EuroDisney opened in April 1992, and business from the first was not at the level anticipated or needed to pay for the investment. The experience the Disney company had with EuroDisney was different from what it had known with other Disney theme parks, each of which opened to large and growing business. In Europe, however, the park has lost money from the first. Projections had been made that the new park would attract 11 million visitors and produce $100 million in earnings in the first year, giving the company a small pre-tax profit. Instead, the park lost more than $900 million in the first two years. Attendance in 1992 was only 9.2 million, and visitors spent 12 percent less than anticipated. However, the park made its first quarterly profit in 1995, three years after its opening, and it was then predicted that the park would break even a year earlier than its original predictions (Cunningham 21). However, EuroDisney has not done as well in Europe as Disneyland has done in the United States in both its California and Orlando, Florida locations. A major reason for this is cultural, but there have been other forces as well that have contributed to the differences.
One continuing problem faced by the park is seasonal--winter in Europe is harsher than in California or Florida, and business is much more reduced in the winter months. Most of Europe's big theme parks are in northwest Europe, and the unpredictable weather can cause problems. One of Disneyland Paris's major difficulties has been the damp climate, particularly in winter. Most of the competition is closed this time of year, but the Disney park stays open. On the other hand, when hot weather has been seen in northwest Europe, business also suffers, as many families choose to go to the beach instead. Thus, business often did not prove sufficient in the summer vacation months as desired, either, in the first two years (Cunningham 21). Coincidental changes in ai...