• The new WDWMAGIC iOS app is here!
    Stay up to date with the latest Disney news, photos, and discussions right from your iPhone. The app is free to download and gives you quick access to news articles, forums, photo galleries, park hours, weather and Lightning Lane pricing. Learn More
  • Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
    Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.

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

Chi84

Chi84

Premium Member
Sirwalterraleigh said:
There are 955 pages of posts on this thread…covering years of twist and turns…
The pattern is there…

This isn’t the “I don’t understand…” intentional obtuse bit, is it? We’ve addressed that before on many threads.

You know what’s being done here: explaining away failures as “not really failures”

There is no “upside” to box office losses. None. Period. Full stop.
It’s a loss of potential revenue and profit. Everytime. Not just at the ticket window and popcorn stand.

And you give a souless behemoth excuses they don’t even have to work for…as a “fan” 🙄…and the chance of anything turning is zero
Click to expand...
Well first of all I’m not seeing anyone arguing that there is an upside to a box office flop. At most, they’re arguing that the post-theatrical window has become far more important as theater attendance declines.

I’ve seen a lot of movies in the last five years, none of them in a theater. Someone has to be profiting.

Finally, and this goes across threads, I made a pretty good living being precise with words and using them to express ideas in a clear, straightforward manner. I’m hard-wired that way so if you can’t communicate clearly with me, don’t respond to me at all. 🙂
 
Disney Irish

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Sirwalterraleigh said:
But it is a pivot. They’ll say that Snow White will make money on D+…but common sense is still a thing…for now.
Click to expand...
No one claimed that with any movie, so don't know why you think some will try to make that claim with Snow White.

I think its pretty much universally agreed that Snow will be one where its pretty much a guarantee they won't turn a profit.
 
Tha Realest

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
Disney Irish said:
And you don't know what those internal goals are though, no one here does. So don't play like you do, you have an opinion based on an assumption, but there is no proof that is actually what Disney's goal are.

Also as discussed I believe your assumptions of goals are outdated and incorrect based on where we are in the post-pandemic era. Disney has provided guidance on what their goals are, so I don't know why you can't accept that.
Click to expand...
It’s great you’re part of a Greek chorus that doesn’t care about the box office profitability of Disney’s film slate, but the past and current CEO certainly does.

 
Disney Irish

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Disney Irish

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Disstevefan1 said:
Even that is debatable. When Disney puts their own movie on Disney+ its moving fake money internally. There is no actual money coming in from the outside.
Click to expand...
This has been proven false time and again. The subscription fees and now ad revenue pays for the content, and also now makes it profitable. So yes there is money coming from the outside for the service, this is not a shell game. Sorry to burst that bubble.
 
C

celluloid

Well-Known Member
Chi84 said:
But didn’t Disney say it was incurring marketing costs not only to get people into theaters but also to get them to watch movies at home?

From what I’ve been reading, movie theater attendance is in a long-term decline. Common sense would dictate that people are choosing to wait a short time to see a movie at home on a streaming service.

Wouldn’t this make post-theatrical more important in coming years?
Click to expand...

A lot of maybe there.

But in the end, right now, The theaters are the primary driver to keep marketing towards theaters.


So the statement that theater box office are not the primary means of success, is still false.


There is more content then ever, and the fewer movies that really stand out in the box office, are going to be the biggest hits there AND home.
 
Chi84

Chi84

Premium Member
celluloid said:
A lot of maybe there.

But in the end, right now, The theaters are the primary driver to keep marketing towards theaters.


So the statement that theater box office are not the primary means of success, is still false.


There is more content then ever, and the fewer movies that really stand out in the box office, are going to be the biggest hits there AND home.
Click to expand...
So do you believe box office revenue is always the primary source of a movie’s profit?

I’m only asking because posters are using success, revenue and profitability interchangeably.
 
C

celluloid

Well-Known Member
Chi84 said:
So do you believe box office revenue is always the primary source of a movie’s profit?

I’m only asking because posters are using success, revenue and profitability interchangeably.
Click to expand...

Alway Typically all of the above.

Not Always absolute for each film. There are randoms called cult following or some that find an audience, but that is not show business norm and nor does anyone count on it becuase theatrical box office is primary driver. Typically, if you had a movie play better in theaters it is going to play better at home.

In Business, it is absolutely right to say theatrical box office is the primary driver of motion picture success.


The chances of your production picking up an audience after not doing well in theaters will be possible, but less likely and not the norm. This is why there are videos like the one posted with the title "Movie bombs that shockingly did well on Netflix" And no business counts on it, only fans will hope and defend it.


Rocky Horror Picture Show did not seek to be the Rocky Horror Picture Show.


And those are likely going to get harder to get as there is more content then ever.

And while not definite, something to chew on
:That means box office success first is just as if not more important, not less.
 
brideck

brideck

Well-Known Member
Tha Realest said:
It’s great you’re part of a Greek chorus that doesn’t care about the box office profitability of Disney’s film slate, but the past and current CEO certainly does.

Click to expand...

