Amusement Parks & Arcades
Description
Companies in this industry operate amusement parks or arcades. Major amusement park companies include Six Flags, Universal Parks & Resorts, and Walt Disney World, (all based in the US); as well as Fantawild and OCT Group's Park World (both based in China); Merlin Entertainments (UK); and Parques Reunidos (Spain). Major arcade operators include US-based Andretti Indoor Karting & Games and CEC Entertainment.
Global theme park spending is about $67 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $116 billion by 2034, according to Precedence Research. The most popular attractions as measured by attendance in 2024 include France, Spain, and Turkey, according to Statista.
The US amusement parks and arcades industry includes about 4,300 establishments with an annual revenue of about $21 billion.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand is driven by consumer income. The profitability of individual companies depends on good marketing. Large companies can more easily build expensive rides and have economies of scale in operations and advertising. Smaller companies can compete by serving smaller markets or offering special rides. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 90% of revenue.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
About 65% of the industry's revenue comes from amusement park and arcade services, followed by about 15% from meals and snacks, and about 10% from retail sales of other goods. Other sources of revenue come from retail sales of other goods, alcoholic beverages, retail sales of toys, and parking services.
Amusement park operators offer various types of rides such as roller coasters, tower and "kiddie" rides, and water slides. Six Flags operates an average of 40 rides in each of its amusement parks, including several roller coaster and other "thrill" rides. Rides, shows, shops, and food outlets are generally intermingled to encourage cross-selling. A typical park is spread over 100 to 300 acres; flagship parks that include hotels and multiple attractions such as water parks and safaris may be several hundred to thousands of acres.
Many parks operate only for a portion of the year because of weather. Parks open year-round may also operate hotels, stores, condos, golf courses, or other facilities in the vicinity.
New rides may be developed internally (the norm for Disney) or purchased from manufacturers like Premier Rides, Huss, S&S, and Vekoma. Some large rides are custom installations, but most can be disassembled and transported by truck. Many park operators regularly buy or develop new rides, or switch rides among several parks they own, to attract repeat customers. The average coaster costs between a hundred thousand dollars, according to LinkedIn.
Global theme park spending is about $67 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $116 billion by 2034, according to Precedence Research. The most popular attractions as measured by attendance in 2024 include France, Spain, and Turkey, according to Statista.
The US amusement parks and arcades industry includes about 4,300 establishments with an annual revenue of about $21 billion.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand is driven by consumer income. The profitability of individual companies depends on good marketing. Large companies can more easily build expensive rides and have economies of scale in operations and advertising. Smaller companies can compete by serving smaller markets or offering special rides. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 90% of revenue.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
About 65% of the industry's revenue comes from amusement park and arcade services, followed by about 15% from meals and snacks, and about 10% from retail sales of other goods. Other sources of revenue come from retail sales of other goods, alcoholic beverages, retail sales of toys, and parking services.
Amusement park operators offer various types of rides such as roller coasters, tower and "kiddie" rides, and water slides. Six Flags operates an average of 40 rides in each of its amusement parks, including several roller coaster and other "thrill" rides. Rides, shows, shops, and food outlets are generally intermingled to encourage cross-selling. A typical park is spread over 100 to 300 acres; flagship parks that include hotels and multiple attractions such as water parks and safaris may be several hundred to thousands of acres.
Many parks operate only for a portion of the year because of weather. Parks open year-round may also operate hotels, stores, condos, golf courses, or other facilities in the vicinity.
New rides may be developed internally (the norm for Disney) or purchased from manufacturers like Premier Rides, Huss, S&S, and Vekoma. Some large rides are custom installations, but most can be disassembled and transported by truck. Many park operators regularly buy or develop new rides, or switch rides among several parks they own, to attract repeat customers. The average coaster costs between a hundred thousand dollars, according to LinkedIn.
Table of Contents
- Industry Overview
- Quarterly Industry Update
- Business Challenges
- Business Trends
- Industry Opportunities
- Call Preparation Questions
- Financial Information
- Industry Forecast
- Web Links and Acronyms
Search Inside Report
Pricing
Currency Rates
Questions or Comments?
Our team has the ability to search within reports to verify it suits your needs. We can also help maximize your budget by finding sections of reports you can purchase.
