Credit: DisneyDisney earned a record-breaking amount from one surprising parks source in 2023.
While theme parks have long been one of the most profitable cornerstones of The Walt Disney Company, not all of its locations have thrived in the past. Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort reliably turn impressive profits on an annual basis, but the likes of Hong Kong Disneyland (which still experiences annual losses) and Disneyland Paris are not quite as consistent.
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However, the latest figures show that the latter outperformed itself in 2023. New financial reports cite Disneyland Paris as having a €2.4 billion ($2.6 billion) turnover in 2023.
Once offset by operating costs, this means the resort’s two theme parks – Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park – and hotels raked in profits of €161 million ($174 million) last year, marking a record-high for the French location.
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Previously known as Euro Disneyland, Disneyland Paris has struggled since its opening in 1992. The resort was met with plenty of resistance from local residents and, despite arguably being Disney’s most beautifully and intricately designed castle park to date, faced bankruptcy within just a few years of its debut. The situation worsened when its contractually obligated second gate, Walt Disney Studios Park, opened in 2002 and rapidly gained the unwanted rep of Disney’s worst theme park.
Well aware of its inferior reputation to tourists and Disney regulars alike, the resort is in the midst of a massive makeover. The past few years have seen Disney Hotel New York reopen as Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel, while Disneyland Hotel just underwent a royal glow-up to debut with a Disney Princess theme in January.
Walt Disney Studios Park has received the most TLC. Disney opened its second Avengers Campus location at the park in July 2022 and is currently in the midst of constructing its own World of Frozen, as well as a Tangled (2010) attraction and a yet-to-be-announced third new land.
While there’s more investment to come in the near future, it seems like the effort is already starting to pay off. Bolstered by its 30th Anniversary celebrations, Disneyland Paris is in the aftermath of its highest-grossing year to date – and even better years are still to come. Watch this space; Disney’s little-resort-that-could is on the rise.
What’s your favorite Disney resort? Let us know in the comments!