Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs

[LittleBuford]

I doubt many people knew to the extent that we did (those of us who actively follow Disney) but nearly every article discussing Snow Whites box office struggles talks about the controversial comments as one of the primary reasons, along with the dwarfs controversy, the casting controversy, the delays, etc. I think Average Joes had a general awareness of the issues surrounding the film, especially some of the widely reported things like “weird, weird” or the election comments.

I don’t think any one thing doomed this film but the combination of several smaller things taken together created an overall negative perception which likely lead to people simply staying home.

I struggle to be convinced by the idea that this stuff gained traction in all the international markets where the film is performing just as badly. I'm sure the controversies and issues haven't helped matters (the leaked production photos in particular seem to have painted the project in an unflattering light), but I don't its chances of being a blockbuster would have been much better had others been cast in the role(s) played by Zegler and/or Gadot.

 

[erasure fan1]

I think Average Joes had a general awareness of the issues surrounding the film, especially some of the widely reported things like “weird, weird” or the election comments.

It was a bigger deal than many here want to give it credit for. Now could most people name Zegler as the problem? Probably not. It's more like, you mean that movie where that actress said...... As you say, it wasn't one thing that killed the movie. At the end of the day the movie is considered bad by most accounts. So any chance it had to bounce back from all the noise surrounding the film is probably gone. My world is an extremely miniscule percentage of the movie going world. But I think people are underselling the reach of her comments.

 

[TP2000]

And yet the Dwarfs seem not even to have been included in the film as originally shot. Imagine the press from casting seven well-known comedians in the key roles.

I actually like that idea! I wouldn't have minded one bit if that concept meant the Dwarves went co-ed, if they included some of my favorite comediennes like Kristin Wiig and Kate McKinnon.

The concept has great potential, co-ed or men only, but it's too late now.

Fair or not, she is going to be saddled with the stink of this failure and is likely viewed as a headache actor to deal with in terms of marketing and PR. Those are two big hurdles to overcome for studios.

No kidding. I can't imagine if I had that career track record at the tender age of 23.

I struggle to be convinced by the idea that this stuff gained traction in all the international markets where the film is performing just as badly. I'm sure the controversies and issues haven't helped matters (the leaked production photos in particular seem to have painted the project in an unflattering light), but I don't its chances of being a blockbuster would have been much better had others been cast in the role(s) played by Zegler and/or Gadot.

I could be snarky and remind us all that we've repeatedly been told The Hate/Rage NetworkTM controls the entire global marketplace of consumers and their wallets, but instead I think it's worth noting the British tabloids really went big on the Snow White saga and the scandals surrounding Miss Zegler.

There's years worth of headlines on Snow White like this now from London, back to '23. That blanket coverage likely had more of an impact on the European box office than any American podcaster in his mom's Midwest basement ever did.

Rachel Zegler pulls most desperate stunt yet as Disney remake flops

Woke Snow White star Rachel Zegler watched her own flop movie in an empty theater with a few friends as the Disney remake failed to pull in viewers after a series of controversies.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Access Restricted

Maps show just how bad Disney's 'woke' Snow White really is

Disney's latest Snow White adaptation is set to hit UK cinemas tomorrow - but no one is queueing up to watch the "woke" remake.

www.express.co.uk

 

[LittleBuford]

I could be snarky and remind us all that we've repeatedly been told The Hate/Rage NetworkTM controls the entire global marketplace

That would not only be snarky, but disingenuous and unfair, as the poster you’re mocking has repeatedly explained what he means, which certainly isn’t the crude claim you keep caricaturing it as.

 

[DKampy]

It strikes me as highly unlikely that the wider world knows nearly as much as we do about all the circumstances surrounding the project. Perhaps I’m wrong and the various controversies we’ve been discussing are well known to millions and millions of potential movie-goers across the world, but based on what I’ve seen among my own friends and family (none of whom follow any of this stuff), I very much doubt it.

