Disney reported that virtually all its available tickets for the holiday season from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day to its Florida parks have been sold out, a clear sign that Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s efforts failed to make the entertainment giant the target of his culture warriors, TheStreet reports.
While some tickets may open up because of cancelations, all park reservations are booked for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. A look back from DeSantis’s attack shows the culture war had little impact on The Mouse: operating income at the company’s parks increased 30% from 2022 even though attendance dropped a little after Disney’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2022.
DeSantis and conservatives also lose when examining their victory cries over the summer as they claimed their boycott led to reduced attendance during the July 4th holiday: comparisons to other similar properties like Universal Studios showed attendance at those properties suffered the same ebbs and flows that Disney attractions did, meaning any reduction in attendance happened across the state, not just with Disney. And that was impacted by two key factors: 100-degree plus weather for most of July in Florida as well as consumers boycotting the state to protest DeSantis’s culture wars.