In an earnings call this morning, Disney CFO Hugh Johnston spoke briefly about Universal Epic Universe. In his comments, Johnston said that Epic Universe seems to be impacting “the rest of the competition down in Florida” more than Disney. Here’s the latest from Disney’s CFO, along with other recent comments that appear to show that Disney is unfazed by Universal’s newest theme park.
Universal Epic Universe Impacting Other Parks More Than Walt Disney World
Before we get to Johnston’s comments, we’ll start with prepared comments from the Disney executive team. There were two times in the executive commentary when “competition in the Orlando market” was mentioned. First, Disney said that “our Experiences business delivered strong results in fiscal 2025, despite increased competition in the Orlando market”. In another portion of the commentary, Disney said that “despite increased competition in the marketplace, Walt Disney World and Disneyland remain the two most visited theme parks in the world, offering an unparalleled guest experience”.
Neither of the prepared remarks mentioned Universal Epic Universe directly, but Johnston did name-drop Epic Universe in response to an analyst’s question. Johnston started by saying that Epic Universe was “very much in line with our expectations” in terms of impact on the domestic theme park attendance.
However, Johnston then hinted that the impact from Epic Universe may have been even less than forecasted, saying that “if anything, it seems to be impacting the rest of the competition down in Florida more than it is impacting us”. He went on to say that Disney “certainly feels good” about its position as it relates to Epic Universe.
Here’s the full comment from Johnston.
We talked about Epic in the past, in particular as something that we knew would be a factor in domestic parks, and in fact, was very much in line with our expectations. If anything, it seems to be impacting the rest of the competition down in Florida more than it is impacting us from a consumer perspective. We certainly feel good about it.
In terms of what theme park operator Johnston could be referring to, it’s unclear. What appears to be clear is that Disney appears to be unfazed by Universal Epic Universe.
That said, Epic Universe is a wonderful theme park. Universal executives have acknowledged some room for improvement with their new theme park, noting that there are some hurdles to clear in the coming months, such as ride reliability.
Going forward, Universal is launching new ticket types in 2026 that will allow same-day park hopping between its existing theme parks and Epic Universe. There is also a new multi-day option that should drive an uptick in attendance and revenue. And that’s not all!
Universal has recently filed plans for a massive construction project, believed to be an expansion to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Universal has been pretty consistent on the topic of expansion at Epic Universe, saying that there is plenty of room for growth. Karen Irwin, President & COO of Universal Orlando Resort, even shared that plans were in the works for an Epic Universe expansion before the park even opened.
All told, while Walt Disney World doesn’t seem to be concerned about Universal Epic Universe, Universal appears committed to improving the product. We’ll return to Epic Universe in 2026 to see how things have changed, and to see how the new park can fit into your vacation plans next year!
For everything you need to know about Universal Epic Universe, check out our Epic Universe page below!
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