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

[Disney Irish]

Really??? I had no idea. I don't think anyone here mentioned it, at least not in this thread. I checked out Rideback Ranch, and they look like a fun little workshop on Beverly Blvd. where stuff gets done well, but obviously on a budget.

Rideback Ranch | Los Angeles

Founded by Dan Lin, Rideback Ranch supports and empowers visionary storytellers who share our passion for entertaining audiences across all genres and around the globe.

ridebackranch.com

Lilo & Stitch looks headed to an easy Billion at the box office, so the Rideback team must be thrilled and very proud this week. And I also imagine whichever exec over the hill on the Burbank campus gave them the contract to do Lilo & Stich instead of doing it in house must also be very happy.

The only losers in this money making scenario would seem to be the Disney employees on the Burbank lot who would have required $200 Million to make Lilo & Stitch but would have simultaneously mucked it up somehow to get bad PR (again) and then it only made $400 Million at the global box office. Rinse and repeat.

I can just imagine the death stares the Rideback kids are getting from the Disney kids at Silver Lake brunch tables now!

Disney contracts out a lot of things and have for many many decades, so I don't think it really matters in the end where the work was actually done. And I don't anyone is giving "death stares" to anyone let alone at some fictitious bunch that you continually think happens with folks at Disney.

Also as I mentioned in a follow-up comment, I think its actually a co-production between the two studios not specifically only a Rideback production. So in the end Disney still gets the money.

You're kidding?! I just checked and... yup, the production budget for that one was $400 Million.

How many sets of elevator shoes does Mr. Cruise need to make a movie?

Whatever that shoe lift budget is, that apparently really adds up for Paramount, in inches and dollars.

One of the many reasons why the studio was bought by Skydance last year. They have been just basically held up by Cruise and Transformers for the last decade, but the bubble finally burst and they needed to be bought.

Disney is basically the last of the Hollywood golden era studios left intact as an independent.

 

[Disney Irish]

Snow White lost money, but hasn't it also done about as expected?

Some would argue that Disney expected more (I know some tried in this very thread), but I suspect it has done about what many expected, even internally at Disney, after all the drama surrounding it.

 

[TP2000]

Well according to Deadline you're about $63M short on your 2025 rounding totals there.

‘Lilo & Stitch’ Surfs To Galactic $341.7M Global Opening; ‘Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning’ Lights The Fuse With Franchise-Best $204M WW Launch – International Box Office

Lilo & Stitch grossed $341.7M in its global opening, while Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning served up a franchise-best start of $204M WW

deadline.com

The problem there is that you are quoting me from Saturday, where I was referring to only Thursday/Friday data that came in Saturday morning, before we had full weekend estimates as quoted in that Deadline article from Sunday.

But, now that we have the full weekend's data to use (because it's now Tuesday) the numbers look different than they did Saturday morning. Lilo & Stich has now made $361,300,000 at the global box office as of last night.

Using that updated data through Monday, the formula used for global box office still stands as very useful.

Which puts Disney at about $487M in the red, only if we're assuming the rest of your calculations are correct for the production and marketing costs (which we know can also be off as previously discussed). I think its closer to $360M myself (I could be off on the math as I'm just eyeballing it for discussion purposes), if we half the marketing budget totals you've been using to just the theatrical window only, again as previously discussed.

A couple things there. First, it's not that bad. My calculations after this weekend's full box office has come in puts Burbank at a $460 Million loss and narrowing.

Second, they aren't "my calculations" for production costs. They are the costs attributed to The Numbers website who uses widely reported data from reputable industry sources like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, etc. The marketing costs I use are the widely accepted formula that most studios spend at least half their production budget on marketing. But with Disney's bloated mega-budget movies, I purposely cap that at $100 Million. Unless, Disney themselves admits they spent more, like the $140 Million they bragged they spent on marketing The Little Mermaid to prove to the Silver Lake brunch crowd that they aren't racists. But generally, it's 50% of production or $100 Million on marketing, whichever is smaller.

And third, I was responding to someone who noted Disney had just crossed the $2 Billion box office figure for 2025, but they were including the two movies released in the last month of 2024 (Moana 2 and Mufasa) who both had successful box office performance for the next several months. We can certainly back out those 2024 movies and pretend that they didn't sell tickets in Winter, 2025 if you'd like.

That would look like this...

