The smash success of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” helped push Disney’s Parks and Resorts division to a record first-quarter profit, the company told investors Tuesday.

The Parks and Resorts division’s operating income grew by 22 percent to $981 million in the first quarter compared with a year ago, and revenue rose by 9 percent to $4.3 billion. The spikes occurred despite lower attendance at Disneyland Paris and the company’s heavy investment into the yet-to-open Shanghai Disneyland.

Fans have flocked to Disneyland for Season of the Force and to Walt Disney World for its Star Wars Experience. Guests meet Darth Vader and Chewbacca and experience a revamped Space Mountain and Star Tours, an attraction that features scenes from the movie.

The overlays debuted in November in Anaheim and in December in Florida. They are expected to last into late May.

Attendance at Disney’s U.S. parks is up 10 percent over last year’s first quarter. Guests are spending 7 percent more because of higher costs for admission, food, beverages and merchandise, said Christine McCarthy, Disney’s chief financial officer.

“The Force Awakens,” the latest chapter of the “Star Wars” space opera, opened in mid-December. Although the majority of the $1.9 billion in ticket sales the film has generated worldwide came after the quarter ended Jan. 2, the promotional merchandise run-up and the park overlays prompted many guests to flood the parks during the first quarter.

Globally, attendance at Disney’s parks and resorts is at an “all-time high,” COO Tom Staggs said. The company does not make attendance numbers public.

Company-wide, revenue grew 14 percent year over year in the quarter to $15.2 billion, and net income rose 32 percent to $2.9 billion.

Disney’s cable sports channel, ESPN, continued its downward trend, with operating income dropping 5 percent to $1.18 billion.