NBCUniversal's theme park revenue soared more than 42% in the third quarter, totaling $2.06 billion compared with $1.45 billion at this time last year.
"Our parks segment continues to be a real standout," said Brian Roberts, CEO of NBCUniversal parent Comcast.
He specifically called out the segment's earnings before income, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, the highest on record at $819 million, up more than 88% compared with this time last year.
The third quarter was the first quarter of profitability for Universal Beijing, which opened last September. It was also the best quarter on record for Universal Orlando, specifically, NBCUniversal said.
Comcast president and CFO Mike Cavanagh pointed out that result came despite two days of park closures due to Hurricane Ian. He also said guest spending and attendance are up year over year in the U.S. parks.
Roberts attributed the success of theme parks to investments made throughout the pandemic, including Super Nintendo World in Japan, Jurassic World VelociCoaster in Orlando and the Secret Life of Pets in Hollywood.
He also pointed to future investments: Super Nintendo World is planned to open in Hollywood early next year, a new Donkey Kong-themed area is coming to Japan in 2024 and Epic Universe, a new park, is slated to open in Orlando in the summer of 2025.
Epic Universe, in particular, "will transform Universal Orlando into a weeklong destination," Roberts said.