Captain America 4: $180 Production, $90 Marketing, $120 Domestic, $85 Overseas = $65 Million Loss
Snow White: $270 Production, $100 Marketing, $52 Domestic, $47 Overseas = $271 Million Loss
The Amateur: $60 Production, $30 Marketing, $25 Domestic, $21 Overseas = $44 Million Loss
Thunderbolts: $180 Production, $90 Marketing, $105 Domestic, $73 Overseas = $92 Million Loss and Narrowing
Lilo & Stitch: $100 Production, $100 Marketing*, $110 Domestic, $72 Overseas = $18 Million Loss and Narrowing FAST!
*Out of formula marketing budget of $100 Million per Variety reporting last week.
Burbank Total Thus Far on 5/27/25 = $460 Million Loss, but narrowing nicely thanks to Lilo & Stitch

Which means, again just eyeballing it, Stitch only really needs to get ~$850M to erase any deficit so far during 2025. @BrianLo or someone can check the math to be sure, but I don't think its as much of a gargantuan task as you alluded to that requires a bunch of heavy lifting by Stitch.

Based on the numbers above, it would look to me like Lilo & Stitch needs to pull in about another $900 Million at the global box office to erase that $460 Million deficit Burbank is currently in. The exact amount depends on the domestic/overseas ticketing mix obviously, but right now Lilo & Stitch is not performing like it should overseas. That's the only downside to the otherwise good news for that cheaply made movie.

The only country it hasn't opened in yet is Japan, and it should do well there. But it won't be enough to overcome that foreign deficit. It's going to be close, but....

My hunch is that Lilo & Stitch won't quite break $1 Billion owing to its weaker overseas box office thus far.

.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) - Financial Information

Financial analysis of Lilo & Stitch (2025) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.

www.the-numbers.com

 

[TP2000]

Disney contracts out a lot of things and have for many many decades, so I don't think it really matters in the end where the work was actually done. And I don't anyone is giving "death stares" to anyone let alone at some fictitious bunch that you continually think happens with folks at Disney.

You forget, I used to live in SoCal. And I get around. I didn't make up the Silver Lake brunch table scene, I actually lived it.

And yes, the cattiness and (another word I probably shouldn't type here) from table to table is real. A few times I went, you could cut the air with a knife. The air hugs and the smiles are there, and as fake as can be, when you're being seated and making an entrance. Most folks are in the industry, or are aligned with the industry through their law firms or commercial real estate firms, and so the fake smiles are mandatory. But after the Mimosas arrive, the claws come out and the dialogue about who is sitting at which table and which studio outfit they work for or are aligned with is priceless! And for someone like me from OC who wasn't really involved, it was hysterical!

I'm surprised Bravo hasn't done a series on that.... The Real Queens Of Silver Lake Brunch. Who do I call to pitch that?

 

[Disney Irish]

The problem there is that you are quoting me from Saturday, where I was referring to only Thursday/Friday data that came in Saturday morning, before we had full weekend estimates as quoted in that Deadline article from Sunday.

But, now that we have the full weekend's data to use (because it's now Tuesday) the numbers look different than they did Saturday morning. Lilo & Stich has now made $361,300,000 at the global box office as of last night.

Using that updated data through Monday, the formula used for global box office still stands as very useful.



A couple things there. First, it's not that bad. My calculations after this weekend's full box office has come in puts Burbank at a $460 Million loss and narrowing.

Second, they aren't "my calculations" for production costs. They are the costs attributed to The Numbers website who uses widely reported data from reputable industry sources like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, etc. The marketing costs I use are the widely accepted formula that most studios spend at least half their production budget on marketing. But with Disney's bloated mega-budget movies, I purposely cap that at $100 Million. Unless, Disney themselves admits they spent more, like the $140 Million they bragged they spent on marketing The Little Mermaid to prove to the Silver Lake brunch crowd that they aren't racists. But generally, it's 50% of production or $100 Million on marketing, whichever is smaller.

And third, I was responding to someone who noted Disney had just crossed the $2 Billion box office figure for 2025, but they were including the two movies released in the last month of 2024 (Moana 2 and Mufasa) who both had successful box office performance for the next several months. We can certainly back out those 2024 movies and pretend that they didn't sell tickets in Winter, 2025 if you'd like.

That would look like this...

