Visitor spending at U.S. theme parks was down during a “lackluster” summer and things would have been a lot worse if not for the debut of the new Epic Universe in Florida and free-spending rich travelers at Disney and Universal parks, according to a new report.

Overall spending this summer was down 5% at U.S. theme parks compared to the same period last year driven by weaker spending by lower- and middle-income parkgoers, according to a report by Forbes . Sign up for our Park Life newsletter and find out what’s new and interesting every week at Southern California’s theme parks. Subscribe here .

ALSO SEE: Epic Universe first impressions from inside Universal’s newest theme park

A premium fault line appeared at U.S. theme parks this summer with affluent Americans spending more a

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