Original article: Epic Universe, Orlando’s next theme park, is coming in 2023, Gabrielle Russon, Orlando Sentinel
Epic Universe, Universal’s third theme park in Orlando, is expected to open as soon as early as 2023, officials said Thursday during a Comcast earnings call.
This summer, Universal announced it is building a new park in the shadow of the Orange County Convention Center but said at the time they were not ready to release more details, including the park’s expected opening date and ride themes.
“We recently announced we’re doing a fourth gate in Orlando in 2023," was all one executive said during Thursday’s call, counting the new Epic Universe with the existing Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the Volcano Bay water park.
No other information was given.
Theme parks are a moneymaker for Comcast Corp, which owns NBC Universal, the parent company of Universal parks and resorts. The latest on Universal’s Orlando park came during an earnings call where Comcast touted its latest financial results that beat Wall Street estimates.
Six years ago, theme parks made about $1 billion in profits. Now, the division makes about $2.5 billion and is poised to grow as Universal expands with a Nintendo-themed land in Japan and a new park in China, company leaders said during Thursday’s earnings call.
For the latest third-quarter earnings released Thursday, attendance rose at Universal theme parks, helping Comcast generate $1.63 billion in revenue, a 7% jump from the same time period last year when natural disasters occurred, affecting Universal Studios Japan.
Comcast’s overall revenue hit $26.83 billion, higher than analysts’ average estimate of $26.77 billion, Reuters reported.
"All in all, we had a great quarter,” Comcast Brian Roberts said during a call with investors.
This year, Universal opened a popular Hagrid roller coaster based on its hit Harry Potter franchise. The roller coaster has won rave reviews from fans although it’s had operating challenges which has forced Universal to cut back hours.
Universal is also in the final weeks for Halloween Horror Nights, which has developed a loyal following for fans who line up haunted houses and the scare zones spread throughout the parks. The event, which ends Nov. 2., requires a special ticket for admission - another moneymaker for Universal.
Both Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment and Walt Disney Co. are expected to release their latest financial earnings Nov. 7.