View attachment 861015

Captain America 4: $180 Production, $90 Marketing, $120 Domestic, $85 Overseas = $65 Million Loss
Snow White: $270 Production, $100 Marketing, $52 Domestic, $47 Overseas = $271 Million Loss
The Amateur: $60 Production, $30 Marketing, $25 Domestic, $21 Overseas = $44 Million Loss
Thunderbolts: $180 Production, $90 Marketing, $105 Domestic, $73 Overseas = $92 Million Loss and Narrowing
Lilo & Stitch: $100 Production, $100 Marketing*, $110 Domestic, $72 Overseas = $18 Million Loss and Narrowing FAST!
*Out of formula marketing budget of $100 Million per Variety reporting last week.
Burbank Total Thus Far on 5/27/25 = $460 Million Loss, but narrowing nicely thanks to Lilo & Stitch



Based on the numbers above, it would look to me like Lilo & Stitch needs to pull in about another $900 Million at the global box office to erase that $460 Million deficit Burbank is currently in. The exact amount depends on the domestic/overseas ticketing mix obviously, but right now Lilo & Stitch is not performing like it should overseas. That's the only downside to the otherwise good news for that cheaply made movie.

Actually the post I was quoting you from was Sunday afternoon after the Deadline update I posted already came out, not Saturday. You got the numbers wrong with your "math", it happens, just admit it and move on instead of trying to now save face and claim you were posting from Saturday that was "outdated" information.

As for the rest, @BrianLo has already been through this with you on the marketing budget you've been trying to attribute to the theatrical only portion while ignoring the rest of the potential earnings of a film. So he (and others) have tried to give you a bit more accurate calculation to use for theatrical only profit/loss, but you refuse. So its the reason why you continue to be questioned on your "math" since you are off on most of them most of the time.

And Stitch really only needs to hit $850M total to clear any losses from 2025 theatrical only revenue.

My hunch is that Lilo & Stitch won't quite break $1 Billion owing to its weaker overseas box office thus far.

Also are you really now saying this when just a few minutes before you posted this?

Lilo & Stitch looks headed to an easy Billion at the box office,

So which is it? Is it going to make an easy Billion or is it not going quite hit a Billion?

 

[TP2000]

Fast math would have Snow at a loss of 235 (Deadline said way less, but we'll see what they say next year), Cap 4 a 17.5 loss, Thunderbolts a loss of 47.5 so far and Stitch has made 20.

Your fast math and my damp cocktail napkin math aren't that far off.

Per my post above, I have Snow at a loss of $271, Cap 4 at a $64 loss, Thunderbolts at a loss of $92, and Stitch probably breaking even right now at some West Coast matinee as we type. Plus the loss of $44 on The Amateur.

And just to confirm, your fast math is using the assumption they only spent 25% of the production budget on marketing, correct?

How do you handle movies where Disney is reported to have spent more than 25%? Like the $100 Million that Variety reports Disney spent on marketing Lilo & Stitch against its $100 Million production budget?

Box Office: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Ignites to $341 Million Globally, ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Climbs to $200 Million

"Lilo & Stitch' ignited to $300 million globally while "Mission: Impossible" climbs near $200 million in its first weekend.

variety.com

I won't include the tail end of Moana 2 or Mufasa, because that just makes it already positive.

Makes sense. Those were only brought up earlier in the context of movies that sold tickets in early 2025, in order to get Disney to its current global box office sales of just over $2 Billion thus far in 2025.

Using the five movies actually released in 2025, Disney currently stands at about a $1.4 Billion global box office. Compared against a combined production budget of $790 Million and an assumed marketing budget of $410 Million.

 

[Disney Irish]

You forget, I used to live in SoCal. And I get around. I didn't make up the Silver Lake brunch table scene, I actually lived it.

And yes, the cattiness and (another word I probably shouldn't type here) from table to table is real. A few times I went, you could cut the air with a knife. The air hugs and the smiles are there, and as fake as can be, when you're being seated and making an entrance. Most folks are in the industry, or are aligned with the industry through their law firms or commercial real estate firms, and so the fake smiles are mandatory. But after the Mimosas arrive, the claws come out and the dialogue about who is sitting at which table and which studio outfit they work for or are aligned with is priceless! And for someone like me from OC who wasn't really involved, it was hysterical!

I'm surprised Bravo hasn't done a series on that.... The Real Queens Of Silver Lake Brunch. Who do I call to pitch that?

I never said they didn't happen in the past, I'm sure they did. Heck LA Story, great movie btw, had a great depiction of them. I'm just saying this narrative you have in many posts of these continual brunches and the interactions that conspire at them now in 2025 is what is fictitious

 

[Disney Irish]

Your fast math and my damp cocktail napkin math aren't that far off.

