Universal Q2 2026 Results

[Jake S]

A company that has parks worldwide is able to manage economic headwinds better than a company that only has parks in one country? Color me surprised.

Universal Studios has parks in four countries haha.

 

[MAC]

Universal Studios has parks in four countries haha.

My brain is not working. Ugh. My bad.

 

[Evan]

Universal Studios has parks in four countries haha.

And this is specific to domestic as well. Disney saw a 3% domestic increase. And hotel occupancy was 91% up from 86%.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I mean part of it for me is what IPs universal is using as well, like Twisters is rumored to be coming to USH.

I'm sorry but would Disney do this? Tron is like one of the only examples I know of them putting something not top tier in the parks

We can hate Disney online but I think they choose good IPs for parks, for WDW they are getting Indy which that ride is a classic at Disneyland, Encanto which is huge, Cars which is huge, Monsters which is also very big considering its a movie from 25 years ago, Coco which is huge, Avatar which is huge, Avengers, Zootopia etc

I think Universal needs to look at what IPs are hot for them and get them in the park sooner then later and parks like USH do one thing at a time, while DCA has an E ticket and D ticket being built at once they see the issue and are like cool lets do by 2030 we will have 3 new rides that should draw millions of people. USH hotel should have started the day after the security hubs were done every minute you wait to start the next project is money just out the window.
Look at HHN in Vegas, it has some ups and downs its first year then they announced RE and when I went from talking to people (and what I could see) the restaurants were busier because they found people like this IP and are willing to spend on money for plastic cups with a logo on it.

For Orlando, I don't know what to really say I think they are making pretty good moves. The reason I can't go is the economy (flights have just gone wayyyyy up and like most people not getting raises that match inflation) but Epic looks amazing, The Fast Coaster should do well enough and IOA is being worked on as we speak to get Zelda, One Piece or whatever it. So really I feel bad for that team because from afar at least it looks like they are mostly killing it

 

[Mad Dog]

And this is specific to domestic as well. Disney saw a 3% domestic increase. And hotel occupancy was 91% up from 86%.

It's important to be pro active to softening markets, and Disney did that pretty well, with good results, with demographic targeted ticket/hotel discounts at WDW and ticket discounts for Disneyland. Josh even made a strong comment in regard to that.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

That Cool Kids summer program is doing a fantastic job. Hotels are busy and the parks, while not packed, are busy.

USF just seems to be dragging the resort down overall. I’m sure people are skipping it out entirely outside of maybe a visit to Diagon and Mummy.

I can’t imagine they’ll continue to let USF operate like that for another 5 years. Hollywood Drift will give it a lift, but a true overhaul that encompasses not only new attractions but improvement of the park’s aesthetic/experience will do wonders.

 

[DragonSlayer]

Hot take: the USF problem is what happens when someone (the public? The industry trying to read the public’s mind?) decides that the core identity of your park isn’t cool any more but can’t fix on anything else to turn it into.

On a macro level, I often wonder if we will live to see either

a) a return to embracing the ‘movie studio’ identity — let’s face it, studio tours and similar are actually very in right now, so I don’t understand the aversion (the Hollywood tours, the London Warner Bros HP tour, limited-time things like directors’ retrospectives with props and art dept stuff such as a Wes Anderson one at the moment in London)

b) the (partial) death of ‘everything must be IP’ and at least a hesitant step back towards original concepts. Even a lot of commentators who aren’t strictly theme park fans seem to have noticed it over the past couple of years and I suspect that, like everything else, people will get tired if the keep being fed the same stuff ad nauseum.

Personally — I hope we see both…

 

[Evan]

Hot take: the USF problem is what happens when someone (the public? The industry trying to read the public’s mind?) decides that the core identity of your park isn’t cool any more but can’t fix on anything else to turn it into.

On a macro level, I often wonder if we will live to see either

a) a return to embracing the ‘movie studio’ identity — let’s face it, studio tours and similar are actually very in right now, so I don’t understand the aversion (the Hollywood tours, the London Warner Bros HP tour, limited-time things like directors’ retrospectives with props and art dept stuff such as a Wes Anderson one at the moment in London)

b) the (partial) death of ‘everything must be IP’ and at least a hesitant step back towards original concepts. Even a lot of commentators who aren’t strictly theme park fans seem to have noticed it over the past couple of years and I suspect that, like everything else, people will get tired if the keep being fed the same stuff ad nauseum.

Personally — I hope we see both…

Right I mean, it’s hard to know how much this impacts the general public… but the main thoroughfare of USF being a weird minion hybrid land thing… is odd.

The park really could use a better grand entrance and thoroughfare. Something more cohesive.

