Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference 2022, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts gave some insight into the metrics that Universal is seeing regarding its theme park business. Answering a question about the strength of recovery that Universal sees in their theme parks, Roberts didn’t mince words, saying that Universal is gaining ground in the theme parks business against Disney. Disney has historically been the leader in the Central Florida theme parks business, but with a new water park and a third theme park in the works with Epic Universe, Roberts is bullish about its theme park division. Here’s what he had to say:
We’re then going to open [Nintendo] in Orlando in an entire new park, huge scale, called Epic Universe, kind of the size of Universal now, a whole another park, hotels, restaurants in 2025, ’26 period, massive construction going on now. We’re investing in this business all over the world, and we’re playing offense.
We’re – clearly, there’s one other company, Disney, that has a fabulous parks business. We’re gaining share. The ingenuity and the service and the customer satisfaction, it has never been better. And so again, we’ve looked for signs of slowdown, and I’m sure there will be moments. But right now, it’s allowing NBC to make these other investments not just in Epic Universe and in Nintendo but also in Peacock and elsewhere so that we’re not taking money from one pot to put it in another. This is very much transforming the company with its own balance sheet.
Whether Disney likes it or not, the consumer will soon have to make a choice. Americans aren’t getting an increase in vacation time, so guests will soon have to make a decision on how much Universal they’re going to experience when visiting Central Florida. When Epic Universe opens, there will be three fully mature theme parks and a water park that was built this millennium – and has the tech, rides, immersion, and experience to prove it.
At the 2022 D23 Expo, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro presented “A Boundless Future” for the Disney theme parks. The most ambitious of his plans were two “Blue Sky” concepts for Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In our article asking if D’Amaro could deliver what he called “very real” concepts, we noted that Epic Universe is poised to take a chunk out of the Central Florida tourist dollar. Coming out of the pandemic, it was clear that Universal was investing heavily in its theme park business, so much so that we noted how sluggish Disney seemed to be in getting projects under development restarted.
Ultimately it will be you, the consumer, who wins. Disney will need to answer Universal, and Universal clearly feels the wind at their backs. With Disney only offering guidance on its projects through the end of 2024, D’Amaro will have to start greenlighting some of the “Blue Sky” projects if Walt Disney World doesn’t want to cede even more market share to Universal Orlando.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!