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

[BrianLo]

Wish was allowed a much longer theatrical window than those three films, with no streaming date announced beforehand (or surcharge for home viewing in Raya's case) and had an exponentially bigger marketing and especially merchandising campaign -- I don't think Disney merchandised any movie, not even Rise of Skywalker or the MCU, this hard since Frozen II. Covid was still considered an issue when Raya and Encanto were released, and Strange World might as well have not existed given how poorly Disney marketed it. Wish had Disney's full support behind it and was supposed to be everything Disney Adults had been clamoring for online the past few years (a "real" villain! fairy tale setting! etc.), and it just ate dirt. I honestly think it's their biggest embarrassment since The Black Cauldron, since WDAS has never really had a flop that wasn't seen as outside the company's "comfort zone" (like a Fantasia, Black Cauldron, or pulp adventure is) before.

I was not defending Wish. Quite the opposite.

I’m still confused why that movie fell apart so spectacularly. It was innocuous but I didn’t think bad to the point the audience would reject it.

I’m very curious to see how it does on streaming. Not to make an argument that it’s salvageable but to see if the audience just is truly rejecting it in all formatted releases like Strange World (ie if there’s just general audience apathy regarding it). There was an actual big push from Disney for it and lots of merch was floating around the parks. If it has a robust response on streaming though then Disney has something clearly structurally wrong with its theatrical abilities.

 

[Phroobar]

Yup. I'm not saying it will, but I wouldn't be shocked at all if twisters beat Deadpool and inside out. I don't think it will beat Deadpool, but inside out is a question mark for me. A lot of crazy things have happened, so nothing should be a surprise at this point.

You might be right. To me however, Twisters looks like a remake of Twisters. They even have the same weather bot trashcan. Ghostbusters Frozen Empire at least has a new ghost but still feels like Ghostbusters 2 since they are being stopped from ghost busting by the city. Inside Out 2 is just more Inside Out.

 

[Phroobar]

I was not defending Wish. Quite the opposite.

I’m still confused why that movie fell apart so spectacularly. It was innocuous but I didn’t think bad to the point the audience would reject it.

I’m very curious to see how it does on streaming. Not to make an argument that it’s salvageable but to see if the audience just is truly rejecting it in all formatted releases like Strange World (ie if there’s just general audience apathy regarding it). There was an actual big push from Disney for it and lots of merch was floating around the parks. If it has a robust response on streaming though then Disney has something clearly structurally wrong with its theatrical abilities.

Could it be the trailer was pretty awful? You had a star flying around, talking goat and dancing chickens with the heroine making stupid faces. The trailer said nothing about the plot and there was nothing graphically to grab you. Looked like typical Disney stuff. I have a feeling Inside Out will fail too because it is just more of the same.

 

[Indy_UK]

We watched turning Red (for free) at the cinema today and all the trailers before were kids movies.

IF, Despicable Me 4, Kung Fu Panda 4 and Inside Out 2. My son said he wanted to see them all......except Inside Out 2.

 

[Disney Irish]

You might be right. To me however, Twisters looks like a remake of Twisters. They even have the same weather bot trashcan. Ghostbusters Frozen Empire at least has a new ghost but still feels like Ghostbusters 2 since they are being stopped from ghost busting by the city. Inside Out 2 is just more Inside Out.

Its not a remake its a sequel, the prevailing theory is that one of the leads is the son or daughter of the Bill Paxton/Helen Hunt characters from the first one. So it would make sense why they have Dorothy ("trashcan" as you call it) from the first one.

Oh and BTW, I'm sure its a typo, but the first one is called Twister not Twisters which is the name of this new one.

 

[erasure fan1]

Its not a remake its a sequel, the prevailing theory is that one of the leads is the son or daughter of the Bill Paxton/Helen Hunt characters from the first one. So it would make sense why they have Dorothy ("trashcan" as you call it) from the first one.

It would also make sense from the standpoint that, in the first movie they succeeded making Dorothy fly. So why would it not be standard storm chasing equipment? In the words of a famous storm chaser, you ain't cool unless you're using a Dorothy!

 

[Phroobar]

Its not a remake its a sequel, the prevailing theory is that one of the leads is the son or daughter of the Bill Paxton/Helen Hunt characters from the first one. So it would make sense why they have Dorothy ("trashcan" as you call it) from the first one.

Oh and BTW, I'm sure its a typo, but the first one is called Twister not Twisters which is the name of this new one.

It's a sequel because of the relationships with the previous characters. It a remake because they will do exactly the same thing they did in the previous movie. History repeats itself.

 

[Disney Irish]

It's a sequel because of the relationships with the previous characters. It a remake because they will do exactly the same thing they did in the previous movie. History repeats itself.

Its a sequel since its a continuation of the story from the same universe. And since its different characters than the first it can't be a remake, even if the plot is similar, ie they aren't retelling the same story.

 

[Phroobar]

Its a sequel since its a continuation of the story from the same universe. And since its different characters than the first it can't be a remake, even if the plot is similar, ie they aren't retelling the same story.

I think what would make Twisters better is sharks.
And more of Meg's steak and eggs.

 

[Disney Irish]

I think what would make Twisters better is sharks.

Then that would just be a remake of Sharknado, no thanks the 6 they made was quite enough.

