaster]], [[Banshee (roller coaster)|Banshee]].