Per my post above, I have Snow at a loss of $271, Cap 4 at a $64 loss, Thunderbolts at a loss of $92, and Stitch probably breaking even right now at some West Coast matinee as we type. Plus the loss of $44 on The Amateur.

And just to confirm, your fast math is using the assumption they only spent 25% of the production budget on marketing, correct?

How do you handle movies where Disney is reported to have spent more than 25%? Like the $100 Million that Variety reports Disney spent on marketing Lilo & Stitch against its $100 Million production budget?

Box Office: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Ignites to $341 Million Globally, ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Climbs to $200 Million

"Lilo & Stitch' ignited to $300 million globally while "Mission: Impossible" climbs near $200 million in its first weekend.

variety.com

Makes sense. Those were only brought up earlier in the context of movies that sold tickets in early 2025, in order to get Disney to its current global box office sales of just over $2 Billion thus far in 2025.

Using the five movies actually released in 2025, Disney currently stands at about a $1.4 Billion global box office. Compared against a combined production budget of $790 Million and an assumed marketing budget of $410 Million.

Funny how you leave off the rest of his post where he confirms its about $850M total needed for Stitch to cover any losses for 2025. While also ignoring where he says that when you include Mufasa and Moana Disney is already in the positive for 2025.

 

[TP2000]

Actually the post I was quoting you from was Sunday afternoon after the Deadline update I posted already came out, not Saturday. You got the numbers wrong with your "math", it happens, just admit it and move on instead of trying to now save face and claim you were posting from Saturday that was "outdated" information.

No, the posted numbers were from Saturday's box office and a guess at what the total weekend might be. Now we have that data on Tuesday, when we didn't have it two days ago.

The box office data comes in daily, and changes daily. Today is Tuesday, so we know box office now through Monday.

Thus, the math we are using on Tuesday's discussion is different from the math we were using on Sundays discussion.

As for the rest, @BrianLo has already been through this with you on the marketing budget you've been trying to attribute to the theatrical only portion while ignoring the rest of the potential earnings of a film. So he (and others) have tried to give you a bit more accurate calculation to use for theatrical only profit/loss, but you refuse. So its the reason why you continue to be questioned on your "math" since you are off on most of them most of the time.

And Stitch really only needs to hit $850M total to clear any losses from 2025 theatrical only revenue.

That's if you assume that Disney only spent 25% of its production budget, or $25 Million, on its marketing. But Variety is reporting Disney spent $100 Million on marketing for Lilo & Stitch for May/June 2025.

Box Office: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Ignites to $341 Million Globally, ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Climbs to $200 Million

"Lilo & Stitch' ignited to $300 million globally while "Mission: Impossible" climbs near $200 million in its first weekend.

variety.com

Also are you really now saying this when just a few minutes before you posted this?

So which is it? Is it going to make an easy Billion or is it not going quite hit a Billion?

Yes, I am saying that. Because just a few minutes earlier I hadn't gotten out the calculator and done the math and looked at the overseas box office specifically. Looking at the current data in slightly more depth (actually just a 90 second look instead of a 5 second look), it's now apparent that Lilo & Stitch is underperforming notably overseas.

Compared to previous recent live action remakes, Lilo & Stitch should be doing about 120% to 140% of its domestic box office overseas. But instead, Lilo & Stitch is only doing about 95% of its domestic box office overseas. When it opens in Japan next week as its last overseas market, that country is not going to be enough to make up that missing overseas box office.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) - Box Office and Financial Information

Financial analysis of Lilo & Stitch (2025) including production budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports.

www.the-numbers.com

 

[TP2000]

I never said they didn't happen in the past, I'm sure they did. Heck LA Story, great movie btw, had a great depiction of them. I'm just saying this narrative you have in many posts of these continual brunches and the interactions that conspire at them now in 2025 is what is fictitious

I'm staying at a friends house who lives in West LA next month, because Viking has much better flight options to Europe out of LAX than what they can do at Harry Reid. He's the king of the brunch queens!

I now have half a mind to get there a day earlier than planned and insist he take me to brunch in Silver Lake on Sunday like we did in the past, just to confirm it's still happening.

 

[Nevermore525]

No, the posted numbers were from Saturday's box office and a guess at what the total weekend might be. Now we have that data on Tuesday, when we didn't have it two days ago.

