In a conference call held to discuss their second-quarter earnings, Comcast acknowledged potential plans to open a third theme park in Orlando.
- During the call, NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke said “In terms of a new gate in Florida, we are looking at it, we filed a name registration and we have a lot of great I.P. and we love the theme park business, it’s one of our best and most consistent business and we think we have a very long runway.”
- Burke added, “We think another gate in Florida would have the advantage of turning Florida from a two or three-day destination to potentially a week-long destination. We think that would be attractive.”
- As The Wrap reports, Universal trademarked the name “Fantastic Worlds” last month.
- Following the opening of Universal Studios Florida in 1990, the now-named Universal Orlando Resort expanded in 1999 with the debut of Universal’s Islands of Adventure Park.
- Notably, a licensing agreement with Marvel for Islands of Adventure has proven a pain point for Disney following the company’s acquisition of Marvel and has prevented Walt Disney World from engaging in a Marvel expansion like those in the works at the Disneyland, Hong Kong, and Disneyland Paris Resorts.
- Universal Orlando also added a water park, Volcano Bay, in 2017.
- In other Disney/Comcast news, Comcast CEO Brian Robers acknowledged that his company decided to drop their pursuit of 21st Century Fox assets after the price increased.
- As he noted, “We thought that we couldn’t build enough shareholder value by making the price at which it seemed in our judgment to be possible to buy it at — which was increasing.”
- Comcast’s announcement that it was bowing out of the Fox chase all but cleared the way for Disney’s acquisition of Fox, although the two companies are still facing off overseas as they attempt to purchase Sky.
- Meanwhile, both Fox and Disney has special shareholders meetings to vote on the purchases set for tomorrow. Stay tuned to Laughing Place for coverage of those events.