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

[LittleBuford]

I don’t agree with the woke movement, obviously.

This puzzled me at first, I think because I still encounter “woke” in its original (positive) sense. I call what you’re describing here the “Woke Scare” (Googling it, I see I’m not alone).

 

[TP2000]

So many quotes, so little time!

Also there have been a few coaches who have been wheelchair bound coaching sports teams in real life. So again your example fails here.

A few out of how many million since the invention of radio and indoor ice rinks?

Again, that kind of proves my point. It's exceedingly rare, thus not necessary for a tertiary, inconsequential background character. If you do that, you pull people out of the story.

If any CM did call me "friend" either I didn't notice it or it seemed natural in conversation that I didn't think twice about it. But yes I still get called Sir as a middle aged white guy by CMs.

Uh huh. I'm sure.

I mean, the obvious reason is that every female associated with the sport of ice hockey is a lesbian (at least in one old man's head). Duh.

No, as someone who once attended (against my will, but then happily bought the first round after the game) more than one Portland Winterhawks game in the early 1990's with a gaggle of Lesbians, I can assure you there is only a small subset of Lesbian ice hokey fans. The other 50 to 100 ladies at the games seemed to be long-suffering straight girlfriends or wives. It's the Black part makes it doubly incongruous; most ice hockey league cities have very small Black populations. And even smaller Black Lesbian populations. Thus, it's almost statistically impossible to find a Black Lesbian ice hockey coach.

See my point above about pulling the audience out of the story just to virtue signal and appear woke.

Actually, I’m glad to read this is a thing. We just thought one of our servers was weird recently because every time she came to the table, she called us friend. I think it was at Kona Café.

I'm sure you are mistaken. @Disney Irish said I was making that up earlier today. You are making that up. No CM called you "Friend" instead of "Sir" on your recent visits. You just made that up. Or something.

You can’t have it both ways. On the one hand, you’re praising shows of past decades for including gay characters without fuss or fanfare “as normal and routine parts of society”. But when Inside Out 2 does the same with a Black character, you decry it as pandering and inorganic.

If she'd been a Black softball coach, it could have passed the smell test. But a Black Lesbian ice hockey coach? That's one too many virtue signals for much of the audience to bear. Best to keep it simple, and low key. Believable. Keep it grounded.

I will never understand how being kind and inclusive to others bothers some people.

We used to call that The Golden Rule. I learned it in Sunday School around age 7, in a mainstream Lutheran church in downtown Seattle that 15 years later asked me to no longer attend services there because of my "lifestyle choices" (AKA... GAAAAY!). But then a few decades later, when the collection plates began to run dry, they changed their mind and hung a rainbow pride flag above the front doors to drum up business. Funny how that works with religion, isn't it?

Apparently, now you have to pay an HR consultant big bucks to teach that to you. But I still follow it, and I still call it The Golden Rule. It's a good one.

Woke is a completely misused word. It’s been co-opted as a synonym for (very) “liberal.”

The real meaning (slang) is to be aware of what’s going on around you. That’s all.

Be careful. I was told by a Black member of these forums that we shouldn't be even using the word as White Folx. Try and eductate yourself before you speak. Or at least, that's what I was once told without hesitation here.

 

[brideck]

I can assure you there is only a small subset of Lesbian ice hokey fans.

Who on Earth was talking about fans? "Associated with ice hockey" means people who actually do the thing -- players, coaches. Whatever, I know reading's hard.

But a Black Lesbian ice hockey coach?

And here you are still doing it. Bringing up a manufactured example to then rail against is ridiculous.

I'm sorry that you don't think black people have a place in ice hockey, or that it "took you out of the movie" (that you probably barely watched, if you even did). But that's on you and your biases, not on the movie.

 

[LittleBuford]

If she'd been a Black softball coach, it could have passed the smell test. But a Black Lesbian ice hockey coach? That's one too many virtue signals for much of the audience to bear. Best to keep it simple, and low key. Believable. Keep it grounded.

As has already been pointed out, there is absolutely no reference to her sexuality.

She seemed believable enough to me, but then (unlike you) I actually watched the film.

ETA: It really isn’t worth engaging, and I edited the rest of my post accordingly.

 

[brideck]

She seemed believable enough to me, but then (unlike you) I actually watched the film.

I know this isn't at me, but funnily enough I still haven't seen Inside Out 2 yet. We're nearing the end of our Death Race (only 5 movies to go!) and have decided to save this for last.

Looking forward to seeing how completely my disbelief will be shattered when we get there.

 

[LittleBuford]

I'm sorry that you don't think black people have a place in ice hockey, or that it "took you out of the movie" (that you probably barely watched, if you even did). But that's on you and your biases, not on the movie.

If I’m not mistaken, he hasn’t watched a single one of the Disney, Pixar, or Marvel movies or shows under discussion in these threads. I think we should all bear that in mind and reflect on how surreal it is to be exchanging posts with him on this topic (and yes, I’m guilty of it too). Can you imagine how absurd it would be for someone who had never been to the parks and had no interest in any of the attractions to keep posting about them over in the main part of the forum? Would others really engage with such an individual?

 

[brideck]

If I’m not mistaken, he hasn’t watched a single one of the Disney, Pixar, or Marvel movies or shows under discussion in these threads.