And a better Minion land, with a better Minion dark ride…

 

[DragonSlayer]

Right I mean, it’s hard to know how much this impacts the general public… but the main thoroughfare of USF being a weird minion hybrid land thing… is odd.

The park really could use a better grand entrance and thoroughfare. Something more cohesive.

And a better Minion land, with a better Minion dark ride…

I think it impacts them to the extent that they’ll plan a trip and make a conscious effort to go to ‘the one with the big rides’ and ‘the one with the cool portals’. What do they call USF when they’re figuring out what it has to offer and deciding whether to get a day there too?

At the moment, I fear its main identity compared to IOA and Epic might be ‘some other stuff’.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Hot take: the USF problem is what happens when someone (the public? The industry trying to read the public’s mind?) decides that the core identity of your park isn’t cool any more but can’t fix on anything else to turn it into.

On a macro level, I often wonder if we will live to see either

a) a return to embracing the ‘movie studio’ identity — let’s face it, studio tours and similar are actually very in right now, so I don’t understand the aversion (the Hollywood tours, the London Warner Bros HP tour, limited-time things like directors’ retrospectives with props and art dept stuff such as a Wes Anderson one at the moment in London)

b) the (partial) death of ‘everything must be IP’ and at least a hesitant step back towards original concepts. Even a lot of commentators who aren’t strictly theme park fans seem to have noticed it over the past couple of years and I suspect that, like everything else, people will get tired if the keep being fed the same stuff ad nauseum.

Personally — I hope we see both…

In a perfect world, USF is a celebration of media - both the making of and experiencing/visiting.

I think they’ve realized that pushing the latest IP over some of evergreen/timeless IPs was a mistake.

HTTYD and Monsters prove that you can have success without slapping the latest IP.

Epic has also proven that creating fantastic places to be in, works. While there are nitpicks, Epic is a park people want to be in. I can’t say the same for USF which is mostly a “let’s move on to the next experience”.

 

[Andysol]

I mean part of it for me is what IPs universal is using as well, like Twisters is rumored to be coming to USH.

I'm sorry but would Disney do this? Tron is like one of the only examples I know of them putting something not top tier in the parks

We can hate Disney online but I think they choose good IPs for parks, for WDW they are getting Indy which that ride is a classic at Disneyland, Encanto which is huge, Cars which is huge, Monsters which is also very big considering its a movie from 25 years ago, Coco which is huge, Avatar which is huge, Avengers, Zootopia etc

I think Universal needs to look at what IPs are hot for them and get them in the park sooner then later and parks like USH do one thing at a time, while DCA has an E ticket and D ticket being built at once they see the issue and are like cool lets do by 2030 we will have 3 new rides that should draw millions of people. USH hotel should have started the day after the security hubs were done every minute you wait to start the next project is money just out the window.
Look at HHN in Vegas, it has some ups and downs its first year then they announced RE and when I went from talking to people (and what I could see) the restaurants were busier because they found people like this IP and are willing to spend on money for plastic cups with a logo on it.

For Orlando, I don't know what to really say I think they are making pretty good moves. The reason I can't go is the economy (flights have just gone wayyyyy up and like most people not getting raises that match inflation) but Epic looks amazing, The Fast Coaster should do well enough and IOA is being worked on as we speak to get Zelda, One Piece or whatever it. So really I feel bad for that team because from afar at least it looks like they are mostly killing it

Disney’s catalog of IP is unmatched to a level it’s actually hilarious when you try to compare anyone else to them.

It’s so dominant that it has lands and rides that have become IP themselves. They are unrivaled.

Which is why universal licenses outside of their company to get IPs to get to the Disney level.

Because you have to combine multiple studios and entities to get to a competitive level with Disney.

b) the (partial) death of ‘everything must be IP’ and at least a hesitant step back towards original concepts. Even a lot of commentators who aren’t strictly theme park fans seem to have noticed it over the past couple of years and I suspect that, like everything else, people will get tired if the keep being fed the same stuff ad nauseum.

One can dream. Merch and food sales are the key part here and why it likely won’t happen. But one can hope.

 

[OrlLover]

To reiterate what @Mad Dog said Universal hasn’t been marketing any discounts the way Disney has been doing since last year to be honest.

Plus let’s face it Uni doesn’t have anything new opening to really show off for crowds to come. USH got a new coaster which should help that park but otherwise nothing.

Last year UOR was marketing a lot more events like the Mega Movie Parade for instance.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

One can dream. Merch and food sales are the key part here and why it likely won’t happen. But one can hope.

I think that mindset is holding them back though. Not every land/attraction needs to have a Butterbeer or Game Band to generate revenue.

