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

[Disney Irish]

Why is this a surprising idea for a CEO trying to control damage?

By the way gang, firing creative people because they refuse to follow the company mandate to “limit diversity” would NOT be avoiding controversy. It would cause a tremendous uproar and alienate a vast number of creative people in Hollywood. It’s also deeply immoral.

Think of what you’re arguing in favor of.

Especially since most are either current union or recently unionized.

 

[Miru]

Why is this a surprising idea for a CEO trying to control damage?

By the way gang, firing creative people because they refuse to follow the company mandate to “limit diversity” would NOT be avoiding controversy. It would cause a tremendous uproar and alienate a vast number of creative people in Hollywood. It’s also deeply immoral.

Think of what you’re arguing in favor of.

At least it isn’t selling the company to the Daily Wire…

 

[Miru]

Dear God, please, no, no, a thousand times no.

I can think of only a single cross-franchise team-up that wasn't a complete disaster, and it mainly worked because it made sense within the larger framework of the story... Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Which probably didn't start with a pitch meeting of 'What if we combined the Mickey Mouse and Looney Tunes universes?"

What about Super Smash Bros? Super Robot Wars? Or better yet The King of Fighters, which was so good it absorbed the component franchises and became the main franchise in itself? (One could argue Marvel/DC in general count if KoF does) Honorable mentions to Wreck it Ralph and The Lego Movie, where the crossover wasn’t that important to the plot and was more of window dressing. There are more good crossovers than Roger Rabbit, it’s just that they are very outnumbered. For every Super Robot Wars out there, there’s 15 of something like Multiversus or Space Jam 2.

 

[DisneyHead123]

The people attacking Disney are overwhelmingly not poor or genuinely concerned with poverty. They want to be angry at things because it feels good and powerful people want them to be angry because it is profitable in multiple ways.

Some of the people leading the charge, yes, but for that to work what they are saying has to resonate with a much larger populist audience. If it got no traction they would have abandoned it already and moved on to the next thing.

 

[Tha Realest]

Why is this a surprising idea for a CEO trying to control damage?

By the way gang, firing creative people because they refuse to follow the company mandate to “limit diversity” would NOT be avoiding controversy. It would cause a tremendous uproar and alienate a vast number of creative people in Hollywood. It’s also deeply immoral.

Think of what you’re arguing in favor of.

Where did I argue in favor (or angainst) anything about a company mandate, or firings, or make any argument “in favor” of anything? I just think it’s odd to act like he isn’t trying to reassert some control over the creatives, or somehow his words are just meant to placate people.

And incidentally, he happened to “cause a tremendous uproar and alienate a vast number in creative people in Hollywood” with his decidedly non-culture war comments during the strike.

 

[Disney Irish]

Where did I argue in favor (or angainst) anything about a company mandate, or firings, or make any argument “in favor” of anything? I just think it’s odd to act like he isn’t trying to reassert some control over the creatives, or somehow his words are just meant to placate people.

And incidentally, he happened to “cause a tremendous uproar and alienate a vast number in creative people in Hollywood” with his decidedly non-culture war comments during the strike.

I honestly believe he was alluding to the fact that Kevin Feige has been spread too thin, and needs to regain control over the MCU content. So take it for what you will, but I don't know if was really speaking Studios wide here.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Why is this a surprising idea for a CEO trying to control damage?

By the way gang, firing creative people because they refuse to follow the company mandate to “limit diversity” would NOT be avoiding controversy. It would cause a tremendous uproar and alienate a vast number of creative people in Hollywood. It’s also deeply immoral.

Think of what you’re arguing in favor of.

They wouldn’t be dumb enough to fire them for reasons related to diversity, they’d be firing them in response to a billion dollars in box office losses.

Disney would be totally justified in firing any writer, director, or producer who’s worked on the majority of their films this year, they obviously won’t but it would be hard for anyone (including the unions) to find fault in Disney firing employees responsible for over a billion dollars in box office losses.

 

[CinematicFusion]

Public has lost trust in Disney. Go around town and ask. Add that to more and more kids(Disneys main target) are playing roblocks and watching YouTube channels then actually watching tv.

Disney is losing/lost its core audience in both Star Wars and Marvel recently with choices the fanatics don’t like.
Fanatics drive the market… is what it is.
Look at NFL on Sunday… those are fanatics.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Wish Box Office Second-Weekend Drop Is Even Worse Than Disney's Biggest 2022 Flop

The Disney movie isn't faring well with critics.

screenrant.com

 

[flynnibus]

Maybe Disney needs to make a choice. Are they a streaming company or a theatrical company?

No they don't

 

[TP2000]

“On the sad side of affairs, Thanksgiving releases Disney’s Wish and Apple Original Production’s Napoleon dropped like a rock respectively, with -64% (estimated $7M) and -65% ($7.2M). Both results being front-loaded are rather eyebrow-raising.

While Wish was soft out of the gate, Disney’s return to princess movies is posting a second frame percent drop that’s worse than last year’s bomb, Strange World (-58%, $5M).”

