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

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brideck

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
So then what do you think was Burbank and Emeryville's strategy for this re-release concept of Soul in 1,350 theaters? Surely this wasn't what they expected, and I'd bet extra butter on my popcorn that the theater chains weren't expecting this when they signed up to give Soul 1,350 theaters for the past two weeks.

What did they expect from 1,350 theaters? It can't be spending yesterday in 25th place with less than 50 bucks per theater.
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It's like they thought about trying to make it an event (there are some theater-specific promotional tie-ins after all), but then didn't actually follow-through, probably because the ROI wouldn't be high enough. They might try harder with Turning Red, in which case Soul was just a necessary part of the set for release, so as to not leave any of them out. Or they'll just go through the motions with all 3 releases, I guess we'll see.

I honestly don't think very much of the general public even realizes that Soul is in theaters right now. This forum is extremely online re: Disney.

Here's Google Trends for the 3 Pixar releases + Wish + Poor Things:
(ETA: Fixed my issues with searching for Soul)

1705963185725.png


Red = Soul
Green = Luca
Purple = Turning Red
Yellow = Wish
Blue = Poor Things

None of the Pixar 3 have seen any recent rise over the last few weeks, indicating that there's no knowledge/buzz about them coming to theaters at all right now.

TP2000 said:
Geez, I haven't seen that movie since I was a kid. Is it even available on DVD? Was it ever on VHS? I'm not a particular fan of that old movie, I just have those images of Patty Duke throwing food at Anne Bancroft seared into my memory banks. 🤣
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It's gotta be, right? I'm pretty sure I only ever saw it on literal film reels in elementary school, though.
 
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Vegas Disney Fan

Vegas Disney Fan

Well-Known Member
DKampy said:
I do believe this is true… I don’t think I would realize Soul was in theaters if I did not keep up what was being released in cinemas each week… I don’t recall seeing any promotion
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I stay pretty up to date on all things Disney, and knew that Soul, Luca, and Turning Red were going to be released in theaters, and still didn’t know Soul was in theaters until I read the bad box office reports here.

I’m not sure advertising would matter anyway, I’d have still opted to watch it on D+, there’s only a few movies ever made that could get me to pay to see them in theaters again, and they’re all iconic movies like Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park…
 
D

DKampy

Well-Known Member
Vegas Disney Fan said:
Sad when a once great filmmaker loses his mind.
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BuddyThomas said:
deadline.com

Oliver Stone Says Ryan Gosling Is “Wasting His Time” Making Films Like ‘Barbie’ That Contribute To “Infantilization Of Hollywood”; Says He “Fell Asleep” Watching ‘John Wick’

Oliver Stone has a lot of opinions about the current film industry and says movies like Barbie are contributing to the "infantilization of Hollywood."
deadline.com deadline.com
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Yeah I am sure Ryan Gosling does not feel he is wasting his time especially since he will most likely get an Oscar Nomination tomorrow…Oliver Stone has lost it
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Vegas Disney Fan said:
I stay pretty up to date on all things Disney, and knew that Soul, Luca, and Turning Red were going to be released in theaters, and still didn’t know Soul was in theaters until I read the bad box office reports here.

I’m not sure advertising would matter anyway, I’d have still opted to watch it on D+, there’s only a few movies ever made that could get me to pay to see them in theaters again, and they’re all iconic movies like Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park…
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The box office response to Soul was embarrassing for them. If this was partially meant as a morale boost for Pixar employees, Soul's box office results seem likely to have done the opposite of that in Emeryville. :(

Assuming they aren't thrilled to burn a fresh pile of cash re-releasing these movies and not covering their 2024 distribution costs, let alone offsetting a bit of their production budgets that were entirely wasted in 2020-2022, I have to think they'll try marketing and hyping Turning Red and Luca more. Get the stars (whomever they may be?) onto the late night talk show circuit, schmoozy segments on Good Morning America, having a Disneyland or DCA appearance gimmick of some sort, etc.

Because whatever it is that they're doing currently with the Pixar re-releases is not working for them. It's a huge waste of money and resources, and the box office results are just humiliating for them. It's further brand damage, not brand building.
 
B

brideck

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Assuming they aren't thrilled to burn a fresh pile of cash re-releasing these movies and not covering their 2024 distribution costs...
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These movies don't cost Disney much of anything to distribute, do they? The costs are in whatever minute amount of promotion they're doing. If the movie is produced and distributed by two different entities, then the producers would pay the distributor (or promise them a % of gross), but that doesn't come into play here. Instead, theaters would actually be paying Disney for the privilege of showing these movies... or they would've made some sort of a complex deal where these movies would be free in exchange for a discount on Inside Out 2, or something like that.

After the pandemic, a lot of theaters converted to cloud-based distribution, so theaters just literally have to download them, meaning there's relatively very little cost associated with the actual distribution of a movie. They're not making prints and shipping them around the country anymore. I'm sure some theaters still receive hard drives from the distributor, but that's continuing to decrease over time.
 
Disney Analyst

Disney Analyst

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Frankly, there are just so many reasons keeping me from going to a movie theatre.

I wanted to see The Color Purple, one of my favourite musicals, and then I remember how expensive it is, how annoying people are, and how uncomfortable the theatre is, and thought “I’ll just wait for it to stream”

Same with Wonka.

Same with Mean Girls.

Same with Hunger Games.

I just can’t bring myself to get to a theatre, I’ve got a lovely TV room, and a new 65 inch tv. Good enough for me.
 
Ayla

Ayla

Well-Known Member
Disney Analyst said:
Frankly, there are just so many reasons keeping me from going to a movie theatre.

I wanted to see The Color Purple, one of my favourite musicals, and then I remember how expensive it is, how annoying people are, and how uncomfortable the theatre is, and thought “I’ll just wait for it to stream”

Same with Wonka.

Same with Mean Girls.

Same with Hunger Games.

I just can’t bring myself to get to a theatre, I’ve got a lovely TV room, and a new 65 inch tv. Good enough for me.
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People are the number one reason why I actively avoid theaters. Very few people know how to properly act in public anymore, it isn't worth the wasted money.
 
Tha Realest

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
BuddyThomas said:
Sad when a once great filmmaker loses his mind.
deadline.com

Oliver Stone Says Ryan Gosling Is “Wasting His Time” Making Films Like ‘Barbie’ That Contribute To “Infantilization Of Hollywood”; Says He “Fell Asleep” Watching ‘John Wick’

Oliver Stone has a lot of opinions about the current film industry and says movies like Barbie are contributing to the "infantilization of Hollywood."
deadline.com deadline.com
Click to expand...
To be fair, he’s been out to lunch for well over a decade (and probably before then too if we’re being honest).
 

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