It's Universal vs. Disney in an epic 'prize fight' for theme park dominance in Florida

The taxable parkland rivalry successful Orlando, Fla. is heating up.

This week, Universal volition unfastened its latest park, Epic Universe, a reportedly $7 cardinal stake for the Comcast-owned institution and the newest salvo successful its ongoing propulsion to grow its tourism and amusement empire.

That puts unit connected Walt Disney Co., whose Walt Disney World Resort has agelong dominated the Orlando abrogation landscape, but is present seeing accrued competition, peculiarly from Universal.

Sprawled crossed 750 acres, Epic Universe represents the biggest Universal taxable parkland enlargement since the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter 15 years ago.

It touts 5 antithetic themed areas, 4 of which are tied to well-known franchises: “Harry Potter,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” Universal’s Dark Universe of classical movie monsters and Nintendo video crippled properties, successful summation to a cosmic cardinal Celestial Park hub.

The resort, which besides includes 3 hotels, features technologically-advanced animatronics and elaborate rides similar Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, which showcases galore of Universal’s monsters. Reviews of the parkland person been mostly positive, with critics highlighting the immersive quality of the attractions.

“Comcast has travel connected truthful beardown with what they’ve developed and brought distant successful the Orlando market,” said Dennis Speigel, laminitis and main enforcement of Cincinnati-based consulting steadfast International Theme Park Services Inc. “Over the past 15 years, they person brought that region betwixt Universal and Disney overmuch closer, and it has truly go a prize fight. It’s the astir aggravated and competitory concern successful the industry.”

Disney was the archetypal of the 2 to the Orlando marketplace backmost successful 1971, erstwhile it opened the Magic Kingdom astatine Disney World. It wasn’t until 1990 that Universal opened its ain Orlando park, giving Disney a astir two-decade caput start.

By then, Disney had already opened the Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios taxable parks (which would aboriginal go known arsenic Hollywood Studios). Also successful the premix successful the Sunshine State: SeaWorld Orlando, which opened successful 1973, and what’s present known arsenic Busch Gardens Tampa, which debuted successful 1959.

Today, Disney World has 4 taxable parks and 2 h2o parks, portion Universal Orlando volition person three, including Epic Universe and Islands of Adventure (opened successful 1999), and a h2o park, Volcano Bay (2017).

Though Universal was precocious to market, its 2010 opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter onshore crossed Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure successful Orlando pushed the taxable parkland contention to caller heights. Building a onshore solely astir a circumstantial intelligence spot — alternatively of a wide taxable — was caller astatine the time, and the conception would aboriginal amusement up successful Disney parks, specified arsenic Cars Land successful Anaheim and later, “Star Wars”-themed lands successful California and Florida.

Demand astatine the clip for the “Harry Potter”-themed onshore pushed Universal’s attendance up 36% compared with the erstwhile year, Speigel said.

“They realized aft ‘Harry Potter’ that it was a caller satellite order,” helium said. “They’ve conscionable kept the pedal to the metallic connected everything they’ve done successful presumption of maturation and interior experience.”

There’s bully crushed for that.

Both Universal and Disney person honed successful connected taxable parks arsenic a profit-generating portion of their concern that is little volatile than the ever-changing media, tv and movie markets. Disney’s experiences division, which includes its taxable parks and cruise lines, has agelong brought successful the lion’s stock of the company’s profit, peculiarly arsenic wage TV shrinks.

“Disney has been beauteous dependable and consistent, but Universal is precise rapidly expanding,” said Carissa Baker, an adjunct prof of taxable parkland and attraction absorption astatine the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “They’re highly encouraging their taxable parkland assemblage close now.”

Both companies person precocious announced caller properties — Disney successful Abu Dhabi and Universal with a smaller kids edifice successful Texas, a taxable parkland successful Britain and a year-round Halloween Horror Nights-esque acquisition successful Las Vegas.

“The program is to support driving maturation successful a concern that we deliberation we’re 1 of 2 players successful a marketplace that is, wrong media, not astatine each exposed to the displacement successful clip connected screens from 1 venue to another,” Comcast Corp. President Mike Cavanagh said during the company’s fiscal archetypal 4th telephone with analysts past month. “Live experiences, parks experiences person been thrilling to people, and we deliberation we thin into that and proceed to bash so.”

So far, helium said, beforehand summons income and edifice bookings are “strong” for Epic Universe and the different Universal parks successful Orlando. A one-day summons starts astatine $139.

That’s wherefore analysts person consistently flagged the upcoming parkland during net calls for rival Disney, querying executives astir the imaginable unit connected Disney World and however the institution plans to compete.

But if Disney is worried, it has shown small motion of it. Last week, Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said edifice bookings for the fiscal 3rd 4th are up 4% compared with past year, with astir 80% of disposable nights reserved. For the 4th quarter, bookings are up astir 7%, with astir 50% to 60% of capableness filled, helium said.

That’s contempt broader worries that concerns astir a imaginable recession — spurred by President Trump’s tariffs connected overseas goods — volition dampen question and user spending.

“Experiences is evidently a captious concern for Disney and besides an important maturation platform,” institution Chief Executive Bob Iger said connected a caller net call. “Despite questions astir immoderate macro-economic uncertainty oregon the interaction of competition, I’m encouraged by the spot and resilience of our business.”

The institution has antecedently announced it is investing $30 cardinal into its parks successful Florida and California, which volition money specified additions arsenic a “Monsters Inc.”-inspired onshore and a villains onshore successful Disney World. The parks person besides added attractions passim the past 10 years, including the revamped Tiana’s Bayou Adventure thrust (which replaced Splash Mountain).

Disney is betting that the influx of visitors coming to Florida for Epic Universe volition inactive marque a halt astatine its parks. Last year, Orlando tallied much than 75 cardinal visitors, up 1.8% compared with 2023, according to the Visit Orlando commercialized association. Josh D’Amaro, president of Disney Experiences, said astatine an capitalist league past week that Disney gets much tourists immoderate clip thing caller opens up successful cardinal Florida — adjacent if it’s not a Disney property.

“If we conscionable spell backmost 5 oregon 10 years, and you deliberation astir what’s happened astatine Walt Disney World, we’ve ever been connected the offensive,” D’Amaro said. “If thing is built caller successful Central Florida, similar Epic Universe, and if it brings successful further tourists, I tin astir warrant you that caller tourer coming into the marketplace is going to person to sojourn the Magic Kingdom.”