Disney Theme Parks Report Strong Results, While Comcast’s Universal Parks Dip

America’s theme park giants can’t seem to agree on the health of the tourism economy.

Comcast, which owns the Universal parks, warned two weeks ago that higher fuel and airline prices and waning consumer confidence had prompted a pullback on spending in Orlando, Fla., the world’s theme park capital. “It’s an overall demand drop that’s hitting Orlando broadly,” Michael Cavanagh, Comcast’s co-chief executive, told analysts on an earnings call while discussing a 5 percent quarterly decline in overall Universal parks profit.

Disney offered a strikingly different assessment on Wednesday. Walt Disney World in Orlando had a “standout quarter, with healthy core attendance increases from domestic tourists and annual pass holders,” Disney said as part of its earnings report. Attendance at Disney’s parks in Florida and California climbed 3 percent; Wall Street had expected growth of half a percent.

“Obviously, we’re gaining share,” Hugh Johnston, Disney’s chief financial officer, said in an interview, suggesting that Disney had been taking visitors from Universal. He added that bookings at Disney World for the remainder of the year were “robust.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/business/media/disney-parks-universal.html