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

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You don’t think a sequel could do well… it is rumored T’challa’s son will be the new Black Panther… it will attract an audience beyond just the MCU fans…Which is what Marvel should concentrate on at this point…. Marvel is not going to stop making content completely despite your wishes

More a reflection of the overall strategy…

The diminishing returns is a documented thing…the metrics are in decline - no matter what fake goal post we kick towards each day.

Are they gonna “blast their way out of it”? With more repetition? Does that work? Has that ever worked? Even crap (cough LFL) will work if you let time pass…this isn’t that.

Not saying they should stop making comment…Bob has the personality of the hanger still in his shirt…but it’s not gonna make things turn upward

 

[Tha Realest]

I liked Dr. Strange…. I thought it was one of the better post End Game films…but I know I am in the Minority on these boards…I like it for the Sam Raini quality of it all

You don’t think a sequel could do well… it is rumored T’challa’s son will be the new Black Panther… it will attract an audience beyond just the MCU fans…Which is what Marvel should concentrate on at this point…. Marvel is not going to stop making content completely despite your wishes

I loved MOM. I always appreciate when franchises let auteurs do their thing and put their stamp on projects (Coogler, Raimi good, Waititi good at first but wore thin quickly). It’s pretty remarkable they approved a quick second act that included a mishmash of ‘memba berries and fancasting, and then the third act they let Raimi go Evil Dead and use a Zombie Strange. Does all of it work? No. But most of it does and at least it’s interesting

 

[DKampy]

I loved MOM. I always appreciate when franchises let auteurs do their thing and put their stamp on projects (Coogler, Raimi good, Waititi good at first but wore thin quickly). It’s pretty remarkable they approved a quick second act that included a mishmash of ‘memba berries and fancasting, and then the third act they let Raimi go Evil Dead and use a Zombie Strange. Does all of it work? No. But most of it does and at least it’s interesting

I agree with this…. I don’t understand the concept of hiring an auteur only for the corporation to come in and dictate what has to be in the film… when you can hire any yes man and get the same result

 

[BrianLo]

Question regarding streaming: what constitutes a stream?

Reason: I’ve noticed some streaming services automatically start playing whatever they want after what you are watching ends (if you aren’t very fast on the button.)

Example: I just watched an episode of “Platonic” on apple. Within seconds of it ending, the completely unrelated new Jason Mamoa vehicle started playing. (Same thing happened the other night after “Shrinking.”) It now shows up in my “continue watching” section.

Does that count as a stream? Or two? Does it have to go a certain number of minutes first?

Does apple get to pad the numbers for their new shows & movies if people fall asleep on the couch before a show ends, and their hot new property plays through?

They seem to weigh it against minutes streamed. So if you accidentally watched 0.1% of a movie, you count as 0.1% of one person watching.

Actually here you go, it is defined clearly by Deadline: “A view for Disney is defined as a total stream time divided by runtime available.”

‘Ahsoka’ First Episode Clocks 14M Views Worldwide On Disney+, Per Studio – Update

'Ahsoka' Viewership: 1.2M Households First Episode, Down From 'Obi-Wan'

deadline.com

So if you accidentally watch a minute of Ahsoka, you are not 1 of 14M. You are a fraction of one.

 

[Disney Analyst]

 

[TP2000]

Sorry no desserts for me, got to watch the calorie and sugar intake. But I do like a good cheesecake.

Sounds kind of boring. But I do love cheesecake. Tonight though, it was a strawberry Eton Mess that my sister made for us.

And then I added the last bottle of decent champagne left over from when the kids were here last week.

Those fools cast my expertly curated wine and spirits menu aside for vodka seltzers, and I'm surprisingly happy about that.

And I’ll be here commenting (and asking you to correct your unintentional mistakes). Though would suggest you finally switch to using the 2.5x rule of thumb metric, it’s just easier.

You forgot to divide the final number by two, if it's a box office loss.

Dividing by two accounts for the (hopeful) future profit from fiscal year '26 onward that the flopped 2025 movie will eventually cobble together on Disney+.

Your brain with thank you since it means less math, and I know how you hate math.

I do hate math. But you still have to divide the final number of the 2.5X Metric equation by two. Because, Disney+.

 

[Disney Irish]

Sounds kind of boring. But I do love cheesecake. Tonight though, it was a strawberry Eton Mess that my sister made for us.

And then I added the last bottle of decent champagne left over from when the kids were here last week.

Those fools cast my expertly curated wine and spirits menu aside for vodka seltzers, and I'm surprisingly happy about that.

Its not boring, because it means when I do treat myself to a dessert I can savor it more.

You forgot to divide the final number by two, if it's a box office loss.

