Disney made news last week when the company filed a dozen lawsuits in Orange County Court to contest the assessments done on the Walt Disney World Resort. Disney has already won several lawsuits against the county for its tax assessments on Disney-owned properties, and the company is hoping this latest round of lawsuits will help lower its tax bill.
Documents from Disney World’s lawsuits revealed that the company paid more than $60 million in property taxes on its massive land holdings in Central Florida. Disney World is not the only theme park contesting its property valuations; Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, and dozens of area hotels have also filed lawsuits against local governments.
General Counsel for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Daniel Langley told the Board last year that Disney’s lawsuit against the county could cost the Orange County Public School system between $52 million and $105 million over seven years. When Disney filed its first round of lawsuits last year, the Board sided with Orange and Osceola counties against the multi-national corporation.
Disney World’s own study showed that the theme park giant has a $40 billion yearly impact on Central Florida through taxes and off-shoot spending at local businesses. However, how much does Disney World make off its Central Florida ventures?
Disney has long kept its park finances a secret, only announcing the total income of the company’s Park Division. However, some internet sleuths have started to break down the numbers and come to a startling conclusion about how much money Disney World actually makes.
According to a report, Disney World brings in approximately $36 million daily. That staggering amount would mean the parks bring in $13.1 billion annually.
However, that number can be slightly misleading without some context. While Disney World may bring in $36 million a day, the theme park still has to pay its employees for utilities and other operating costs like transportation.
Reminder that Walt Disney World makes $35.938 million per day pic.twitter.com/ABxRCWagW2
— Jacob Becker (@SuccessWithJake) December 18, 2024
Estimates suggest that Disney World costs around $10 billion annually to operate, including a $100 million annual electric bill. However, despite those high operating costs, the company still makes a $3.1 billion profit annually.
It’s hard to fathom that much money passing through one location in one day, but with the massive amount of food, merchandise, and Lightning Lane passes that guests purchase every day, $36 million seems about right. Those purchases are on top of what people are paying to be in the parks and stay on Disney World’s property.
So, the next time you’re at Disney World, look around and try to fathom how much it costs every single guest to be there. It really starts to add up.
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