TOKYO — Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land likely saw its group operating profit rise 4% in the April-December period from a year earlier to around 96 billion yen ($884 million), as seasonal events drew more visitors.
Despite earnings being in line with company expectations, Oriental Land will likely keep unchanged its full-year projections for lower sales and operating profit. The full-year projection will be announced on Tuesday alongside figures for the nine-month period.
In April-December, sales likely rose about 2% to around 370 billion yen. The company has said it expects the number of visitors to fall in the current business year from the prior one, in which it held 15th-anniversary events for Tokyo DisneySea. But the number of visitors appears to be holding steady so far. Bad weather affected many days in October, but November and December attracted many visitors thanks to Christmas-related events.
Earnings were lifted mainly by new seasonal events. On top of its popular Christmas events, the company launched shows featuring the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies at Tokyo DisneySea during the summer, attracting movie fans and young men.
Sales of souvenirs and other goods were also brisk. In addition to regular items, many customers picked up snowman-like stuffed Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters that they can customize with special hats, sweaters and other accessories. Such purchases helped earnings.
For the year through March, Oriental Land expects sales of 469.3 billion yen, down 2% from the previous year, and operating profit of 100.1 billion yen, down 11%. The estimates will likely stay unchanged due to the severe winter weather sweeping the country in recent weeks.