Budget cuts and some temporary closures like right now, sure. But to think that Universal will be non-existent next year is ridiculous. HHN prior to the Potter was the resort's savior during hard times, but the resort does well enough with Potter by itself. As long as Butterbeer keeps flowing and wands keep selling, they will be fine.
This. Theme parks will be affected pretty heavily I imagine for the next year or so. Once tourism comes back full steam things will start to level back out. I think it's totally reasonable to expect what you said above. Parks becoming "non-existent" due to this is an insane statement and sounds like fear mongering to me.
I think this applies to Knotts way more. I remember reading a statistic (this was maybe 10-15 years ago though) that 75% of their income is from Halloween Haunt. Sounds insane, but easy to believe. Most locals prefer Disneyland and if coasters are your jam, then you can drive 45 minutes up to Six Flags. Tourists are hitting Disneyland and USH for the most part. The ONLY time I've been to Knotts in the last 10 years was with a free ticket or for KSF.
Maybe in the 90's this would be a topic of discussion, but now I don't think so. The park is pretty busy all year long thanks to all the seasonal events. Even their small food festival they are doing right now sold out every single date. I don't doubt that Scary Farm is the biggest money maker, but with events like Ghost Town Alive, the Boysenberry Festival and Merry Farm I think they're doing alright.
Ellish did not get scrapped AFAIK
That's good news. I'm really looking forward to the potential of that one.