The 2004 estimate of U.S. theme park attendance from Amuseument Business shows the following attendance figures for Disney theme parks and their overall rank in the top 10:
1) The Magic Kingdom, 15.2 million, up 8% from 2003
2) Disneyland, 13.4 million, up 5%
3) Epcot, 9.4 million, up 9%
4) Disney-MGM Studios, 8.3 million, up 5%
5) Disney's Animal Kingdom, 7.8 million, up 7%
It's interesting to see that Epcot, which has been suffering from a lack of creative attention (with the ultimate slap in the face being the recent closure of the entire Wonders of Life pavilion) actually had a bigger growth rate than any of the Walt Disney World parks, and is the second-most-attended theme park at the Resort.
2 comments:
It has been speculated that Mission Space (2003) was a cause for such an increase... although I doubt it was the sole reason...
Absolutely. Which shows you what can be done when a thrill ride is added. What no one has seen since the late 1980s (when Disney-MGM premiered The Great Movie Ride) is what could happen if Imagineers were really let loose to create an E-ticket, AA-filled, story-based, immersive, 15-minute attraction that doesn't just thrill the central nervous system, but also thrills the imagination and the intellect.
If Epcot added a truly innovative attraction based on its core philosophies, I think it could attract a lot more than just the "geeks."
(Remember, too, that the increase was based on the incredibly tough years of 2002 and 2003, when tourism slumped post-9/11.)
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