 

[Phroobar]

Then that would just be a remake of Sharknado, no thanks the 6 they made was quite enough.

Not if one of the characters is related to one in Sharknado.

 

[Disney Irish]

Not if one of the characters is related to one in Sharknado.

No sharks, thanks.

 

[Miss Rori]

I’m very curious to see how it does on streaming. Not to make an argument that it’s salvageable but to see if the audience just is truly rejecting it in all formatted releases like Strange World (ie if there’s just general audience apathy regarding it). There was an actual big push from Disney for it and lots of merch was floating around the parks. If it has a robust response on streaming though then Disney has something clearly structurally wrong with its theatrical abilities.

Alternatively, perhaps the physical media release will sell well next month - although Wonka arrives February 27th and will probably be the first choice for kids' Easter baskets; I'm thinking Disney is hoping that holiday will encourage parents to buy Wish as a gift. But that's a big if. And I think the streaming release would do a lot better if they found a holiday to tie it into, so why not announce that it arrives the week before Easter to tie in to school breaks?

 

[Phroobar]

Alternatively, perhaps the physical media release will sell well next month - although Wonka arrives February 27th and will probably be the first choice for kids' Easter baskets; I'm thinking Disney is hoping that holiday will encourage parents to buy Wish as a gift. But that's a big if. And I think the streaming release would do a lot better if they found a holiday to tie it into, so why not announce that it arrives the week before Easter to tie in to school breaks?

Why would any kid buy the physical media release of Wish? Kids didn't buy the toys so why would they want the dvd? I'm expecting all of this to end of up a Kole's or Ross next month and then in a landfill with Wakanda Forever toys.

 

[Miss Rori]

Kids aren't going to buy/want the toys if they didn't see the movie, and it's not like they can get themselves to the multiplex, so it's weird to blame them for this. As I noted, I'm thinking of parents wanting an easy "special" Easter gift for their kids - they might pick up the DVD because it's a Disney film; perhaps their kids wanted to see it and they were putting it off because of the hassle/expense of going to a theater (and do not have Disney+ so thus can't wait for streaming).

 

[TP2000]

‘Wish’ Trailer is Most Watched For Disney Animation Studios Since ‘Frozen 2’ | THR News Video

Walt Disney Animation's upcoming movie, Wish, has become the studio's biggest trailer since the release of promotional spots for Frozen 2 in 2019.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Brilliant.

Wish was a mega-flop with global audiences, and yet had mega-merchandising and mega-marketing and mega-hype from the Hollywood industry. And now that we're reminded it had a series of trailers that were seen by a lot of people, it's confirmed how efficiently the free market can speak with their wallets.

Let's remember that Wish Most Watched Trailer! issue the next time we get gushing media hype for Disney's next thing.

 

[TP2000]

Speaking of Wish, box office numbers have been released for Wednesday, February 14th and Disney Animation spent Valentine's Day getting beaten at the global box office by Migration.

The big mega-hyped 100th Anniversary Walt Disney Company Love Letter To Fans! got beat by a cheap, throwaway Christmas break movie about ducks. Let that sink in when considering how damaged Disney's brand and distribution strategy for major products now is.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Speaking of Wish, box office numbers have been released for Wednesday, February 14th and Disney Animation spent Valentine's Day getting beaten at the global box office by Migration.

The big mega-hyped 100th Anniversary Walt Disney Company Love Letter To Fans! got beat by a cheap, throwaway Christmas break movie about ducks. Let that sink in when considering how damaged Disney's brand and distribution strategy for major products now is.

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How many times do you intend to post essentially the exact same thing? Also, Wish has made over 240 million at the box office and is the fourth highest grossing animated film of 2023, so you can continue your absolutely obnoxious gloating until the cows come home, but this is in no way the absolute failure that you were praying for.

 

[Miss Rori]

It's hard to see what Wish is if not an absolute failure, though. It had every promotional advantage going in to the holiday season, but three months on it's nowhere near profitability, the merchandise isn't moving (which likely compounds the losses), and it was shunned by all the major awards groups. Even some of Disney corporate's recent decisions seem to reflect how badly it performed - the announcement of the new 1900 Park Fare character meals' themes being "the power of a wish" yet not including Asha in the lineup in favor of Mirabel (since Encanto isn't about wishes but is popular), and the sudden choice to turn the Moana streaming series into a theatrical feature seem near-direct responses. I just don't see the silver lining in this particular cloud.

 

[BuddyThomas]

It's hard to see what Wish is if not an absolute failure, though. It had every promotional advantage going in to the holiday season, but three months on it's nowhere near profitability, the merchandise isn't moving (which likely compounds the losses), and it was shunned by all the major awards groups. Even some of Disney corporate's recent decisions seem to reflect how badly it performed - the announcement of the new 1900 Park Fare character meals' themes being "the power of a wish" yet not including Asha in the lineup in favor of Mirabel (since Encanto isn't about wishes but is popular), and the sudden choice to turn the Moana streaming series into a theatrical feature seem near-direct responses. I just don't see the silver lining in this particular cloud.

BUT with that much money earned globally, it is definitely going to make a profit eventually. We don’t need to get into all the films that didn’t initially recoup at the box office and then went on to recoup and profit later. That’s just a fact. And Wish is lined up to make more money in the future.