Credit: UniversalAmong theme park fans, the biggest competition between “best theme park” is arguably often between Disney Parks and Resorts and Universal Destinations and Experiences. While Disney has long held the title of supreme reigning champion of the theme park industry, last year proved that Universal is gunning hard to take their place on top.
Earlier last year, a report from TEA/AECOM was released which showcased attendance numbers for most of the major theme parks around the world between 2019 and 2022. It showed a shocking change in attendance, specifically for the Florida park locations, Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. While all four Walt Disney World parks saw their numbers drop from 2019 to 2022 (likely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic), both Universal parks either stayed around the same or had an increase in their attendance by the end of the four years.
In fact, both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure had more guests in 2022 than EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, only being beaten by Magic Kingdom. In fact, this is a trend that has been happening since 2020, with the Orlando Universal parks drawing in more guests than most of the Walt Disney World ones.
And that trend is only expected to continue to rise with the opening of Epic Universe, Universal Orlando’s third gate, in 2025. With attractions inspired by How To Train Your Dragon, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal’s classic monsters, and SUPER NINTENDO WORLD all expected to be brought to the park when it opens, it may mean some tougher competition for the House of Mouse down the street.
Universal Expands Across America and Overseas
In addition to Epic Universe, Universal also announced it would be expanding its U.S. reach to middle America, moving beyond its California and Orlando resorts. The news surprised everyone as the first major move inward by one of the big coastal theme parks, especially when most of the local theme parks scattered across the states are seasonally operated throughout the summer months only.
Frisco, Texas
The first major park to be built in “middle America” by Universal will be located in Frisco, Texas. A park designed with families and children in mind, the park is expected to cater to a younger audience that either its Hollywood or Orlando resorts currently do. Last month, it was announced that the park will be called Universal Kids Resort and according to the webpage for the park:
The new Universal Kids Resort coming to Frisco, Texas will offer a unique theme park experience for the younger crowd. Universal Destinations & Experiences is designing this smaller-scale theme park to inspire the unbridled creativity of kids through play, discovery and imagination, with a different look and feel from existing destinations.
With family-friendly attractions and immersive themed lands, playful interactive shows and character meet and greets, Universal Kids Resort will celebrate Universal’s iconic brand of entertainment, humor and fun. It will cater to young kids and their families and bring to life beloved characters and stories in ways that will wow the youngest theme park goers. An on-site 300-room hotel will give families a place to stay and play.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed just yet, speculation on what franchises the park may feature include Trolls, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Shrek, Spongebob Squarepants, and Despicable Me. In order to receive the economic incentives promised by the city of Frisco, the theme park and its accompanying hotel must meet a June 2026 opening deadline.
Las Vegas, Nevada
In conjunction with the announcement of the Frisco theme park, Universal announced that it would also be opening a year-round horror experience in Las Vegas, Nevada, very similar to its seasonal Halloween Horror Nights events at its parks. Universal Horror Unleashed will be Vegas’s first year-round horror experience and is expected to open in the Area 15 district that opened in 2020, an area featuring several unique experiences and entertainment attractions.
According to Universal’s website, Universal Horrors Unleashed promises immersive experiences and a variety of “unique, immersive, and horror-centric experiences” surrounding “eerie eateries and bone-chilling bar areas,” implying it will offer themed food and beverages, similar to a typical HHN experience. The attraction is meant to entice guests to keep coming back, with “a continuously updated experience with must-see seasonal events and one-of-a-kind merchandise.”
Great Britain
In December 2023, it was also discovered that Universal Destinations & Experiences had purchased land in Bedford, England, along with a domain name of “universalstudiosgreatbritain.com” and “universalgreatbritain.com.” It was quickly confirmed by the Bedford Independent that Universal had indeed bought land in England, 240 acres of it. In contrast, both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando sit on roughly 400 and 550 acres, respectively.
According to the release, Universal is in the very early stages of exploring the possibility of bringing a park to the U.K. and European market, as the park currently has three other parks located across three Asian countries, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Singapore, and Universal Beijing. It would also allow Universal to compete with Disneyland Paris for a broader market.
Since the park is still in an early “consideration” phase, there’s no telling what a UK park might include, although there’s heavy speculation that it could lean heavily into its Harry Potter license considering the location. In addition, it was also revealed that there was a U.K. trademark purchased for Halloween Horror Nights, implying that the park could feature its own version of the popular event.
In addition, other new lands and experiences are being brought to the already-existing parks. A Donkey Kong land is being built in Universal Studios Japan, along with a potential replacement for the now-closed Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man attraction. Universal Orlando is hard at work building the DreamWorks kiddie land, which will feature characters from Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Trolls. Universal Studios Hollywood also just opened their SUPER NINTENDO WORLD earlier this year, to much acclaim and excitement.
In comparison to the rapid pace at which Universal Destinations & Experiences seems to be expanding, Disney Parks & Resorts fans have been left in the dust, wondering what plans, if any, the Mouse House has to attempt to compete. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if they have anything up their sleeve just yet, as the next few years look pretty slow for Disney.
Disney Falls Behind, No Major Plans Confirmed
Despite Disneyland and Walt Disney World both closing down their versions of Splash Mountain to make way for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Magic Kingdom unveiling their version of TRON Lightcycle / Run earlier this year (almost seven years after it was first announced), beyond some in-park rethemes and updates, the parks have nothing major confirmed for the upcoming years.
Back in May 2023, it was mentioned that Disneyland was looking to build their own version of Pandora – The World of Avatar, similar to the area in Animal Kingdom, although there hasn’t been an official confirmation on where the land would be located or if any progress has been made on it. There also haven’t been any further details released on the project.
For years, the fate of Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand U.S.A. has been in question as most of the area has been shutdown without any major updates or rethemes promised. At the Destination D23 event in September last year, “possibilities” for the area were discussed, including being themed after the beautiful Colombian landscape from Encanto or something inspired by the Indiana Jones franchise. However, fans were quick to point out that these were very carefully labeled “possibilities,” with nothing confirmed.
The lack of a new park announcement or area expansion is becoming glaringly obvious in the wake of the announcements from Universal last year, seeming to prove that the Disney Parks & Resorts are starting to fall behind. The Walt Disney Company has been struggling across the board since 2020, seeing park attendance numbers drop, disappointing receptions and performances of their theatrical releases, and struggling with their Disney+ streaming service.
Meanwhile, not only are the Universal parks climbing the ranks, but Universal Studios also became the most successful film studio in 2023, amassing almost $5 billion. For the first time in almost eight years, Disney did not hold the number one spot and none of their releases crossed the $1 billion mark, as per Variety. Clearly, Disney is experiencing a massive upset across the board, with Universal using all their might to overtake the Mouse. With the success Universal saw in 2023, it’s possible that it’s just the start, and 2024 and beyond may be even bigger and better for the company while Disney becomes the one struggling to catch up.
Do you think Disney has something up their sleeve they aren’t sharing with the public? Or is Universal truly overtaking the House of Mouse? Let us know in the comments below!