Epic Universe opens as Universal leans into parks, takes on Disney
The post Epic Universe opens as Universal leans into parks, takes on Disney appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. The entrance portal to the Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida, US, on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Thomas Simonetti | Bloomberg | Getty Images ORLANDO, Florida — With the grand opening of Epic Universe on Thursday, Comcast is positioning its Universal Studios Orlando Resort as a destination, not a pit stop. For years, Universal’s Florida-based resort has played second fiddle to rival Disney. While it boasted three theme parks — Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure and water park Volcano Bay — and a handful of hotels, it wasn’t viewed as a destination. “This fourth gate changes everything,” said Karen Irwin, president of Universal Orlando Resort. “It not only cements us as more than a full-week destination vacation, but it also adds three hotels to the resort.” Epic Universe opens at a time of economic uncertainty in the U.S., as President Donald Trump has instituted a wide range of ever-changing tariffs that have stoked fears about a global trade war, sent the stock market on its own roller-coaster ride and has threatened to tip the American economy into a recession. The U.S. has already seen a slump in air travel, particularly from international travelers. While those guests are small subset of overall visitors to central Florida, they often spend a longer period of time staying at hotels and visiting theme parks and spend more money on food and merchandise. “When there’s consumer uncertainty, the parks tend to feel it,” Jason Armstrong, chief financial officer at Comcast, said during a MoffettNathanson conference last week. “They tend to snap back really quickly, but they do tend to feel that.” Guests ride Stardust Racers, a new dueling roller coaster ride in Celestial Park during a preview day for Universal Epic Universe on April 5, 2025. Orlando, Florida’s first new theme park…
The post Epic Universe opens as Universal leans into parks, takes on Disney appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
The entrance portal to the Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida, US, on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Thomas Simonetti | Bloomberg | Getty Images ORLANDO, Florida — With the grand opening of Epic Universe on Thursday, Comcast is positioning its Universal Studios Orlando Resort as a destination, not a pit stop. For years, Universal’s Florida-based resort has played second fiddle to rival Disney. While it boasted three theme parks — Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure and water park Volcano Bay — and a handful of hotels, it wasn’t viewed as a destination. “This fourth gate changes everything,” said Karen Irwin, president of Universal Orlando Resort. “It not only cements us as more than a full-week destination vacation, but it also adds three hotels to the resort.” Epic Universe opens at a time of economic uncertainty in the U.S., as President Donald Trump has instituted a wide range of ever-changing tariffs that have stoked fears about a global trade war, sent the stock market on its own roller-coaster ride and has threatened to tip the American economy into a recession. The U.S. has already seen a slump in air travel, particularly from international travelers. While those guests are small subset of overall visitors to central Florida, they often spend a longer period of time staying at hotels and visiting theme parks and spend more money on food and merchandise. “When there’s consumer uncertainty, the parks tend to feel it,” Jason Armstrong, chief financial officer at Comcast, said during a MoffettNathanson conference last week. “They tend to snap back really quickly, but they do tend to feel that.” Guests ride Stardust Racers, a new dueling roller coaster ride in Celestial Park during a preview day for Universal Epic Universe on April 5, 2025. Orlando, Florida’s first new theme park…
What's Your Reaction?
