Universal Studios Hollywood sees second consecutive annual drop in guest numbers
Attendance fell 17.2% in 2025 to 8 million, returning the park to 2016 levels after the 2023 Super Nintendo World launch.
By Ayanda Boateng ·
Universal Studios Hollywood recorded its second straight annual decline in guest counts, with total attendance falling to 8 million in 2025. The Themed Entertainment Association Global Experience Index reports a 17.2% drop from the record 9.7 million visitors the park attracted in 2023, the year the video game-themed land opened.
The 2025 figure marks the steepest one-year decline among the top 20 North American theme parks. Universal Studios Hollywood also saw a 9.9% decrease in 2024 and an 8% drop in 2025, according to the TEA Index. These two years of losses have erased the initial surge from the new attraction.
The park’s 2023 attendance spiked by 15% when Super Nintendo World debuted, adding 1.3 million visitors to that year’s total. That specific boost has since evaporated, as the park has shed a combined 1.7 million annual visitors over the subsequent two years.
The TEA report cites the Los Angeles wildfires and reduced travel from Canada due to tariff and trade tensions as primary drivers for the 2025 decline. Previous attempts to boost traffic, including the Studio Tour 60th Anniversary celebration in 2024 and new Fan Fest Nights after-hours events in 2025, failed to reverse the downward trend.
Current attendance levels now sit below the 8.1 million visitors who passed through the turnstiles in 2016, effectively returning the park to pre-pandemic volumes. This decline occurs while overall travel spending in California grew by 3% in 2024 and 1.7% in 2025, according to Visit California data.
Universal Studios Hollywood is not the only location with the Mario-themed land, which first opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2021. A new version of Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Epic Universe in Florida in 2025.
The park recently added the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster, which officially opened in September 2025. However, the new outdoor ride missed the peak summer season due to noise complaints from neighboring residents.
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