Attendance dropped at Universal’s theme parks in the United States during the first three months of this year, owner Comcast reported this morning.
Comcast reported that revenue NBCUniversal’s theme parks segment was down 5.2% from the same period in 2024, to $1.876 billion. The company attributed the decline to lower attendance at its domestic theme parks, in part due to January’s wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Smoke from the fires forced a temporary closure of Universal Studios Hollywood and led to a sharp decline in consumer activity in the LA area.
Adjusted EBITDA in the theme parks segment also was down for the quarter, 32.1% to $429 million.
Universal Orlando is opening its Epic Universe theme park on May 22. That likely pushed some attendance in Orlando from the first quarter into the second quarter of the year and beyond.
Still, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts expressed optimism about the company's future.
"Theme Parks remain on an incredible growth trajectory," he said. "We could not be more excited for the grand opening of Epic Universe in Orlando next month and our plans to bring a new world-class theme park to the UK."
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It’s interesting to see how much external factors like wildfires can impact major theme park attendance and revenue, especially at the scale Universal operates. The dip makes sense with the LA disruptions, but with the much-anticipated Epic Universe opening soon, I’d expect a major rebound. The buzz alone is enough to shift travel plans into Q2 and beyond. Also, love hearing about the UK expansion—Universal is clearly still playing the long game. On a lighter note, for those planning a themed celebration or just need a sweet pick-me-up while waiting for Epic Universe to open, check out canicake.com for some awesome cake inspiration!