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The Walt Disney Company and Universal two of the biggest names in theme parks are both undertaking historic expansions to their experiences businesses Universal Orlando Resort in May opened the gates to Epic Universe its fourth theme park at its flagship resort Epic cost an estimated billion to build according to numbers provided by the University of Central Florida Brian Roberts Chairman and CEO of Universal parent company Comcast called it the single-largest resources Comcast NBCUniversal has made in its theme park business It s so different than anything else that we ve ever built but certainly I think it s different than anything anyone s ever built declared Karen Irwin Universal Orlando President and COO Epic s opening coincides with an expansion of Universal Orlando s resort portfolio adding three Loews hotels to bring its total to operated on the property Universal is betting that the addition of Epic will turn the resort into a full-week destination a distinction that is normally reserved for its crosstown neighbor Walt Disney World Not to be upstaged Disney is working on a historic undertaking of its own In Disney stated plans to invest billion in its experiences segment which includes theme parks cruise ships and consumer products Of that expenditure billion will go to its domestic theme parks Disney World and Disneyland We ve got a lion s share of that funding coming to us stated Michael Hundgen portfolio executive creative producer with Walt Disney Imagineering It s about finding what strikes the best creative intent in the preponderance value oriented way doable These investments come at a time when both Disney and Comcast are paring down or spinning off their linear TV segments an arena that has seen volatility in contemporary years By comparison theme parks have been consistent revenue drivers for the companies in the post-COVID tourism bounce However the timing of these openings and expansions could prove challenging for both theme parks Epic s opening summer coincides with fears of a journey slowdown due to economic volatility If you re uncertain how the financial sector is going to develop then you re going to try to be more cautious in your spending stated Jorge Ridderstaat associate professor at UCF s Rosen College of Hospitality Management Will these massive investments pay off for Disney and Universal Or could a tourism downturn upset Orlando s Epic summer Watch the video above to learn more Disclosure Comcast owns NBCUniversal the parent company of CNBC