The box office data comes in daily, and changes daily. Today is Tuesday, so we know box office now through Monday.

Thus, the math we are using on Tuesday's discussion is different from the math we were using on Sundays discussion.

The $2B Disney box office was based on Sunday’s reported numbers and was a quote from the Deadline article that @Disney Irish quoted.

 

[Disney Irish]

No, the posted numbers were from Saturday's box office and a guess at what the total weekend might be. Now we have that data on Tuesday, when we didn't have it two days ago.

The box office data comes in daily, and changes daily. Today is Tuesday, so we know box office now through Monday.

Thus, the math we are using on Tuesday's discussion is different from the math we were using on Sundays discussion.

The number for the weekend had been updated already by the time you posted on Sunday afternoon, if you had bothered to actually look.

That's if you assume that Disney only spent 25% of its production budget, or $25 Million, on its marketing. But Variety is reporting Disney spent $100 Million on marketing for Lilo & Stitch for May/June 2025.

Box Office: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Ignites to $341 Million Globally, ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Climbs to $200 Million

"Lilo & Stitch' ignited to $300 million globally while "Mission: Impossible" climbs near $200 million in its first weekend.

variety.com

I'm sorry but where in that article does Variety say that Disney spent $100M for marketing for Stitch? Did you misread or did you post the wrong article?

Yes, I am saying that. Because just a few minutes earlier I hadn't gotten out the calculator and done the math and looked at the overseas box office specifically. Looking at the current data in slightly more depth (actually just a 90 second look instead of a 5 second look), it's now apparent that Lilo & Stitch is underperforming notably overseas.

Compared to previous recent live action remakes, Lilo & Stitch should be doing about 120% to 140% of its domestic box office overseas. But instead, Lilo & Stitch is only doing about 95% of its domestic box office overseas. When it opens in Japan next week as its last overseas market, that country is not going to be enough to make up that missing overseas box office.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) - Box Office and Financial Information

Financial analysis of Lilo & Stitch (2025) including production budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports.

www.the-numbers.com

Fair enough, but it still doesn't mean Stitch won't clear enough to cover any losses so far in 2025. The calculation appears to be about $850M WW total needing to cover that. And I think its safe to say Stitch should clear that fairly easily.

 

[Disney Irish]

I'm staying at a friends house who lives in West LA next month, because Viking has much better flight options to Europe out of LAX than what they can do at Harry Reid. He's the king of the brunch queens!

I now have half a mind to get there a day earlier than planned and insist he take me to brunch in Silver Lake on Sunday like we did in the past, just to confirm it's still happening.

Well report back with pictures if you do.

 

[TP2000]

Funny how you leave off the rest of his post where he confirms its about $850M total needed for Stitch to cover any losses for 2025. While also ignoring where he says that when you include Mufasa and Moana Disney is already in the positive for 2025.

There was no need to cover that, as that's obviously part of the difference in pretending Burbank only spent $25 Million to market Lilo & Stitch when it actually spent $100 Million.

There's also the difference in math between our two models factored in to that; Fast Math vs. Damp Cocktail Napkin Math, and that he left out the losses on The Amateur over at Disney's 20th Century studio.

No harm, no foul. Just fun box office conversation!

 

[Disney Irish]

There was no need to cover that, as that's obviously part of the difference in pretending Burbank only spent $25 Million to market Lilo & Stitch when it actually spent $100 Million.

There's also the difference in math between our two models factored in to that; Fast Math vs. Damp Cocktail Napkin Math, and that he left out the losses on The Amateur over at Disney's 20th Century studio.

No harm, no foul. Just fun box office conversation!

The point being is that you make up marketing numbers just as easily with your "damp cocktail napkin", because no where is there actually a confirmation of Disney spending $100M for marketing on Stitch. This is an assumption on your part. The articles you even have posted has no mention of marketing let alone the actual budget listed for Stitch.

But BrianLo has tried to provide a more accurate calculation that appears to be accurate based on the actual financials from Disney and Deadline reporting, so even if its "Fast Math", its more accurate than your "damp cocktail napkin". So it gives us real information for our "fun" box office conversations.

 

[TP2000]

The number for the weekend had been updated already by the time you posted on Sunday afternoon, if you had bothered to actually look.

Oh, shoot. As I remember it, I was just sort of waiting around on Sunday afternoon for my Greek salad to chill before I went to the next barbecue. I should have really focused on the topic at hand instead of casually posting on a fun-fun-fun site.