You can have “smaller/older” IPs and original content in the parks, subsidized by mega IPs.

Heck, Universal knows that original park created characters can be marketable (Lil Boo, Earl, Igor, etc.)

I think the parks can be a healthy mix of original content, smaller IPs and mega IPs.

Quality will always win out.

 

[Mad Dog]

To reiterate what @Mad Dog said Universal hasn’t been marketing any discounts the way Disney has been doing since last year to be honest.

Plus let’s face it Uni doesn’t have anything new opening to really show off for crowds to come. USH got a new coaster which should help that park but otherwise nothing.

Last year UOR was marketing a lot more events like the Mega Movie Parade for instance.

Yeah, I think that $200 super discount ticket for locals, good until Christmas week, will help to fill in the attendance gaps, especially on weekends. From my friend who sees the actual hotel numbers, that's crucial since the August hotel reservation numbers before HHN are terrible, he says. And Epic, whose ticket numbers were in decline, should be helped by the now, almost daily, reasonable ticket prices for APH.

I'm guessing that Disney read the tea leaves and red flags better than Universal, since they were quick to offer all kinds of enticing deals far in advance of the June/July/August problems. And Disney did do a number of attraction/show upgrades to make it seem that stuff was happening. Universal seems to have been overly dependent on Epics' newness, which just didn't happen due to that park's issues. They missed the looming softness signals for some reason.

Now, a strong HHN can alleviate lots of ills. Keeping fingers crossed. I love Universal. I don't want to see them go downhill for lack of new D/E attractions that aren't outdoor high thrill coasters.

 

[Jerroddragon]

To reiterate what @Mad Dog said Universal hasn’t been marketing any discounts the way Disney has been doing since last year to be honest.

Plus let’s face it Uni doesn’t have anything new opening to really show off for crowds to come. USH got a new coaster which should help that park but otherwise nothing.

Last year UOR was marketing a lot more events like the Mega Movie Parade for instance.

I will bring it up again, I think Universal needs to consider doing bigger Summer events to draw people as well

USH is weird because the cool weeks of summer people don't come then like Mild July people just start showing up but I remember in the past days being sold out but this year it didn't really happen except maybe the 4th (even then don't know if it sold out)

But having bigger events would cost a little but also hopefully draw more people combined with discounts

 

[Mad Dog]

I will bring it up again, I think Universal needs to consider doing bigger Summer events to draw people as well

USH is weird because the cool weeks of summer people don't come then like Mild July people just start showing up but I remember in the past days being sold out but this year it didn't really happen except maybe the 4th (even then don't know if it sold out)

But having bigger events would cost a little but also hopefully draw more people combined with discounts

Yeah. If you're not going to build some big new D/E indoor attractions at USF, a significant summer festival would help, just like the HHN/Holiday/Mardi Gras Festivals keep USF relevant.

 

[TheUniC6]

That Cool Kids summer program is doing a fantastic job. Hotels are busy and the parks, while not packed, are busy.

USF just seems to be dragging the resort down overall. I’m sure people are skipping it out entirely outside of maybe a visit to Diagon and Mummy.

I can’t imagine they’ll continue to let USF operate like that for another 5 years. Hollywood Drift will give it a lift, but a true overhaul that encompasses not only new attractions but improvement of the park’s aesthetic/experience will do wonders.

Which is why I feel Universal knows they need to prioritize a Simpsons replacement and perhaps an overhaul to the back half of the park once the LC replacement and EU's expansions are complete. That whole back portion could become home to something pretty immersive like Wicked.

 

[Mad Dog]

Six Flags just reported that their Q2 2026 attendance and revenue were up at the parks (same park results) that they kept. Of course, overall comparisons would be down since they sold seven parks. So, for the quarter, two winners (Disney/Six Flags) and two losers (United & Universal).

Probably a lot of Comcast/Universal shareholders shaking their heads. I guess all those 95 plus degree temperatures in the midwest, where most of the largest Six Flags parks are located, didn't stop guests from showing up.

 

[Jake S]

It makes sense, intuitively anyway, that Six Flags would do better when people are staying closer to home and keeping a closer eye on their wallets. I'd be curious to know how the Herschend Parks are faring this year... Dollywood seemed plenty crowded in March, but that feels like a lifetime ago.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I was so upset at MM, after paying for my pass through the Pandemic and the park was just run sooooo poorly after Covid for a while

But the last two years things have gotten so much better. I'm pretty happy with the park, the new Looney Tunes Land is nice, they have been killing it with shows which I think the park needs and the events have been slowly improving

I do hope after this coaster they can get us new or updated rides more but I know its baby steps and if every year they keep making more, hopefully they keep investing in the parks