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

[TP2000]

In characteristically snarky news (I'm trying to get the snark out of my system before the Christmas season gets going in full and I turn to my more gracious side), I see that Disneyland had Brie Larson as the narrator for this year's Candlelight Processional in the Town Square this weekend.

That celebrity choice probably sounded like a brilliant idea two months ago before the movie came out.

‘Captain Marvel’ star Brie Larson narrates Disneyland Candlelight Processional

The Academy Award-winning actress and Avengers star will narrate the 2023 Candlelight Processional this weekend at Disneyland, according to social media posts.

www.ocregister.com

 

[Jedijax719]

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 poltitians are just that

Not a single person here or anywhere can define "good" and thus that is a loaded comment.

 

[TP2000]

Well, great news is regardless of anybody’s opinions, box office results will continue to tell the real story of their brand’s perception with global audiences.

The free market of one Billion middle-class consumers around the world making decisions with their wallets is the most efficient and accurate system ever designed to determine a product and/or brands worth in the marketplace.

The global box office has spoken loud and clear on Disney's mega-budget movies in 2023. That message is undeniable.

The only question now is... Is there anyone in Burbank who is actually listening to the global marketplace? Or are they still just listening to the echo chambers in their highly curated social media bubbles and Silver Lake brunch tables?

 

[CinematicFusion]

Well, great news is regardless of anybody’s opinions, box office results will continue to tell the real story of their brand’s perception with global audiences.

The upcoming Snow White and Captain America movies (unfortunately delayed to 2025 due to “tweaking”) will be telling barometers.

(If the global response to the last dozen films and $1B+ in losses wasn’t enough)

I wonder if they are reworking snow white to add a love interest for Snow White and give the character some vulnerability and relatability.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, great news is regardless of anybody’s opinions, box office results will continue to tell the real story of their brand’s perception with global audiences.

The upcoming Snow White and Captain America movies (unfortunately delayed to 2025 due to “tweaking”) will be telling barometers.

(If the global response to the last dozen films and $1B+ in losses wasn’t enough)

No…I can’t argue that…just the “why?” Behind it

But the numbers tell the tale and we’ve been unnecessarily trying to splain them away for this entire year and parts of previous ones.

Not really any excuses

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I wonder if they are reworking snow white to add a love interest for Snow White and give the character some vulnerability and relatability.

Well…no one on earth wants it

The live action is played out

Enough

 

[Phroobar]

In characteristically snarky news (I'm trying to get the snark out of my system before the Christmas season gets going in full and I turn to my more gracious side), I see that Disneyland had Brie Larson as the narrator for this year's Candlelight Processional in the Town Square this weekend.

That celebrity choice probably sounded like a brilliant idea two months ago before the movie came out.

‘Captain Marvel’ star Brie Larson narrates Disneyland Candlelight Processional

The Academy Award-winning actress and Avengers star will narrate the 2023 Candlelight Processional this weekend at Disneyland, according to social media posts.

www.ocregister.com

Maybe Brie's heart will grow three sizes that day.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not a single person here or anywhere can define "good" and thus that is a loaded comment.

Let me help…

LFL has been a disaster since it’s “sequels”…bombing movies and product sales…

So let’s not do the “every opinion is equal/true” thing for the 4,000,000th time

Because in the end…that opinion is not true in a world dominated by money, gravity, and humans…

…in that order

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Maybe Brie's heart will grow three sizes that day.

She is NOT the problem…

…at least for me and it’s the only thing I care about

 

[celluloid]

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.

Just because one company has consistently underperformed with little direction, does not mean all do.

 

[Casper Gutman]

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).

So, to this poster and all those who liked or loved the post -

We're getting a little more clarity on that pesky "messaging."

What's your solution? Should Disney publicly announce they will be discouraging diversity in their films and, in particular, banning LGBTQ+ material? Or should they just go ahead and curtail diversity in their products and hope their attackers notice? Because it seems like that would take a long time. But since nobody - NOBODY - can explain this "messaging" as anything but identity issues, these seem like the only "solutions."

 

[Willmark]

The most confusing thing for me is who’s to blame for performance of Disney in the overseas markets?

From the look of it’s not just “one side/vocal minority” in the USA that is the culprit. Looks to be something larger from what the data is showing.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The most confusing thing for me is who’s to blame for performance of Disney in the overseas markets?

From the look of it’s not just “one side/vocal minority” in the USA that is the culprit. Looks to be something larger from what the data is showing.