I'm sorry but where in that article does Variety say that Disney spent $100M for marketing for Stitch? Did you misread or did you post the wrong article?

Sorry, wrong article. Good catch! This is from the same author, same day, same Variety, but this is the correct article...

Memorial Day Box Office Record Breaker! ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Debuts to Massive $183 Million, ‘Mission: Impossible’ Scores Series-Best $77 Million

"Lilo & Stitch" and "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" fueled a Memorial Day weekend box office record.

variety.com

Disney just spent $100 Million on marketing Lilo & Stitch, which is entirely believable and average for Disney. And it gives me confidence to continue using the marketing formula based on production budget I've been using in the past.

Fair enough, but it still doesn't mean Stitch won't clear enough to cover any losses so far in 2025. The calculation appears to be about $850M WW total needing to cover that. And I think its safe to say Stitch should clear that fairly easily.

I just think it's going to be closer than we may believe after this heady experience of having a Disney movie actually do well in its opening weekend. We all got so excited, didn't we?!

Lilo & Stitch is not performing overseas as strongly as it should be, based on its strong domestic box office. It will bear watching in the weeks ahead, but with a population of only 35 Million under age 40 in Japan, I'm not sure that countries box office premiere on June 6th is going to be enough to erase the overseas deficit Lilo & Stitch has started out with.

 

[TP2000]

The $2B Disney box office was based on Sunday’s reported numbers and was a quote from the Deadline article that @Disney Irish quoted.

Yes, totally get that. And thank you for posting that info!

There was just a bit of a discrepancy as another poster or two wanted to separate out Moana 2 and Mufasa from that 2025 total as they were released in calendar year 2024.

I'm happy to look at both sets of numbers; total box office for 2025, and total box office for movies released in 2025.

 

[Nevermore525]

Yes, totally get that. And thank you for posting that info!

There was just a bit of a discrepancy as another poster or two wanted to separate out Moana 2 and Mufasa from that 2025 total as they were released in calendar year 2024.

I'm happy to look at both sets of numbers; total box office for 2025, and total box office for movies released in 2025.

Just gets fuzzy when you have to prorate budget/marketing as the production budgets of the 2024 films since films are amortized over the revenue generating life of the film including when it’s for sale and all.

 

[Disney Irish]

Oh, shoot. As I remember it, I was just sort of waiting around on Sunday afternoon for my Greek salad to chill before I went to the next barbecue. I should have really focused on the topic at hand instead of casually posting on a fun-fun-fun site.

Well maybe leave the "math" to a time when you can spend more than 8 seconds on it. I mean this isn't a Google search its math!

Sorry, wrong article. Good catch! This is from the same author, same day, same Variety, but this is the correct article...

Memorial Day Box Office Record Breaker! ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Debuts to Massive $183 Million, ‘Mission: Impossible’ Scores Series-Best $77 Million

"Lilo & Stitch" and "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" fueled a Memorial Day weekend box office record.

variety.com

Disney just spent $100 Million on marketing Lilo & Stitch, which is entirely believable and average for Disney. And it gives me confidence to continue using the marketing formula based on production budget I've been using in the past.

Thank you. I think the point being is that its not a hard and fast rule that it must be x amount based on 50% of production. As if this number Variety reported is true Disney didn't spend 50%, they went 100% of production for marketing. Which as has been discussed before is common that its not a specific percentage, its not always 50% as it can be more or less depending on many many factors including the whole post-theatrical marketing which is included into the overall marketing. Which is why the math is always murky, and why trying to attribute the entire marketing budget to the theatrical earnings is just silly and it'll never give you a reality of the profit/loss of JUST the box office earnings.

I just think it's going to be closer than we may believe after this heady experience of having a Disney movie actually do well in its opening weekend. We all got so excited, didn't we?!

Lilo & Stitch is not performing overseas as strongly as it should be, based on its strong domestic box office. It will bear watching in the weeks ahead, but with a population of only 35 Million under age 40 in Japan, I'm not sure that countries box office premiere on June 6th is going to be enough to erase the overseas deficit Lilo & Stitch has started out with.

I don't think international needs to do as much heavy lifting here as other films have in the past, but we'll see.

 

[Disney Irish]

Just gets fuzzy when you have to prorate budget/marketing as the production budgets of the 2024 films since films are amortized over the revenue generating life of the film including when it’s for sale and all.

A bunch of us have tried to tell him, but he can't wrap his head around it for some reason.