"On a recent Friday morning, I found myself in a sea of bodies waiting to be admitted to Universal's new $7 billion Orlando theme park, Epic Universe. Speakers hidden in the foliage blared a soaring melody suggestive of a heroic quest involving swords. The adults in the crowd, most of whom were unaccompanied by minors, wore performance athletic-gear. We filed through a metal detector and presented our tickets. Then all around me, people began to run."
"Yet they keep coming back to theme parks. In 2023, according to a report from the Themed Entertainment Association, 17.7 million people-more than the entire population of Sweden-visited the Magic Kingdom, one of the six parks that make up Walt Disney World, in Florida. And this is despite years of price hikes: At $199 on the busiest days, one ticket to the Magic Kingdom can cost more than a week's worth of groceries."
On a recent Friday morning, a crowd of mostly adult visitors waited to be admitted to Universal's new $7 billion Epic Universe, moved by thematic music and rushing toward attractions after security. Americans have retreated from many traditional pleasures but continue to flock to theme parks; the Magic Kingdom drew 17.7 million visitors in 2023 despite steep ticket prices. Theme-park operations generate substantial profits, with Disney's experiences division out-earning its TV and film units. Operators increasingly engineer spectacles as audiences demand novel thrills; rides now push human and physical limits with hyper-, giga- and strata-coasters reaching extreme heights and speeds.
Read at The Atlantic
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