Snaith’s research also found that Epic Universe will likely generate around $2 billion for the state of Florida in its first year of operation. It’s projected to create more than 17,500 new jobs in its first year of opening.

The new $7 billion Epic Universe marks the first new major theme park in the United States in a generation and throws down the gauntlet in Universal’s crosstown showdown with rival Walt Disney World that promises to get even more heated over the next decade.