‘Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé’ $22M Opening Irreplaceable For Sleepy Early December Weekend; Fuels $95M+ Frame Best Post 2018 – Update

Box Office: 'Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé' Makes $5M Thursday Previews

deadline.com

Here's how that sharp decline for Wish looks in the Friday box office numbers. And yet Wish still has the highest number of theaters in the country at 3,900 theaters. Why? And when can the theater chains contractually start dumping Wish out of theaters in their multiplexes?

And will the theater chains ever agree to that again after 2023's box office that ranged from slightly floppy to historic bombs from all of Disney's tentpoles except Guardians 3?

Friday, December 1st 2023 Domestic Box Office

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Here's how that sharp decline for Wish looks in the Friday box office numbers. And yet Wish still has the highest number of theaters in the country at 3,900 theaters. Why? And when can the theater chains contractually start dumping Wish out of theaters in their multiplexes?

And will the theater chains ever agree to that again after 2023's box office that ranged from slightly floppy to historic bombs from all of Disney's tentpoles except Guardians 3?

Friday, December 1st 2023 Domestic Box Office
View attachment 757185

Theaters guarantee a certain number of weeks for major tent poles

So AMC, regal, etc are losing tons of money on just concessions with fully empty theaters showing the travesty

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

And with word of mouth crushing this film, it won’t even beat Trolls 3 domestically. Ouch.

No…it won’t be close either

 

[erasure fan1]

Theaters guarantee a certain number of weeks for major tent poles

So AMC, regal, etc are losing tons of money on just concessions with fully empty theaters showing the travesty

So do we see the theater chains as a whole, rejecting Disneys demands for carrying their films? I'm guessing there's a contract they agreed to so who knows how long it goes. The last year of performance can't be great leverage for Disney at this point. I could see the theaters saying they need to be able to move a film off of screens as needed based on performance/demand. But would Disney allow it and would the theaters be willing to say oh well, I guess we won't play Disney films. I really don't see the theaters being that coordinated to stiff arm Disney into better terms. But it's an interesting thought.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

So do we see the theater chains as a whole, rejecting Disneys demands for carrying their films? I'm guessing there's a contract they agreed to so who knows how long it goes. The last year of performance can't be great leverage for Disney at this point. I could see the theaters saying they need to be able to move a film off of screens as needed based on performance/demand. But would Disney allow it and would the theaters be willing to say oh well, I guess we won't play Disney films. I really don't see the theaters being that coordinated to stiff arm Disney into better terms. But it's an interesting thought.

It sure as hell makes their negotiating position “less than ideal”

 

[_caleb]

I could see the theaters saying they need to be able to move a film off of screens as needed based on performance/demand. But would Disney allow it and would the theaters be willing to say oh well, I guess we won't play Disney films. I really don't see the theaters being that coordinated to stiff arm Disney into better terms.

What would they replace Disney's films with to fill theaters? More showings of Trolls?

Even in this disastrous year, Disney accounted for 17% (second after Universal, responsible for 21%) of all the movie tickets sold.

 

[erasure fan1]

What would they replace Disney's films with to fill theaters? More showings of Trolls?

Even in this disastrous year, Disney accounted for 17% (second after Universal, responsible for 21%) of all the movie tickets sold.

They could replace it with anything. The point being, Disney really stiff armed theaters with the success of the mcu and after force awakens blew the doors off. It's not a great situation to have that many screens contractually obligated to Disney, especially with he films under performing. Also Disney takes a much larger cut the first however many weeks as well. So I'm not sure why it's such an off base question. It makes sense that the theaters would try to broker a better deal for themselves. It's what Disney did so why not try and turn the tables back a bit? Seems like smart business to me.

 

[_caleb]

They could replace it with anything. The point being, Disney really stiff armed theaters with the success of the mcu and after force awakens blew the doors off. It's not a great situation to have that many screens contractually obligated to Disney, especially with he films under performing. Also Disney takes a much larger cut the first however many weeks as well. So I'm not sure why it's such an off base question. It makes sense that the theaters would try to broker a better deal for themselves. Especially while Disney is struggling with box office.

I didn't say your question was off base. I was asking what they'd replace the films with. Theaters are certainly entitled to negotiate, and I agree it seems like Disney's position to negotiate now is weaker than it has been.

But Hollywood is putting out fewer movies overall, so it seems like theaters are still going to be beholden to studios if they want variety of content.

 

[_caleb]

You don’t think “Hey, we know the combined box office of “The Marvels” and “Wish” didn’t come close to “Puss in Boots 2” last year domestically, but….” Is a strong negotiating position?

Again, what are they going to put in those theaters instead of The Marvels and Wish? Five more showings of Puss in Boots 2 is not going to bring in more than those even as poorly as they did, right?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Again, what are they going to put in those theaters instead of The Marvels and Wish? Five more showings of Puss in Boots 2 is not going to bring in more than those even as poorly as they did, right?

The point is…10 months ago humans went and watched puss in boots…

Nobody is watching crap from the Bobs…even if there are countless boards of fans praising them as “underated”…

Not because the movies are good…at all…

Cause they did the college program in 2008 or had a great time at port orleans with the family in 1997 and can’t let it go and get “current”