SeaWorld’s share price tanks as Blackfish film becomes a whale of a problem
US amusement park group SeaWorld yesterday reported poor second-quarter results and slashed its revenue guidance for the year, blaming the crash on recent media debate about its treatment of captive orcas had hurt attendance.
Shares in the company, down 22 per cent over the past year through to Tuesday, plunged by more than one-third in afternoon trading.
Second-quarter revenue missed expectations, coming in at $405.2m (£243m) against expectations for $445.3m.
SeaWorld said it now expected revenue this year to fall six to seven percent, while it had previously forecast a slight increase.
The company had been under fire from animal activists who argued that it was wrong to keep orcas for the amusement of audiences.
That message was hammered home in last year’s Blackfish documentary. In October, millions watched the film on CNN, which focused on the orca Tilikum and the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.