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

[TsWade2]

This maybe just me, but I feel like the box office is rigged to make all Disney movies flops and want Disney to be shut down so other studios will takeover Hollywood! I think it's unfair that the critics gave Wish mixed reviews and giving Wish an unfair low results of the box office. It's realy a great film. Better than Strange World. But sadly, you people don't care.

 

[Phroobar]

I was talking to a non Disney fan at church today. He said he won't take the kids to see Wish because of the poor reviews. The kids really don't care about it anyway even though it is marketed directly at the age group. He said they might watch it on Disney+.

Disney animated movies are just not "must see" anymore thanks to everything since Frozen II in 2019. Times change and Disney went the wrong direction.

 

[Phroobar]

This maybe just me, but I feel like the box office is rigged to make all Disney movies flops and want Disney to be shut down so other studios will takeover Hollywood! I think it's unfair that the critics gave Wish mixed reviews and giving Wish an unfair low results of the box office. It's realy a great film. Better than Strange World. But sadly, you people don't care.

Critics should never give a pass to a movie that isn't worth it just because of the company that made it. No one owes Disney anything.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This maybe just me, but I feel like the box office is rigged to make all Disney movies flops and want Disney to be shut down so other studios will takeover Hollywood! I think it's unfair that the critics gave Wish mixed reviews and giving Wish an unfair low results of the box office. It's realy a great film. Better than Strange World. But sadly, you people don't care.

Not in the slightest

There’s no conspiracy against Disney…people just aren’t buying what they’re selling

Because frankly they’re ticking off who should be their fans and it’s not very good stuff being released

 

[Phroobar]

Looking at this Godzilla Minus One made more money than Wish did on opening night.

 

[TsWade2]

Right! I'm logging out! Bye haters!

 

[Jedijax719]

I was talking to a non Disney fan at church today. He said he won't take the kids to see Wish because of the poor reviews. The kids really don't care about it anyway even though it is marketed directly at the age group. He said they might watch it on Disney+.

Disney animated movies are just not "must see" anymore thanks to everything since Frozen II in 2019. Times change and Disney went the wrong direction.

Well that is true. A 62% drop for an animated movie's second week is very rare. A 62% drop for a movie that opened low is even more unusual. Anyone knows that the steep drop is a result of bad reviews. Not just moderately bad but EXTREMELY bad. It's why TROS's second weekend was so bad. The only movie in history I can think of with amazing word of mouth and high reviews that dropped dramatically in its second weekend was Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 1. But in this case, it is a clear case of reviews having a 100% correlational effect on box office. No doubt about that (but there will be deniers).

Along that line, try talking to teenagers about what movies (or even streaming shows) they've watched. Expect blank stares. They just aren't. Period.

 

[Phroobar]

‘Wish’ Had One Of Disney’s Worst Openings Ever For An Animated Movie—Here’s Why​

MSN

 

[CinematicFusion]

‘The Marvels’ Ends Box Office Run as Lowest-Grossing MCU Movie in History​

Variety

There’s nothing heroic about the final box office performance of “The Marvels.” The superhero sequel is officially the lowest-grossing installment in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 

[Phroobar]

They are experiencing the same brand erosion with parents around the world due to the product (or as Iger calls it “messaging”) and the controversies surrounding the company that get covered globally due to the unique nature of the Disney brand.

The blind trust they once enjoyed from parents around the world has been replaced with skepticism and caution (just like in the domestic market).

Stories about Disney’s issues with parents are carried in markets around the world. See the coverage of Strange World in the Catholic markets around the world, not to mention the coverage of the 20 markets it wasn’t even released in.

The vast majority of those critical global markets are much less “progressive” than the NY/LA bubbles the Disney execs live in.

Tentpole films require global audiences to generate a return. The continue to learn that painful lesson the hard way.

Universal is eating their lunch now taking the mantle of “family entertainment” while Disney works to get points from the Silver Lake brunch crowd (who wouldn’t see a Disney movie if their life depended on it).

Now if we could get people to stop going to Disney parks so they are forced to lower ticket prices and start providing world class service again instead of nickel & diming everyone that stumbles through the gates.

 

[Phroobar]

‘The Marvels’ Ends Box Office Run as Lowest-Grossing MCU Movie in History​

Variety

There’s nothing heroic about the final box office performance of “The Marvels.” The superhero sequel is officially the lowest-grossing installment in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Marvels has a February 2024 DVD/streaming release date.

 

[_caleb]

Now if we could get people to stop going to Disney parks so they are forced to lower ticket prices and start providing world class service again instead of nickel & diming everyone that stumbles through the gates.

A bit early to be taking a victory lap, don’t you think?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I’m surprised they haven’t unceremoniously dumped it on Disney+ yet like they did with Encanto when that flopped at the box office.

I think they have to establish a 6 month theatrical window if they want to get people in theaters rather than waiting for D+, dumping it on D+ would just encourage people to wait on the next movie also.

I agree with the move, they have to break the cycle at some point.

 

[_caleb]

I think they have to establish a 6 month theatrical window if they want to get people in theaters rather than waiting for D+, dumping it on D+ would just encourage people to wait on the next movie also.

