Lego movie disappoints Merlin but Pegga Pig pulls in the punters
Merlin Entertainment is blaming poor weather and ‘limited momentum’ from its second Lego movie for a 0.7% fall in like-for-like sales at its Legoland theme parks during the first half of the year.
However, Merlin said new attractions, such as those based on Peppa Pig, helped lift its overall sales.
The Lego Movie 2 was released in February and has so far taken $191.3m at the box office, but Merlin said there has ‘been limited trading momentum as a result of the film itself’.
The first Lego movie took $469.1m and significantly boosted sales at Merlin in 2014.
The company, which also owns Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds, said sales for businesses open at least a year rose by 2.3% on improving tourist numbers in its key London market.
Merlin’s visitor numbers rose by 3% to 30.8 million, but its overall pre-tax profits slipped from £43 million to £34 million on sales 8% higher at £763 million.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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