SeaWorld Entertainment released its first quarter earnings report revealing that attendance at the theme parks declined.

  • Theme park saw a drop of nearly 15 percent of visitors
  • SeaWorld blames drop of revenue, attendance on Easter holiday
  • Season passes saw sale increase of nearly 6 percent

Attendance dropped 14.9 percent, approximately 491,000 visitors.

The Orlando-based company also reported a drop in revenue, earning $186.4 million in revenue, compared to $220.2 million last year. SeaWorld also had a net loss of $61.1 million.

SeaWorld blamed the attendance and revenue drop on timing of the Easter holiday, which shifted into the second quarter this year. The shift affected when schools were out for spring break. The company also said a attendance decline at the San Diego park was due, in part, to the closing of its killer whale show to make way for Orca Encounter.

Despite the declines, SeaWorld executives noted some positive results.

Sales for season passes increased nearly 6 percent through April compared with the same time last year.

"Given the improving attendance trends we saw in April, and the incredibly robust lineup of new attractions we are launching in the coming weeks, we are well-positioned going into our seasonally important second and third quarters," said Joel Manby, SeaWorld president and CEO.

Seaworld Orlando plans to open a virtual-reality version of its Kraken roller coaster this summer.