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United Parks Misses Q3 Targets as Attendance, Revenue Slide; Shares Tumble

Management cites weather, calendar shifts and fewer international visitors, signaling a pivot to new attractions, buybacks and potential real-estate deals.

Shown is a rendering of Barracuda Strike, set to open in the spring of 2026. United Parks & Resorts says it will continue investing in its parks, although profit and attendance fell in the third quarter of 2025.
Riders scream aboard Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger on the first day the ride opened at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in July 2022. Its parent company reported that revenue fell 2% during the third quarter of 2025.
United Parks & Resorts said attendance at its parks, which includes SeaWorld San Antonio, was down 3.4% year-over-year with a total of 6.8 million visitors throughout July, August and September.
SeaWorld’s lighthouse, on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

Overview

  • Attendance fell 3.4% to 6.8 million and revenue declined 6.2% to $511.9 million for the July–September quarter, with EPS of $1.61 missing Wall Street estimates.
  • Net income dropped about 25% to $89.3 million as adjusted EBITDA and per-capita admissions weakened, though in-park spending per guest ticked up 1.1% to $35.82.
  • CEO Marc Swanson blamed an unfavorable calendar, poor holiday-weekend weather, roughly 90,000 fewer international visitors and execution gaps.
  • The company announced 2026 projects including SeaQuest: Legends of the Deep in Orlando, Barracuda Strike in San Antonio, a reimagined Shark Encounter in San Diego and Lion & Hyena Ridge in Tampa, and it is planning two new international SeaWorld parks.
  • United repurchased about 635,000 shares for $32.2 million through Nov. 4 and says it is actively evaluating proposals to monetize real estate, as PRKS shares fell roughly 24% after the report.