Walt Disney World will reopen in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday amid a growing number of Covid-19 cases within the state.
The pandemic has devastated Disney. The company has been forced to shutter its theme parks, push back its film openings and run ESPN without live games from major U.S. sports leagues.
One bright spot for Disney has been its streaming service Disney+, which saw its number of app downloads jump 74% ahead of its release last week of the filmed stage production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” featuring the musical’s original cast.
Reopening its parks, which accounted for 37% of the company’s $69.6 billion in total revenue last year, is a top priority for Disney. Already, its competitors, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, have reopened to limited capacity in Orlando.