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Niles: The summer is looking soft for Universal’s theme parks

July 28, 2026

Universal Studios owner Comcast confirmed last week what many theme park fans have suspected this summer. Attendance is slipping at America’s top theme parks.

Comcast reported a slight bump in revenue at its theme parks worldwide for the three months ending June 30 compared with the same period in 2025. But the company also reported lower earnings for the period, which it attributed in part to a softer attendance in Orlando. Universal Orlando opened its new Epic Universe theme park in late May 2025. So June was the first month with a true, apple-to-apples comparison with last year. That also happens to be the month when Comcast reported the beginning of its softening.

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Without the Epic bump in April and May of 2026, one wonders if Universal Orlando would have seen a softening earlier. Higher gas prices and airfares following the war in the Middle East have made it tougher for many American families to consider vacations this summer. The demise of Spirit Airlines in May also removed a low-cost carrier that flew millions of visitors to Florida each year. With Spirit out of the way, that has removed competition that helped hold the line on airfares at other airlines.

Typically, higher travel prices help the theme parks in Southern California, as millions of Californians look to play at home rather than hitting the road. But that’s not happening at Universal Studios Hollywood this summer, according to Comcast’s earnings call. Many would-be Universal visitors in the Los Angeles area have been putting off visits waiting for the Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift coaster to open, which has missed most of the summer season at this point.

The FIFA World Cup started in June, but it does not seem to have helped boost major theme park attendance despite bringing hundreds of thousands of international fans to America. With ticket prices costing many fans thousands of dollars per game, I suspect that most World Cup visitors did not have much money left over for visits to expensive U.S. theme parks and other attractions.

That’s a symptom of a growing problem in America’s leisure economy. A rising tide no longer lifts all boats. Not when every business is trying to juice every last dollar from consumers for themselves.

Comcast leadership has made clear that Universal’s purpose in expanding its Orlando resort is to capture more Central Florida visitors for the company. Universal is no longer satisfied with collecting spillover from Disney anymore. Not that Disney wants to leave any extra business on the table for Universal to collect. Both companies have added hotels and attractions and created pricing deals to entice their visitors to spend their entire vacations at one resort.

The result? Millions of fans are enjoying all-Disney and all-Universal visits. But many others are feeling squeezed out. That is pushing theme parks across the country to offer more summer discounts to try to win the business they once took for granted. Even Disneyland has been offering a new evening discount ticket this summer.

We will see next week what other companies have to report for their early summer results. But for now, it’s looking like another tough year for the theme park business.

Orange County Register

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Niles: The summer is looking soft for Universal’s theme parks

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