Will Epic Universe Unseat Magic Kingdom to be #1 Theme Park?

[@VerbilKint]

Universal needs to start marketing Epic Universe. I talk to friends and family across the country and a few over seas. Not a single one was even aware that there is a new park being built.

[@magicofworldtravel]

I think people who don't usually go to theme parks aren't as aware. My family and friends didn't know until I told them. But they aren't interested in theme parks like I am.

[@CobbleBompster]

They’ll start pumping out commercials soon. Hopefully…

[@candidwings5609]

I'd guess that they didn't want to damage their 2024 season attendance by hyping it too early

[@Lil_Angry_Bitch]

Why would they heavily market something that is not yet officially finished and open for business?

[@JFrombaugh]

It used to be that Universal was a place most people would go to as a tack on to their Disney vacations for a day or two, and often mostly for Harry Potter. But now, with Epic opening and the other two parks getting a gold standard pass, Universal will need a few days to enjoy properly as well. Many if not most people I know who are in their 30s & 40s with kids simply won’t have the stamina, or the money, to do all 7 parks in one Orlando trip; they’re going to have to choose one or the other. And unless Disney steps up their game or at least stops with the blatant nickel-and-diming, I really do think we will ultimately see a lot more families start to choose Universal.

[@steveniglesias2508]

I've done the math on the "Nickel and Diming" Walt Disney World saw roughly 50M guests last year. Their total profit for the year was $2.1B. That means they profited $42 per guest. Do you want them to step up their game, or do you want them or be cheaper? Which one is it? You can't have both.

[@magicofworldtravel]

Once Epic opens it will be interesting to see if Disney World offers even more discounts then normal.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@steveniglesias2508 They need to downsize their IP grabbing, so that most of their revenue comes from the parks, an almost constant source of profit. Right now, the entire rest of the company is losing money, so the profits from the parks aren't going toward the parks, they are going to the bleeding Disney+ and Marvel and Lucasfilm.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

I think Disney may become the new Universal. The new "side trip". Magic Kingdom will still have insane attendance, but parks like Animal Kingdom might start to fall short, which is kind of a shame, because in terms of quality, it is the best Disney park right now

[@onehorseopensleigh]

Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World, Peter Pan, and other classics are rites of passage (no pun intended) for most American kids. Without those family-friendly, slow-moving but atmospheric rides, Universal can’t compete with almost 70 years of Disney’s stronghold over families with young children. But the quality has clearly moved to Universal, something I never thought I’d type.

[@magicofworldtravel]

Disney has amazing story telling with their rides. Their classic rides are still loved even after all these years.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

My thought is that the Magic Kingdom will still get visitors but the other parks will fall short, because families are spending the ENTIRE rest of their time at Universal

[@Lil_Angry_Bitch]

Kids grow up and outgrow rides like Small World and Dumbo. As they get older they want rides like Hagrids or Velocicoaster. That's the problem with Disney, they rest on their past and laurels instead of trying to be innovative for look towards the future, while Universal tries to stay ahead of the game.

[@rannxerox3970]

My family have gone strictly to Disney parks for decades. I went to Universal on a solo trip, almost exclusively for Harry Potter and I was blown away. I am now planning a trip with my extended family. We have also talked about going to Dollywood. My wife and I have also talked about going to Tokyo and doing Disneyland/DisneySeas there, mostly because we have become disappointed with the Bob Iger era and the US parks.

[@magicofworldtravel]

My family and I also loved the Wizarding World. We kept going back for each day we visited. My kids loved the interactive wand spots.

[@shreksma215]

Really interesting information thanks. We are coming over from New Zealand in November 2025 with Epic Universe as our first choice of park. It would be great to have the Helios opening dates to help with planning.