Looks... Oh, it's another article from 2023. Of course he cared that there were 4 bombs in the same year without any sort of hit to offset them.

We don't seem to really be getting the same sort of angsty stories at present, though I'd be happy to read them if they exist. It's almost as if he cares more if a whole slate of movies makes a profit than individual ones. Obviously, there are certain movies in the slate that more profit is expected to come from to make that happen, so if Stitch, Zootopia, FF, or Avatar were to have significant problems the story will be different at that point.
 
C

celluloid

Well-Known Member
brideck said:
Looks... Oh, it's another article from 2023. Of course he cared that there were 4 bombs in the same year without any sort of hit to offset them.

We don't seem to really be getting the same sort of angsty stories at present, though I'd be happy to read them if they exist. It's almost as if he cares more if a whole slate of movies makes a profit than individual ones. Obviously, there are certain movies in the slate that more profit is expected to come from to make that happen, so if Stitch, Zootopia, FF, or Avatar were to have significant problems the story will be different at that point.
Click to expand...

Almost as if the 2023 article was on a year so awful after he was supposed to be saving the company from what he left the last time, and now he does not care because he will be out of there by the time any of that future stuff hits the fan.
 
brideck

brideck

Well-Known Member
celluloid said:
Almost as if the 2023 article was on a year so awful after he was supposed to be saving the company from what he left the last time, and now he does not care because he will be out of there by the time any of that future stuff hits the fan.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say he doesn't care. This (well-trod) article pretty clearly lays out the strategy and where he thinks the profit centers are. I'll note that he doesn't mention Elio, Freakier Friday, Tron, etc. in the article. That doesn't mean those movies were bad ideas, just that that's not where the expectations are.

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/bob-iger-thunderbolts-marvel-new-movie-strategy-1236389765/
 
Disney Irish

Disney Irish

Premium Member
celluloid said:
Alway Typically all of the above.

Not Always absolute for each film. There are randoms called cult following or some that find an audience, but that is not show business norm and nor does anyone count on it becuase theatrical box office is primary driver. Typically, if you had a movie play better in theaters it is going to play better at home.

In Business, it is absolutely right to say theatrical box office is the primary driver of motion picture success.


The chances of your production picking up an audience after not doing well in theaters will be possible, but less likely and not the norm. This is why there are videos like the one posted with the title "Movie bombs that shockingly did well on Netflix" And no business counts on it, only fans will hope and defend it.


Rocky Horror Picture Show did not seek to be the Rocky Horror Picture Show.


And those are likely going to get harder to get as there is more content then ever.

And while not definite, something to chew on
:That means box office success first is just as if not more important, not less.
Click to expand...
There is no guarantee in the movie business, not at the box office and not in a post-theatrical market such as streaming either. Never has been, and never will be. Its a gamble, and that is known the moment a movie gets greenlit.

Also I think some are missing the actual thru-thread of this conversation. No one is claiming that theatrical isn't a driver of eyeballs and money for a movie, just that its no longer the driver of a movies profitability anymore. That movies can and do make a majority of their money from the box office, but that many still lose money and can/will go on to be profitable in the post-theatrical market. This is true of Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers Discovery, Sony, and every other studio major or independent. Its why many have been setting up and securing their post-theatrical businesses whether that is a streaming service of their own or partnering with one such as Netflix. Its also the main reason Netflix still exists instead of going under like other video distribution businesses of the 20th century. And why they are now regularly spending $200M+ on their own movies that don't have a theatrical release or a very short one that doesn't make much if any money.

So this idea that a movie has to go theatrical and make money at the box office in order to be successful is false, Netflix proves that. They obviously can and do make a profit from their movies without that happening. I know its difficult for some to wrap their head around, especially when we've been trained for decades to only see the box office as the sole determining factor for success. But this is a new world we live in, one where the box office is depressed due to lower and lower ticket sales every year, and by all accounts that isn't changing. This has been an on-going discussion for the last 5 years, and I assume will continue for the next 5 years.

Also just an FYI, the videos title that was posted was "Box office bombs that went on to blow up on Netflix", there was no "shockingly" in the title.
 
coffeefan

coffeefan

Well-Known Member
Here's a recent article showing It's not just a Disney thing. ;)

According to a new report by Puck, the budget of Mission: Impossible 8 is at least $400 million, meaning it will have to set a franchise record just to break even at the box office. The report details that the massive budget is due to several factors, including the pandemic delaying production, the two Hollywood strikes, and Cruise persuading then-new studio chief Brian Robbins for more money on the last installments due to inflation. While the number can't be confirmed, one insider said the following: “It’s a big, expensive movie—no doubt—but it has enormous value [beyond theatrical revenue]. I’m sure we’d do it all over again.”

However, as is stated in the report, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is still a great investment for Paramount and will be immensely popular on streaming even if it doesn't make its money back at the box office.

screenrant.com

Mission: Impossible 8's Box Office Reportedly Needs To Set New Franchise Record Just To Break Even

Mission: Impossible 8 needs to make tons of money.
screenrant.com screenrant.com
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom