ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s been a full year of Harry Potter, Frankenstein’s monster and Super Mario coming to life in rides and attractions in Orlando as Universal’s Epic Universe marks it’s one-year anniversary Friday.
According to information from Epic Universe, the park created $2 billion in economic impact during its first year.
When it opened one year ago, Epic Universe was the first new theme park to be built in Orlando in 25 years. Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe features five distinctly different lands with rides and themes from some of Universal’s most iconic movies.
Epic Universe General Manager Jeff Polk said the attractions have created interactive experiences for millions of guests during the park’s first year.
“They love the immersion,” he said. “They love the story-telling, and they love being in the middle of everything. So, we thought with Epic, we needed to take that 10 notches higher.”
Polk said guests discover unique stories and experiences in each of the five worlds — with the attractions, entertainment, costumes and even the dining experiences carefully designed.
Universal Orlando Resort does not reveal its attendance numbers, but Polk told Spectrum News 13 that millions of people visited Epic Universe during its first year. He says the company’s combined 11,000 hotel rooms in Orlando are full most days.
The now 1-year-old theme park has created thousands of jobs and drives business for many companies that support the park and its three hotels.
Universal’s Epic Universe marks it’s one-year anniversary Friday, May 22, 2026. (Spectrum News 13/Keith Landry)
“We have had $44 billion in overall economic impact for the project as a whole, and $2 billion just this year, just in terms of what Epic Universe is bringing to the state of Florida,” Polk revealed.
Tragedy brought major challenges to the Epic Universe team during the park’s first year, though. In September, 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster.
The medical examiner concluded his death was accidental and was caused by multiple blunt impact injuries. Following his death, Zavala’s family reached a confidential settlement with Universal.
Polk said his team does everything possible to make sure the attractions are operating at the highest level they can.
“I am obviously devastated for the family and the impacts the family felt, but I will tell you we are very, very confident in our abilities to provide experiences for our guests that are second to none,” he said.
The park’s footprint currently covers 110 acres, but it also has hundreds of acres of property still available for future expansions. Polk would not be specific about what the future might hold for Epic Universe, but did say that there is more to come.
“We have lots of plans for the future to really br ing this vacation experience for our guests throughout all of our parks and make it better and better over time,” he said.
Keith Landry
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