Disney World is shutting down– temporarily, anyway — due to Hurricane Matthew.
A Disney spokeswoman told TheWrap on Thursday that Disney World will close at 5 p.m., on Thursday, and will stay closed through the next day.
“Based on the most recent forecasts for Hurricane Matthew, Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, miniature golf courses and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will all be closed today by 5 p.m., and will remain closed through Friday, Oct. 7,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.
The category 4 hurricane is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening.
As reported earlier by TheWrap, movie theaters on Florida’s Atlantic coast will also be shutting down due to the incoming storm.
While the theater closures are likely to cause a dip in the box office, including for the upcoming “The Girl on the Train.” an expert on such matters told TheWrap that the storm isn’t likely to have a long-lasting effect on ticket sales.
Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations, said that other than blizzards or similar extreme weather events that physically prevent people from getting to the movies, ordinary bad weather isn’t much of a box office deterrent.
“Outside of some blizzards on the weekends, weather has very little effect on the box office,” he told TheWrap.