I agree with the move, they have to break the cycle at some point.

They’re not going to hold content in theaters just to try to get box office numbers up. Their new model is Direct-to-Consumer, which is all about cutting out the middleman. Theatrical releases are just a quick stop in hopes to offset costs on the way to delivering the product to paying customers at Disney+.

 

[TP2000]

Box office for the weekend is out on a first pass, with revisions to final numbers tomorrow.

This weekend really highlights the theater count conundrum we've been discussing. Why is Wish still in 3,900 theaters and only made $1,901 per theater, but Beyonce is only in 2,359 theaters and made $8,271 per theater? And Godzilla only got 2,308 theaters but made more than double per theater than Wish?

And The Marvels flatlined over a week ago but is still in hundreds more theaters than successful new movies like Beyonce and Godzilla? Why?!? And how much did Disney have to pay the theater chains to do that? Or were the theater chains strongarmed into that by Disney? And if so, I doubt the theater owners will be so accommodating in '24 after the box office disaster from all of Disney's flagship studios in 2023.

Weekend Box Office First Estimate, Sunday December 3rd.

And just to put a finer point on this theater count issue, way down in 20th place (Twentieth!) this weekend is Next Goal Wins from Disney's Searchlight Studios. Wasting space and resources in almost as many theaters as Godzilla?!?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They are experiencing the same brand erosion with parents around the world due to the product (or as Iger calls it “messaging”) and the controversies surrounding the company that get covered globally due to the unique nature of the Disney brand.

The blind trust they once enjoyed from parents around the world has been replaced with skepticism and caution (just like in the domestic market).

Stories about Disney’s issues with parents are carried in markets around the world. See the coverage of Strange World in the Catholic markets around the world, not to mention the coverage of the 20 markets it wasn’t even released in.

The vast majority of those critical global markets are much less “progressive” than the NY/LA bubbles the Disney execs live in.

Tentpole films require global audiences to generate a return. The continue to learn that painful lesson the hard way.

Universal is eating their lunch now taking the mantle of “family entertainment” while Disney works to get points from the Silver Lake brunch crowd (who wouldn’t see a Disney movie if their life depended on it).

…no…you just did the cable news thing

You know that’s steering you so they can make money from sponsors, right?


Yes…that is a part…

But I think it’s a mixture of that, changes in consumer habits from the plague, extreme cost compared to diminishing cash for the masses, and a perception that they are operating in a vacuum and not doing what fans of their products and Ip want

And that last part is big because the mistakes are fairly obvious…

It’s hard to say “we know what’s best” when the common man knows better


This management is awful…it’s done. Believe me now or believe me later.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Box office for the weekend is out on a first pass, with revisions to final numbers tomorrow.

This weekend really highlights the theater count conundrum we've been discussing. Why is Wish still in 3,900 theaters and only made $1,901 per theater, but Beyonce is only in 2,359 theaters and made $8,271 per theater? And Godzilla only got 2,308 theaters but made more than double per theater than Wish?

And The Marvels flatlined over a week ago but is still in hundreds more theaters than successful new movies like Beyonce and Godzilla? Why?!? And how much did Disney have to pay the theater chains to do that? Or were the theater chains strongarmed into that by Disney? And if so, I doubt the theater owners will be so accommodating in '24 after the box office disaster from all of Disney's flagship studios in 2023.

Weekend Box Office First Estimate, Sunday December 3rd.
View attachment 757298

And just to put a finer point on this theater count issue, way down in 20th place (Twentieth!) this weekend is Next Goal Wins from Disney's Searchlight Studios. Wasting space and resources in almost as many theaters as Godzilla?!?

View attachment 757299

It’s contractual

And why 2023 isn’t a “2023 problem”. It’s a brand problem…

They have no way to ask for better terms now…and will have to accept less

 

[TP2000]

The Marvels has a February 2024 DVD/streaming release date.

You have to wonder why? The Marvels bombed horribly at the box office, and quickly flatlined through the Thanksgiving holiday week. The Marvels had no legs, not even stumps.

Although, they are forced to drag out its debut on the money-losing Disney+ service "for free!" in order to retrain the audience, which may take several years of this sort of thing. I don't envy them at all trying to slog through that retraining process.

The Marvels bombed badly its first weekend out, and then had no legs!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

And yet movies continue to make $1B+ around the world and animated films from their competitors are huge hits in global markets even with the “changes in habits from the plague” and “extreme cost”.

Guess those only impact Disney family films now.

They do…

But Barbie and Mario are kinda unique unicorns


Don’t do the boom/angry Xer (ahem) thing and assume everyone is “anti-20th century dying”

Disney is right it will happen…they’ve just been stupid about it to date

If Disney made a good Star Wars or a new avengers people will want…it would pack em in.

A stunt show from one or two has been polticians are just that

 

[_caleb]

And yet movies continue to make $1B+ around the world and animated films from their competitors are huge hits in global markets even with the “changes in habits from the plague” and “extreme cost”.

Guess those only impact Disney family films now.

That you can point to a few exceptions doesn’t mean the industry isn’t changing. The business isn’t as straightforward as it used to be, no matter how much you wish it was.