Walt Disney continues to dominate the theme park market after posting strong fiscal results in its third quarter, breaking attendance records and posting record financial figures.
Theme park revenue for Disney was US$4.1bn (€3.8m, £2.6m) for the quarter, an increase of 5.1 per cent over the previous year’s results in the same time period. Year earnings up to 27 June 2015 are also up at US$11.8bn (€10.8bn, £7.6bn), a 6.3 per cent increase on 2014 when the company recorded revenues of US$11.1bn (€10.2bn, £7.1bn) by Q3.
Operating income for the company’s theme park division for the quarter jumped 9 per cent to US$922m (€848.6m, £591.6m) over last year’s US$848m (€780.4m, £544.1m). Operating income for the fiscal year increased substantially, up 16.2 per cent from US$1.97bn (€1.8bn, £1.2bn) to US$2.29bn (€2.1bn, £1.47bn).
Disney marked record attendances in Q3, which combined with higher guest spending, higher resort occupancy and
breaking the US$100 ticket barrier earlier this year, led to the record figures.
Theme parks provided a large chunk of Disney’s overall earnings, which were up 5 per cent to US$13.1bn (€12bn, £8.4bn). With the likes of
Universal and
Wanda investing heavily in a bid to take Disney’s spot as leading theme park operator worldwide, the company is also continuing to invest to stay ahead of the curve. New experiences currently under development include
the redevelopment of Disney Springs,
the Frozen Ever After Ride at Epcot,
the Avatar expansion in Animal Kingdom and
the launch of Shanghai Disneyland in 2016.
