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Credit: Joel Sutherland, UnsplashThe Walt Disney Company has just dropped its financial results for fiscal 2025, and the numbers for its Disney Experiences division are shocking, to say the least.
In the years since COVID-19, guests have witnessed plenty of changes at Disney’s theme parks – not all of which are welcome. With the free FastPass service retired for good, Disney has instead introduced the unpopular upcharge of Lightning Lanes to skip the lines at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland.
It’s also axed the concept of late-night Extra Magic Hours for all Disney park guests, with staying at a Disney resort now only gaining you extra time in the mornings (and a few evenings, but only if you’re staying at a Disney Deluxe resort). Other free services, such as the Magical Express, have disappeared. Guests also no longer receive free MagicBands while staying on Disney property, and even the discounted MagicBands were cut earlier this year.
In October, Disney also eliminated several salaried positions across Disneyland Resort, impacting roughly 100 cast members. “With our business in a period of steady, sustained operation, we are recalibrating our organization to ensure we continue to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests,” Disney explained at the time.
At the same time, prices have soared across the parks. Tickets have hit record highs, while food and merchandise have seen a string of controversial price increases.
Guests haven’t exactly stayed quiet about their sentiments towards these paywalls and budget cuts. However, it doesn’t seem like things will change anytime soon, with Disney confirming that its theme parks and experiences division is performing better than ever.
Disney Confirms Radical Growth Across Theme Parks
According to The Walt Disney Company’s fourth quarter and full year earnings report for fiscal 2025, Disney Experiences generated $10 billion in operating income this year – the highest figure the division has ever recorded.
That’s $723 million more than 2024, driven in part by a record-breaking Q4 in which it made $1.9 billion ($219 million more than Q4 2024).
Its international parks – which include Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland, with Tokyo Disney Resort technically owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company –saw the most significant growth. Operating income increased by 25% to $375 million. Disney attributed much of this growth to Disneyland Paris.
Meanwhile, its domestic parks (Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort) saw operating income grow by 9% to $920 million. Notably, Disney World is home to Magic Kingdom, which consistently ranks as the world’s most-visited theme park.
Disney has also attributed a chunk of Disney Experiences’ growth to the stability of the Disney Cruise Line, which also falls under the same department. “Operating income at our domestic parks and experiences increased compared to the prior-year quarter due to growth at Disney Cruise Line attributable to an increase in passenger cruise days,” it said, “partially offset by higher fleet expansion costs, both reflecting the launch of the Disney Treasure in the first quarter of the current year.”
Making these numbers even more notable is the fact that Disney’s theme parks haven’t exactly experienced huge positive changes in 2025. Walt Disney World Resort largely welcomed new entertainment additions this year, such as Zootopia: Better Zoogether! (which hasn’t exactly received positive reviews) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away at Magic Kingdom.
Over on the West Coast, Disneyland’s 70th anniversary saw the addition of Walt Disney – A Magical Life, featuring an animatronic of the man himself. Further afield, Disneyland Paris received a new nighttime show, while Hong Kong Disneyland kicked off its 20th anniversary celebrations.
In fact, the most significant changes at Disney parks this year have been closures. In 2025 alone, Disney World controversially lost Muppet*Vision 3D, the majority of DinoLand U.S.A., and the entirety of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.
With that in mind, it would seem like FOMO isn’t exactly driving this income boost for Disney. While a string of new attractions are expected in the coming years – such as a new Monsters, Inc. land at Hollywood Studios, Cars Land and a Disney Villains land at Magic Kingdom, Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, and a Coco ride, Avatar land, and an expansion of Avengers Campus at Disney’s California Adventure – Disney can rest pretty easy with the knowledge that paywalls, budget cuts, and higher costs are enough to rake in cash in the meantime.
Are you surprised by Disney’s record-breaking operating income this year?