[@magicofworldtravel]

Awesome! Yes hopefully the Helios gets an opening date soon.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

It all depends on what happens when they unleash their marketing campaign, but I think it has real potential for it. Probably moreso locally at first, history shows us that theme parks need a few years to get a good level of maintenance and open a few expansions before they've really gotten into the groove of things

[@robertsmalls3513]

It’s gonna take time for word of mouth to give Epic Universe the crowds to be the #1 park. I predict enough guests get peeled off from Disney that Magic Kingdom loses the #1 spot, but Islands of Adventure will hold that #1 crown until Epic Universe has been open for a year or two

[@magicofworldtravel]

True. It will be very interesting to see if Magic Kingdom's numbers drop when Epic opens.

[@robertsmalls3513]

@@magicofworldtravel Some sources say that Magic Kingdom is already dropping this year. Disney isn’t off to a strong start for a competition, especially with closing Test Track for a retheme and opening the unpopular Splash Mountain replacement

[@officialmonarchmusic]

New parks generally have insane attendance for the first year, so it's hard to imagine why Islands would still have more people

[@weatheredseeker]

IoA has half of MK's attendance so it's really hard to believe epic will get to that point but it's possible

[@robertsmalls3513]

@@officialmonarchmusic Because the audience has to grow.

[@randolphwilliams2365]

I hope so!!

[@dustinsensenig9798]

I believe so. I am subscribed to WDW Pro for a while now, and he has a 92% accuracy rate for rumors and speculation. One of his sayings, is explaining entertainment, keeping you ahead of the culture curve. He, Valliant Renegade, and That Park Place keep people informed about Disney and the happenings behind the scenes

[@robertsmalls3513]

I watch them all too. I’d also suggest Clownfish TV because they say similar stuff about but from another perspective. Like That Park Place and WDW Pro talk 1000% like nothing could’ve ever been a good replacement for Splash Mountain, and Clownfish TV comes in to say that they could’ve have done well but here’s the reason why it didn’t. That’s the sort of thing. Clownfish TV also calls it “another daily dose of dismal Disney”. lol. Very interesting stuff to listen to

[@robertsmalls3513]

@@sinisterkyrin I’m sorry the truth hurts. How’s Disney stock going for you?

[@robertsmalls3513]

@@sinisterkyrin Cope harder. They literally show the receipts that prove Disney is losing money. The stock price shows it too, but keep pretending that truth tellers are lying. Watch your favorite brand die out while you’re in denial

[@officialmonarchmusic]

I don't think those channels are very good. I'd recommend Poseidon Entertainment. Much more balanced and fair. Besides Valiant Renegade has clear and obvious political biases. WDW Pro is okay, but he's just kind of obnoxious and hard for me to stand

[@danielramsey1959]

Theme park vacations is too expensive right now for everyone.

[@Troopertroll]

Epic Universe will boost the attendance numbers significantly. It's supposedly got more capacity than Islands of Adventure. Disney has not been taking the competition seriously, so I can see Universal easily overtaking them in the next 10 years if they follow through with additional projects in the new properties they got approved to purchase.

[@cjhan47]

Inflation is affecting everyone in the world-literally. Yes, prices are higher, but so is income. I don't think that will be a factor. For my family, we intend to go the first year and spend more than we ever have at Universal or Disney, for that matter. Inflation is a Red Herring and will likely affect nothing in the entertainment industry or any other industry, as we are basically seeing no effect now.

[@magicofworldtravel]

Your lucky your able to travel still. My husband lost his job because the company couldn't afford so many employees anymore. And he's struggled to find work. I have friends that can't afford to live on their own because cost of housing is too high. So it will effect some people but maybe not enough to see a huge difference in travel habits.

[@VelocicoasterFanboy]

I guess

[@chavisberrien4844]

They already that

[@Thomas-xy4sh]

LOL. Never. No Imagineering.

[@reyskymunker]

Actually, it’s well known that the imagineers Disney fired as well as the ones who chose to leave have been scooped up by Universal and many are responsible for what we’re getting soon with Epic Universe. Needless to say I’m hyped 😄

[@officialmonarchmusic]

Actually, since Bob Chapek gutted Imagineering in 2021, the now out-of-a-job Imagineers went to who was hiring: Universal. So they are the ones who are largely making it so great