ORLANDO, Fla — It made SeaWorld look bad.
When “Blackfish” debuted in 2013, the theme park’s investors expressed serious concern over the documentary’s impact on attendance – and they claimed SeaWorld executives misled them about how much damage was really done.
The documentary told the tragic story of beloved orca trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by one of the park’s largest killer whales. The 12,000-pound predator dragged Brancheau into his tank in 2010 and drowned her in front of a crowd of horrified visitors.
“Blackfish” also detailed how the company captured orcas from the wild in the 1970s and forced them into captivity.
The Orlando Sentinel reports the investors filed a class-action lawsuit in 2014 after SeaWorld’s attendance plummeted.
“SeaWorld would blame the entirety of these declines on everything but ‘Blackfish’ – namely, adverse weather conditions, holiday and school schedules, and SeaWorld’s pricing strategies,” the lawsuit said, according to the Sentinel.
Now, the park has reportedly agreed to settle.
The Los Angeles Times says SeaWorld Entertainment announced Tuesday it will pay $65 million.
About $45.5 million would come from an insurance payout, and $19.5 million would be paid from the company coffers, according to the Times.
The settlement has to be approved by the court before it’s finalized.
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