It’s been over 60 years since Walt Disney took a fateful flight over an undeveloped section of central Florida and decided that he wanted to put a sprawling theme park there. Today, the Orlando metro area is the most-visited destination in the United States, with its tourism industry generating an economic impact of more than $92 billion in 2023.

Disney’s namesake company, of course, no longer has that balmy playing field all to itself. For decades, it’s competed with Universal Studios for its share of Orlando tourists—a fierce rivalry that hit a new plateau last month with the opening of Universal Epic Universe, a 750-acre mega-park that comprises five distinct “worlds,” including those based on popular intellectual property such as Harry Potter and Nintendo.

Epic Universe marks Orlando’s first major theme park launch in 25 years, opening a new front in the battle between Disney and NBCUniversal owner Comcast to win the hearts, minds, and dollars of the region’s parkgoers.

A big question looming over the opening of Epic Universe is how it will impact the........

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