SeaWorld Concedes Blackfish Hurt Attendance in Second Quarter
Skift Take
SeaWorld has been trying to emphasize how it rescues sea creates and allegedly humanely treats orcas in captivity, but a segment of the public just isn't buying it, as SeaWorld's recent attendance figures show.
Shares of SeaWorld Entertainment were tanking August 13 after the theme park company conceded that adverse publicity about restrictive California legislation, which comes on the heels of the Blackfish documentary, negatively impacted attendance.
SeaWorld has been loathe to admit that the criticism of its handling of killer whales used in its shows has hurt attendance, but stated in its second quarter earnings report: "In addition, the Company believes attendance in the quarter was impacted by demand pressures related to recent media attention surrounding proposed legislation in the state of California."
The California legislation, which was tabled in April, would have b