I believe it is not just other places globally, but right here in the domestic market… I have the same results with my friends and family…. It’s all an echo chamber…. There are over 340 million individuals in the us….even the most popular YouTubers that discuss such matters don’t typically even come close to a million views…. And there is probably a lot of crossover views between them

Even my wife who is advent film goer…. Does not follow such gossip… when I mentioned it… her reaction was… it was way overblown and much ado about nothing

I think the bigger issue was a Snow White remake would be a much tougher sell then the films from the renaissance era… then the trailer did not do the film any favors as the cgi dwarves were very oft putting

 

[TP2000]

That would not only be snarky, but disingenuous and unfair, as the poster you’re mocking has repeatedly explained what he means.

Yes, and it's my absolute favorite excuse for free market failure.

It's better than any ist or phobe you can throw out, as those are meaningless words now that don't have the power they once did in 2015.

The network thing is better, and even harder to grasp or quantify or prove. Which I'm sure is part of the point of it.

 

[Disney Irish]

Yes, and it's my absolute favorite excuse for free market failure.

It's better than any ist or phobe you can throw out, as those are meaningless words now that don't have the power they once did in 2015.

The network thing is better, and even harder to grasp or quantify or prove. Which I'm sure is part of the point of it.

Or as some of us have been trying to say, its not any one thing its a death by a thousand cuts situation. And none of it is 100% provable, its all just opinions.

 

[TP2000]

Or as some of us have been trying to say, its not any one thing its a death by a thousand cuts situation. And none of it is 100% provable, its all just opinions.

We'll just never know why Snow White flopped so badly. We'll just never know.

 

[LittleBuford]

Yes, and it's my absolute favorite excuse for free market failure.

It's better than any ist or phobe you can throw out, as those are meaningless words now that don't have the power they once did in 2015.

The network thing is better, and even harder to grasp or quantify or prove. Which I'm sure is part of the point of it.

I don’t think you’re actually interested in understanding what it is.

 

[Disney Irish]

We'll just never know why Snow White flopped so badly. We'll just never know.

So "death by a thousand cuts" isn't knowing? Poppycock, I think you just want to attribute it to one particular thing and anything else is just dismissed.

 

[Trauma]

I struggle to be convinced by the idea that this stuff gained traction in all the international markets where the film is performing just as badly. I'm sure the controversies and issues haven't helped matters (the leaked production photos in particular seem to have painted the project in an unflattering light), but I don't its chances of being a blockbuster would have been much better had others been cast in the role(s) played by Zegler and/or Gadot.

I think some international markets are not as forgiving of race swapping as we are here in the states.

Mermaid also struggled in some international markets.

 

[TP2000]

I don’t think you’re actually interested in understanding what it is.

I had an uncle who was convinced in his very old age in the 1990's that "the Bilderbergers" were controlling everything and guiding free markets and Billions of consumers and voters across the planet and it was all part of their grand plan that could never be stopped.

You could not shut him up about it, and there was no reasoning with him. We just did tight smiles at Thanksgiving until he got it out of his system for the evening. His Bilderberger rants usually lasted 5 minutes or less, thank goodness.

Similarly, I don't understand how The Hate/Rage NetworkTM controls the global box office. But at least it's entertaining!

 

[TP2000]

I think some international markets are not as forgiving of race swapping as we are here in the states.

Mermaid also struggled in some international markets.

Yes. I can go back and check if need be, but I seem to remember that Little Mermaid did horribly in Mexico and Latin countries, as well as in Asia. They really had no interest in seeing it.

 

[TP2000]

So "death by a thousand cuts" isn't knowing? Poppycock, I think you just want to attribute it to one particular thing and anything else is just dismissed.

Extra credit for bringing back "Poppycock"! I love it.

But I'm just reiterating what you always tell us... We'll just never know. We have no proof. Nothing is truly known. We don't know what they're thinking or doing in the halls of Burbank. It's a complete mystery, all of it. We only have opinions, not facts. And season two of Ms. Marvel may still be greenlit any day now. But we just don't know.

And none of it is 100% provable, its all just opinions.

 

[LittleBuford]

I think some international markets are not as forgiving of race swapping as we are here in the states.

Mermaid also struggled in some international markets.

