Earlier this week, Disney released its financial statement for the first quarter of 2021 and though there was good news from Disney+, which added 8.1 million subscribers in a 30-day period, the current state of the company’s theme parks was not as rosy, with CEO Bob Chapek confirming that domestic and international theme parks lost over a billion dollars during the last quarter.
However, there was at least some cause for optimism about the future. Chapek did mention that the theme parks that were operating were making a profit, and Disney is anticipating raising capacity caps as vaccine rollouts accelerate across the country. And though it was confirmed that mandatory masks aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, Disney has laid out its strategy for the year, identifying priority projects for the rest of the year.
First up is the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure, which is ready to go as soon as Disney gets the go-ahead to open theme parks in California later this year. Chapek also mentioned high profile projects at EPCOT including Harmonious, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which will make the park “more Disney, more family-friendly and more magical.” Chapek also mentioned that progress on the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser project was coming along nicely.
However, equally important as what was mentioned was what WASN’T mentioned. Though construction is crawling along at the TRON Lightcycle / Run, rumors seem to suggest that Disney is not considering this project a priority at the moment, and will be picking the pace back up next year. Also not mentioned are some other EPCOT projects that have reportedly been shelved, including the Mary Poppins attraction in the World Showcase and the Play Pavilion in the former Wonders of Life pavilion.
Though Disney has not set any firm opening dates for any of these upcoming attractions, it is clear that the projects that are furthest along will be getting priority for the short term, as Disney’s strategy for its theme parks in a world post-COVID continues to come together.
