ORLANDO, Fla. – The battle for theme park dominance in Central Florida is entering a new era — and Universal is going all in.
With the opening of Epic Universe just weeks away, Universal Orlando is adding more than just another theme park. It’s launching an entire destination resort that includes new immersive lands, hotels, and experiences designed to rival Walt Disney World’s long-standing grip on the market.
Watch the video below for a history lesson on Central Florida’s two big theme park rivals.
Epic Universe will become the fourth park in Universal’s lineup, joining Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, and Volcano Bay. It marks Universal’s largest expansion to date — a multi-billion-dollar bet aimed at transforming its resort into a true weeklong vacation spot.
“Now it’s like if you go to Epic, I can also go to Islands and maybe Universal and Volcano Bay, there’s all this stuff,” said guest Eva Dole. “I mean, Disney has a lot too, but now you’re like there’s even more to do and fill up a week.”
Walt Disney World, which spans more than 25,000 acres, still dominates in size and volume. Disney’s four theme parks drew nearly 50 million visitors in 2023, according to industry estimates. Universal Orlando, by comparison, saw just over 20 million.
But the landscape may be shifting.
“Disney will still have its immersive environment, and of course, there will still be a great ability to cater people there, and they will get more of the pie,” said Richard Lewin, a professor of international business at Rollins College. “But the pie is shifting, and it’s shifting a bit north.”
Epic Universe has lands themed to Super Nintendo World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, and Universal Classic Monsters — a lineup rich in intellectual property (IP), which experts say is key to winning the theme park war.
“Never forget: the IP leads all of this — the intellectual property,” Lewin said. “(Universal) is going to be valorizing that IP with this park, but they’re also going to allow that IP to expand. That’s something that’s affected Universal in the past. They once had all the Marvel characters.”
Universal has played the long game in building out its offerings. After the success of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010, it ramped up development and acquisitions, focusing on big-name franchises with cross-generational appeal.
Meanwhile, Disney has added new attractions like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and TRON Lightcycle/Run, with more projects in the pipeline.
“I watch their social media and I’m like, ‘I feel like somebody’s spying on someone,’” Dole said. “They’re releasing this, now we got to do something.”
That rivalry has a long history. In 1989, Disney fast-tracked the opening of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then called Disney-MGM Studios, in a move widely seen as a response to Universal’s plans to open its own movie-themed park.
“Disney did famously beat Universal to the punch,” Lewin said. “That was very controversial at the time.”
Today, Lewin describes the dynamic as a “creative tension” — much like siblings trying to outdo one another.
“They’ll nudge each other from time to time just to kind of get the best out of each other,” he said. “So, from the customer experience point of view, it’s a wonderful thing.”
With new attractions and major investments on both sides, the only certainty is that visitors will have more to choose from, and both companies are watching each other closely.
As for whether Epic Universe will close the attendance gap? Time — and ticket sales — will tell.
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