Here is hoping. I like to believe quality will out, but the fast pace volume the way the world is, cult classics seem less likely.
That’s not totally fair: Puss in Boots is a sequel starring an established character with a built-in fan base (I was actually surprised it didn’t open bigger). Strange World was (is) a tough sell, even if it had been a great film instead simply a decent one.To be fair to Strange World, the most direct comparison is to Puss In Boots: The Last Wish.
Puss In Boots shot past Strange World's 35 days of domestic box office on its 8th day. It's also doing vastly better overseas than Strange World did, and it's trajectory is still straight up through this weekend. Strange World was even less popular overseas than it was in the USA.
Puss In Boots reportedly had a production budget of $90 Million, or half that of Strange World.
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Puss in Boots The Last Wish Budget Revealed & It's Reportedly $90 Million - The Filmik
Puss in Boots The Last Wish Budget: 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' is a medium-budgeted film, and the makers spent around $90 million to produce the film before marketing costs. The shocking thing about these numberswww.thefilmik.com
Don’t forget though, Disney barely advertised Strange World at all, compared to the inescapable marketing circus they usually slap everyone in the face with.
For a theatrical slump year(s) and against Avatar which most people are rushing to see first.it is doing ok.
Exactly.
There are actually many, many online articles about the poor marketing, not to mention lots of discussion about it, including in this very thread. It’s true that no good answers have yet been provided, but the issue itself has been repeatedly noted and is not being shrugged away.Exactly.
It's bizarre. And there clearly is a story there. But many fans pretend not to care what that story is, and the industry media is pretending it's not a thing and not covering it in their stories about Strange World's box office failure.
So would I. But that would require real journalists to use real journalism to dig into the answers there. And for whatever reason, that's not something journalists do any more. They just shrug and say stuff like "Strange World was really colorful and fun!" and try to move on very quickly. What $180 Million? Where?
One could also argue that many of Universal’s animated films (with notable exceptions to be noted below) are shallow, full of inappropriate-for-children humor, and aimed at the lowest common denominator. I think Strange World will, in the long run, outlast Puss in Boots and Minions as far as being a much-enjoyed classic familiar to most families over generations to come.
Part 2 of my reply: Also, it should be pointed out that the highly-successful “How to Train Your Dragon” films—soon to be a major themed land at Universal’s Epic Universe—feature a MAJOR character who is openly gay, as well as being the Chief’s best friend and the Teacher to all the youth on the Island of Berk. He’s awesome and extraordinarily brave, having literally lost limbs protecting the village. In the third film, he develops a crush on a fellow warrior.
It’s also made the history books in a good way, as far as trying something different and being a pop culture milestone. You did it, if Disney: You made a solid animated sci-fi film instead of just another princess film. I’m glad you did. I hope you keep trying.
I saw this on a t-shirt online. .... You did it Disney! You made one of the biggest flops of the year.
I like this film, but it desperately needed a script doctor to come in and fix the generic dialogue and tired jokes. Get the folks who wrote Klaus!
It’s also made the history books in a good way, as far as trying something different and being a pop culture milestone. You did it, if Disney: You made a solid animated sci-fi film instead of just another princess film. I’m glad you did. I hope you keep trying.
But, yeah, as one of the few pieces of merch out there, the slogan is unfortunate. I bought the (excellent) little figure set before it becomes landfill.
It’s odd to see folks celebrating a film’s initial financial failure. It’s a good movie, well worth seeing. A lot of talent went into its creation. It’ll find a solid, growing fanbase on streaming and will still be around long after all the talk about box office numbers is forgotten.
There are moments in Strange World that feel off-balance, I agree possibly because of box-checking. But its story is solid and its characters are fine; it’s all just really held back by unimaginative dialogue, sitcom interactions and unfunny gags. I’m fine with people watching it and not caring for it—But folks calling it garbage sight unseen are just being silly. It’s a good film full of good ideas and stunning animation. It just could have been much better-without losing any of its diversity—if they’d fixed the dialog and altered a few scenes. As I mentioned before, I really want to hear the behind-the-scenes scoop on what went on here.
We will probably get the truth about 5-10 years from now, when there is a different Disney CEO and people are less worried about burning bridges.
You think business people at Disney wanted to “check off boxes” instead of making money?
