Attendance Is Down at Disney's U.S. Parks But New Attractions Are on the Way
Skift Take
Theme parks were the best performers during the first fiscal quarter despite some attendance declines, and Disney has a pipeline of new openings in the coming years that should keep the segment comfortably in positive territory.
Disney's Animal Kingdom is finally about to move into the big leagues — or at least that's the parent company's plan.
The perpetual half-day park is set to open its long-awaited Avatar land on May 27, Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Robert Iger announced Tuesday.
Pandora – The World of Avatar, based on the blockbuster James Cameron film, will add two rides, dining options, and shopping to the sprawling but often underutilized park in Orlando.
"The whole experience experience is sizable, and it is an add-on to Animal Kingdom, which has always been a good park, but it has never been a full-day experience," Iger said during the company's quarterly earnings call. "So we added within the last year a nighttime safari experience and some other entertainment, and by adding this, we're going to be turning our fourth gate — the last one to be opened in Orlando — into a much fuller experience."
While the original Avatar is practically a classic by now — it opened in 2009, and the park project was announced in 2011 — Cameron has said he is making four sequels, schedul