Dividing by two accounts for the (hopeful) future profit from fiscal year '26 onward that the flopped 2025 movie will eventually cobble together on Disney+.

I do hate math. But you still have to divide the final number of the 2.5X Metric equation by two. Because, Disney+.

I don't forget, I'm well aware of how it works. I was discussing this stuff long before you started posted on this side of the forums remember.

And since many here just wanted to talk about the box office we previously (before you started being fascinated by this side of the business and posting here) just dealt with the box office and not accounted for the post-theatrical in many discussions. But since we've been discussing the post-theatrical so much in the last few years I don't mind trying to account for it, since I've been one of the big proponents of the post-theatrical market here on this site anyways.

 

[TP2000]

Its not boring, because it means when I do treat myself to a dessert I can savor it more.

Kid, take it from a man who has had a life very well lived in many categories... just have some dessert.

 

[Disney Irish]

Kid, take it from a man who has had a life very well lived in many categories... just have some dessert.

Thanks grandpa, but I ain’t that young having lived half a century, and no offense but I’ll listen to my doctor.

 

[Baloo124]

Kid, take it from a man who has had a life very well lived in many categories... just have some dessert.

Thanks grandpa, but I ain’t that young having lived half a century, and no offense but I’ll listen to my doctor.

I hope neither of you are overlooking Reese's Zero Sugar Peanut Butter Cups as a solution to both sides of this debate.

Heavy on chocolate and peanut butter flavor, without the sugar. Enjoy the sweet side of life without any guilt.

 

[Disney Irish]

I hope neither of you are overlooking Reese's Zero Sugar Peanut Butter Cups as a solution to both sides of this debate.

Heavy on chocolate and peanut butter flavor, without the sugar. Enjoy the sweet side of life without any guilt.

Sorry not into peanut butter, but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Nevermore525]

Except July's inflation rate held rock steady, and was also 2.7%. And that baffled the "experts" we are supposed to believe.

Inflation held steady in July, defying expectations for hotter price growth as tariffs come into effect

The inflation rate stayed at 2.7% in July after it climbed more than expected in June.

www.businessinsider.com

The question remains... by what broad economic indicator are @Hawkeye_2018 and @CoastalElite64 using to declare that American audiences in the summer of '25 are staying away from mega-budget summer tentpoles because they can't afford movie tickets this summer?

Whatever that mystery economic metric might be, it doesn't explain the wild box office success of Lilo & Stitch.

Yes, overall held steady. Core inflation which is everything other than Energy/food is on the rise and went to 3.1%. Core was 3.2% in July 2024 and trending down. I personally don’t call the current economy better or worse based on current metrics, but there are some indicators it is teetering towards getting worse. The CPI report this month can be described as mixed.

Can also be just about the same amount of people who went to movies last year are going this year and are just being selective about how they distribute their $. Current trend line on The-Numbers is about $12M more in domestic box office, so about 1M more tickets sold by years end or a 0.1% increase in overall ticket sales based on current average price.

 

[DKampy]

with the merger Paramount has announced they are scaling back streaming content and focusing more on theatrical… more proof that the data shows studios still need theaters… I still think if played right streaming and theaters should work in tandem to compliment each other rather then compete

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Here's a clip from your favorite entertainment news channel.


And more Americans have lost their jobs so far in 2025 than all of 2024.

US hits highest layoffs since COVID

Layoffs in the U.S. have hit their highest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by government cuts, restructuring and AI.

www.newsweek.com

Who told you that?!?

And why didn’t they clear it with me?!?

 

[Disney Irish]

Here's a clip from your favorite entertainment news channel.


And more Americans have lost their jobs so far in 2025 than all of 2024.

US hits highest layoffs since COVID

Layoffs in the U.S. have hit their highest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by government cuts, restructuring and AI.

www.newsweek.com

August numbers don't look to improve either. A bunch of large layoffs just hit this week from a few large companies, that's on top of the thousands since the beginning of August.

So yeah I suspect going to the movies are going to be the least of the worries for many of these folks.

Buckle up folks, the rest of the year might not be the box office recovery that some were hoping would happen.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Maybe some of those folks are the slight boost to ticket sales this summer!!

Who? Where?

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

I hope neither of you are overlooking Reese's Zero Sugar Peanut Butter Cups as a solution to both sides of this debate.

Heavy on chocolate and peanut butter flavor, without the sugar. Enjoy the sweet side of life without any guilt.

I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups but detest Reece's Pieces.
Is that weird?

 

[Andrew C]

I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups but detest Reece's Pieces.
Is that weird?

Yes. You’re a psychopath.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

Yes. You’re a psychopath.

I was told there is a PB&J cup. I have yet to try it though.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups but detest Reece's Pieces.
Is that weird?

Yo…totally backwards