I think it’s:
1. Changing habits
2. Tired product
3. Economic forces (we tend to be oblivious here…but a lot of Disney core fandom is running out of money and HEAVILY in debt)
4. Some politics
5. Brand rejection


Number 3 is a huge threat to them…5 is a disaster because they can’t blame anything else…but Bob will try to save his short, sorry @$$

 

[LSLS]

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

Honestly I think it's dumb. I still subscribe to the idea that people know to wait a few months to watch things. Pull the band aid and wait like 9 months to stream this, reprogram your viewers.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Honestly I think it's dumb. I still subscribe to the idea that people know to wait a few months to watch things. Pull the band aid and wait like 9 months to stream this, reprogram your viewers.

Well what they’re doing ain’t working…so change your strategy

 

[LSLS]

Well, I saw Barbie this weekend. After seeing it, there is almost no chance you are going to convince me that Disney's film "Messaging" has anything to do with where they were at. Honestly, I can't figure out why everyone likes the Barbie film anyways (honestly I cringed way more than I laughed at anything in it), but there is no chance you can sit there and say that the Marvels was some girl power messaging that caused it to fall apart while Barbie was made it's numbers. So I'm back to it's streaming, and it's Marvel movies having no direction at this point.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Well, I saw Barbie this weekend. After seeing it, there is almost no chance you are going to convince me that Disney's film "Messaging" has anything to do with where they were at. Honestly, I can't figure out why everyone likes the Barbie film anyways (honestly I cringed way more than I laughed at anything in it), but there is no chance you can sit there and say that the Marvels was some girl power messaging that caused it to fall apart while Barbie was made it's numbers. So I'm back to it's streaming, and it's Marvel movies having no direction at this point.

You're assuming the reality of the film has something to do with it. It doesn't.

 

[CinematicFusion]

Well, I saw Barbie this weekend. After seeing it, there is almost no chance you are going to convince me that Disney's film "Messaging" has anything to do with where they were at. Honestly, I can't figure out why everyone likes the Barbie film anyways (honestly I cringed way more than I laughed at anything in it), but there is no chance you can sit there and say that the Marvels was some girl power messaging that caused it to fall apart while Barbie was made it's numbers. So I'm back to it's streaming, and it's Marvel movies having no direction at this point.

They hit there target audience with Barbie and sent the message that audience wants to hear.
They knew exactly who they were selling the movie to.
Disney had lost the young male, die hard comic book nerd with Star Wars and Marvel.
Numbers don’t lie

 

[Tony the Tigger]

How? Don’t do checkboxes. Make the best stories you find. Have a fair and open process of consideration and decisions…but make what’s best. Sometimes it’s a white dude…sometimes a Latina girl…sometimes a college age trans…

It will work out.

What? In what world?

In what world is a college age transgendered person going to be in a hit Disney movie because the writing is better?

Let me be more precise: in what world in this decade?

Don’t do check boxes? No one can ever explain why. Why is it any different to write a white character vs. a non-white character when it comes to creativity or storytelling?

People claim folks don’t go first week because of poor storytelling. Well, first week people have no idea about the storytelling because they haven’t seen it yet.

How many people outside this forum said they wouldn’t go see Strange World because of poor storytelling and how many said it was because “Disney lost its way and is snubbing their longtime fans by showing this non-family oriented family?”

I get bored with superhero movies, I got bored by the middle of Iron Man 2. I saw Ant Man and Guardians because they “looked good” and had no expectations of them tying into anything. I was bored to death and had to force myself to finish the first Captain America and I will never watch it again. But The Marvels went down easy, it was one of the most fun Marvel movies out there, and I will see it again on D+.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, I saw Barbie this weekend. After seeing it, there is almost no chance you are going to convince me that Disney's film "Messaging" has anything to do with where they were at. Honestly, I can't figure out why everyone likes the Barbie film anyways (honestly I cringed way more than I laughed at anything in it), but there is no chance you can sit there and say that the Marvels was some girl power messaging that caused it to fall apart while Barbie was made it's numbers. So I'm back to it's streaming, and it's Marvel movies having no direction at this point.

Messaging/agenda is a go to convenient excuse that no longer fits this problem

They hit there target audience with Barbie and sent the message that audience wants to hear.
They knew exactly who they were selling the movie to.
Disney had lost the young male, die hard comic book nerd with Star Wars and Marvel.
Numbers don’t lie

And bombing out LFL…struggling at Pixar…overdoing live action remakes to the point it’s laughable

More than one mistake here.