As attendance falls, United Parks places a bigger bet on Howl-O-Scream

United Parks & Resorts hosted its Q2 earnings call on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, which covers April, May, and June of 2026. With attendance continuing to decline, United Parks & Resorts is looking to Howl-O-Scream and new intellectual property partnerships as increasingly important sources of growth. The company says advance ticket sales for this year’s Halloween events are running ahead of 2025 across its parks, while additional IP partnerships are already being discussed for 2027 and beyond.

The parent company of SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and other theme parks reported attendance of 6.1 million guests during the second quarter of 2026, a 2.9% decline compared with the same period in 2025. Revenue decreased 1.4% to $483.3 million, while net income fell 21% to $63.3 million.

Howl-O-Scream to the rescue

As the company works to reverse those declines, its expanding use of licensed properties at Howl-O-Scream is already showing encouraging early results. Advance ticket sales for the 2026 Howl-O-Scream events are running ahead of last year across United Parks’ properties, CEO Marc Swanson said during the company’s Aug. 4 earnings call.

“This year, we have partnered with Sony Pictures to introduce popular horror films ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ and ‘Anaconda’ to our Halloween lineup at our SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks, respectively,” Swanson said in the company’s earnings release.

The partnership represents the first significant use of movie franchises across the company’s Howl-O-Scream events. SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio will introduce haunted houses based on “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” while the Busch Gardens parks in Tampa Bay and Williamsburg will feature different “Anaconda” houses.

Swanson described the addition of IP as something United Parks has done very little of historically but now views as a “significant opportunity” for the business.

More IP could arrive at United Parks in 2027

Howl-O-Scream appears to be only the beginning of United Parks’ larger IP strategy.

Swanson said the company is engaged in multiple active discussions to bring more licensed properties into its parks in new ways. United Parks expects to share more about those partnerships in 2027 and beyond.

The strategy could help United Parks reach audiences who have not previously considered visiting its parks. During the call, Swanson acknowledged “less-than-stellar execution” in the company’s marketing efforts and described the situation as “quite frankly frustrating.”

Improving marketing and reaching new, incremental audiences are now priorities for the company.

Attendance remains under pressure

United Parks attributed the second-quarter attendance decline primarily to the earlier timing of Easter, which placed fewer holiday days in the quarter, and continued weakness in international visitation. Swanson said attendance would have been approximately flat after adjusting for those factors.

The attendance challenges continued into July. An early assessment showed attendance down approximately 2% for the month after wildfires, air-quality concerns, excessive heat and rain affected parks across the country.

Guest spending remained a relative bright spot. Total revenue per guest increased 1.5% to $79.82 during the second quarter. In-park spending rose 5.1% to a quarterly record of $39.51 per guest, supported by pricing initiatives and greater participation in food, merchandise and other offerings.

Admission revenue per guest decreased 1.8% to $40.31.

The company is also seeing stronger forward indicators for Discovery Cove and its group business. Advance-booking revenue for both is up by double-digit percentages compared with last year.

United Parks is betting that its seasonal events can provide another lift during the second half of 2026. Howl-O-Scream begins at the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks in September, followed by the company’s Christmas celebrations in November and December.

Early Howl-O-Scream sales suggest the IP experiment is attracting attention. Its longer-term importance will depend on whether that interest translates into additional attendance and spending during a year in which both remain essential to United Parks’ recovery.