‘Blackfish’ Documentary Sinks SeaWorld Profits
Despite cutting ticket prices and spending $10 million on a marketing blitz, SeaWorld has suffered an 84 percent collapse in profits as customers have deserted the theme park following claims that it mistreated orca whales.
Daniela / CC BY-ND 2.0
Despite cutting ticket prices and spending $10 million on a marketing blitz, SeaWorld has suffered an 84 percent collapse in profits as customers have deserted the theme park following claims it mistreated orca whales.
The Guardian reports:
The company, which trains dolphins and killer whales to perform tricks in front of stadiums full of spectators, on Thursday reported declines in attendance, sales and profits because of “continued brand challenges”.
SeaWorld has been in the headlines since the 2013 documentary Blackfish detailed claims that its treatment of orca whales provoked violent behaviour contributing to the deaths of three people. Following the release of the documentary, attendance collapsed and the company lost more than half of its market value on Wall Street and its former CEO was forced out.
The company has since launched a nationwide marketing campaign to combat animals rights activists claims that, among other things, captive orcas die at younger age than their wild counterparts. …
The company’s financial report released on Thursday showed net income in the second quarter dropped from $37.4m in 2014 to $5.8m in 2015, a[n] 84% decrease. Revenue fell from $405m to $392m. Attendance dropped by more than 100,000 from 6.58 million to 6.48 million.
Read more here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
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