Both Zegler and Gadot look white to me. Sure, they aren't Northern European white, but I would struggle to categorise them as another "race".

 

[TP2000]

For the record, and you may want to print this out and tape it to your fridge, here's why I think Snow White flopped...

• The Snot. A condescending tone and statements released publicly at D23 Expo by the star of the film. She had the Alissa Heinerscheid act down pat for that one, disliking her paying audience and their tastes, and she came off as snotty and dismissive to an audience of superfans that love Walt Disney's work. That she was barely 20 years old at the time made her tone even worse; if she'd been a well known and older actress with a catalog of beloved work, she might have pulled it off. But in 2022? Nope!
• The Dwarves. What a mess that was! Someone in Burbank needed the cojones to stand up to Peter Dinklage and just say "No". But it's obvious no one in Burbank has cojones any more, not even Iger. When you try to please everyone, you please no one. And what's Peter Dinklage up to now, I wonder?
• The Politics. Much like I refuse to be lectured how to think or feel or vote by my plumber or my doctor or my barber, I refuse to be lectured by Hollywood industry employees on those topics. Hollywood is a smarmy, smutty, lying town full of morally corrupt power players (Weinstein, Epstein, Sean Combs, etc., etc.), so they get no space to lecture anyone on anything except the best defense attorneys. And it damages their brands, in this case Snow White.
• The Woke. Some of it is wrapped into the above, but the main issue was the way they had to rewrite it all and turn it into a story that it never was to please almost no one. If you truly find the original story of Snow White "problematic" and distasteful to your Silver Lake brunch table, then don't make a movie about it again. And get a budget to turn the Snow White dark rides at the parks into Tangled rides, and send the 7 Dwarf parade costumes into the incenerator with Bre'r Bear and Bre'r Rabbit. And take the hit on lost merchandise sales for all those dads in the Grumpy t-shirts.

Did I forget anything? I probably did. But then.... we'll just never know.

 

[Disney Irish]

Extra credit for bringing back "Poppycock"! I love it.

But I'm just reiterating what you always tell us... We'll just never know. We have no proof. Nothing is truly known. We don't know what they're thinking or doing in the halls of Burbank. It's a complete mystery, all of it. We only have opinions, not facts. And season two of Ms. Marvel may still be greenlit any day now. But we just don't know.

We don't know anything with a 100% certainty especially surrounding decisions or thoughts inside the walls of Burbank, and I stand by that. You have no facts surrounding any of this, you have surmised but don't know with any certainty, just like everyone else, ie you have an opinion.

And death by a thousand cuts is a more likely reason for this movie doing badly than any one particular thing, even if I can't prove it.

As for Ms Marvel, I've already made comments on its Season 2 prospects a long time ago. It was a limited series and her story continues in the movies, likely now in the one of the next two or both upcoming Avengers movies. Her character was just mentioned in the latest episode of Daredevil that aired last night where her dad appeared. So its clear they aren't done with the character.

 

[LittleBuford]

Did I forget anything?

To actually watch the movie before commenting on its story?

 

[TP2000]

To actually watch the movie before commenting on its story?

We're not talking artistic merits here in this thread, much less stuff like technical editing or sound or lighting. And to her credit, Miss Zegler apparently does have real talent and got generally good reviews for her work here.

It's a shame Miss Zegler can't just let her work speak for herself, instead of letting her Instagram rants overshadow her work.

We're mostly talking about the scandals that started in 2023, created mostly by the star herself and her own words. Over and over again, as she just seemed incapable of shutting up about it on her own Social Media or in PR stunts at picket lines and such. With of course, honorable mentions to Mr. Dinklage and Burbank's eunuch execs and humorless HR managers.

 

[Disney Irish]

And what's Peter Dinklage up to now, I wonder?

If you actually watched modern movies or TV you'd now.

He was just in Wicked.
He has 3 movies coming out this year, including the sequel to Wicked.
He is on the new Dexter TV show.

So to say the least he is not just sitting at home twiddling this thumbs.

And thus this shouldn't be a question you ask about any actor as you don't pay attention or care anyways. And an 8 second google search that you normal do should be able to answer that for you.