What Does Disney World's Top Rival Have Up Its Sleeve?

There is less to do at Comcast's (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Universal Studios Florida these days. The movie-themed park closed Shrek 4D -- a 3D show with in-theater effects based on the popular Shrek franchise -- over the weekend. It's not coming back, and it will inevitably be replaced by a new guest experience. Earlier this month, the park closed Revenge of the Mummy for refurbishment that will take more than half a year to complete. Signs at the park indicate that it will open in late summer this year.

Rides get replaced, and older rides need to be updated. However, taking down two attractions near the same area of the park at roughly the same time is going to create capacity constraints at the Universal Orlando resort. It may not seem to matter much right now. We're past the industry's peak two-week holiday travel season. Comcast, rival Disney (NYSE: DIS), and the companies responsible for the rest of the country's year-round gated attractions will see crowds dwindle through the next two months. Seasonality is clearly why Comcast timed the closure of one attraction and a prolonged refurbishment of the other to take place earlier this month. However, it could be a problem once schools start to let out for spring break in March and April. Things will definitely be problematic if Revenge of the Mummy isn't ahead of schedule and able to reopen by the time summer guests start to arrive, especially since whatever replaces Shrek 4D isn't likely to be completed anytime soon.

What's Comcast doing? Will Disney take advantage of the lull at its largest competitor? With the omicron variant surging, is it convenient timing for Universal Orlando to be restocking its ammo for kinder times? Let's take a closer look.

Source Fool.com