Comcast Corp.’s theme park segment revenues rose 18.9% in the second quarter after the launch of the epic universe in May, the company announced Thursday.
Over the period from April to June 2025, attractions worldwide revenues ranged from $2 billion in 2024 to $2.3 billion. Park operating expenses increased by 25.9%, but adjusted EBITDA also rose.
“Epic is already driving higher CAP (ITA) spending and attendance across Universal Orlando Resort, so we are pleased with the early results. It has had a minimal impact on strong food and product sales and attendance at Universal Studios Florida and Adventure Island.
Comcast, like other major theme park operators, does not reveal the results of individual park or resort attendance or financial performance. The epic universe is “in lined up” with the company’s expectations and the goal of making Universal Orlando Resort a week-long destination, Cavanagh said.
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“Our short-term focus is increasing ride throughput to reduce early attendance constraints,” he said.
Chief Financial Officer Jason Armstrong said executives hope that the EPIC will increase future attendance and spending, as well as improved operating leverage.
“More broader, our performances in the international parks are still strong,” Armstrong said. “But we’re continuing to experience pressure in Hollywood (Universal Studios) and I think we’ll have a few more quarters before we have it.”
Comcast officials have gathered additional attractions to the work, with Universal Horror Loa Shed, which is scheduled to debut in Las Vegas in mid-August, Universal Kids Resort, which is scheduled to open near Dallas in 2026, and the 2031 theme park, which is scheduled to mark its opening day in 2031.
“Obviously we were making an epic investment. It was a big new launch. We’ll drive it away in a few years,” Armstrong said. “Obviously, we still have a lot of investment in the parks, which will fill a bit of a blank, including the small park we talked about. But even so, it’s been trending down for a few years now and coming back as we get closer to London’s parks.”
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The majority of the conference call covered Comcast’s broadband pricing structure, NBA gaming’s return to NBC, their debut with the Peacock streaming service in the fall, as well as film studio performances, and live-action remakes of “How to Train Your Dragon.”
Overall, Comcast reported revenue of $30.3 billion in the second quarter of 2025, up 2.1% year-on-year.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
Original issue: July 30th, 2025, 12:51pm EDT