I think that's true, too, but I didn't want to assume.

I, on the other hand, finally saw A Complete Unknown (last night) and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (tonight), so I'm ready to engage. Enjoyed both of them, but was especially struck by how locked in all the performances in the Dylan pic are. Edward Norton really nailed Pete Seeger -- we've been listening to a lot of his stuff from that era recently.

 

[LittleBuford]

I know this isn't at me, but funnily enough I still haven't seen Inside Out 2 yet. We're nearing the end of our Death Race (only 5 movies to go!) and have decided to save this for last.

Looking forward to seeing how completely my disbelief will be shattered when we get there.

I’ll admit to being a bit underwhelmed, but then the thing I loved most about the original film was Bing Bong.

I really recommend Dream Productions on Disney+; it’s fantastic!

 

[Disney Irish]

So many quotes, so little time!


A few out of how many million since the invention of radio and indoor ice rinks?

Again, that kind of proves my point. It's exceedingly rare, thus not necessary for a tertiary, inconsequential background character. If you do that, you pull people out of the story.

Rare doesn't mean statistically impossible which is what you said.

Uh huh. I'm sure.

I'm sorry if you don't believe me, but unlike you that makes stuff up that is 100% proven to be false this you can't prove either way. So you just have to take my word for it, or don't, I don't care. I know my experience.

No, as someone who once attended (against my will, but then happily bought the first round after the game) more than one Portland Winterhawks game in the early 1990's with a gaggle of Lesbians, I can assure you there is only a small subset of Lesbian ice hokey fans. The other 50 to 100 ladies at the games seemed to be long-suffering straight girlfriends or wives. It's the Black part makes it doubly incongruous; most ice hockey league cities have very small Black populations. And even smaller Black Lesbian populations. Thus, it's almost statistically impossible to find a Black Lesbian ice hockey coach.

See my point above about pulling the audience out of the story just to virtue signal and appear woke.

As someone who has actually attended a hockey game in THIS century, I can tell you that your experience is quite outdated and wrong. We are in the 21st century now, things have changed since the 1990s. So your "assurance" here is just wrong. Also still don't know why you're railing against someones sexuality here when it wasn't even a thing in any movie, some manufactured example on a point that isn't even a thing.

I'm sure you are mistaken. @Disney Irish said I was making that up earlier today. You are making that up. No CM called you "Friend" instead of "Sir" on your recent visits. You just made that up. Or something.

I don't question their experience, I question yours. Because as has been shown in this very exchange you make things up to try to prove a point. I'll even give you the benefit of the doubt here, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that CMs still use "Sir" or even "Ma'am" in dealing with guests. So maybe things have changed again with CMs since the last time you went and they have soften their rules, or maybe as with @Vegas Disney Fan you're just friendly and they want to call you their friend and so address you as such. I don't know. But I do know I was called "Sir" on multiple occasions in December.

If she'd been a Black softball coach, it could have passed the smell test. But a Black Lesbian ice hockey coach? That's one too many virtue signals for much of the audience to bear. Best to keep it simple, and low key. Believable. Keep it grounded.

Why does the sport matter or for that matter why does her sexuality matter at all? You're harping on something that isn't even a thing. I don't even think you're trying to prove a point here anymore, it just seems like you just don't want to back down because you've been called out. Let it go, its not even a thing.

As for the rest of your post, its just even more silly so didn't even want to address it.

 

[brideck]

I’ll admit to being a bit underwhelmed, but then the thing I loved most about the original film was Bing Bong.

I'm pretty sure I also liked Bing Bong (and/or Sadness) the most in the original, but it's been awhile. We might give it a rewatch before hitting the sequel, just for yuks.

I really recommend Dream Productions on Disney+; it’s fantastic!

Cool, I forgot this was even a thing, much less that it was already out. It looks like we'll just have to have a real emotional weekend in a few days.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I know this isn't at me, but funnily enough I still haven't seen Inside Out 2 yet. We're nearing the end of our Death Race (only 5 movies to go!) and have decided to save this for last.

Looking forward to seeing how completely my disbelief will be shattered when we get there.

I haven’t seen the first one! Turned it off after 20 minutes. Meh.

If I’m not mistaken, he hasn’t watched a single one of the Disney, Pixar, or Marvel movies or shows under discussion in these threads. I think we should all bear that in mind and reflect on how surreal it is to be exchanging posts with him on this topic (and yes, I’m guilty of it too). Can you imagine how absurd it would be for someone who had never been to the parks and had no interest in any of the attractions to keep posting about them over in the main part of the forum? Would others really engage with such an individual?

I’m amazed some of you still engage. I’ve been at peace since hitting the magic “you don’t bring me joy” button.

Happy to report we both enjoyed the new Cap film! I have zero complaints. So glad we watched the D+ series right before; it was just like continuing the binge. I think the show gives you a better understanding of what Sam is thinking, and neutralizes (while predicting) any and all hateful comments based on race.

Fun flick, plus some deeper meaning via racial commentary. I have no reservations recommending it. P.S. I still don’t like CGI, but that’s life now.

The series also made us more receptive when we saw the Thunderbolts trailer.

Fantastic 4 - maybe 3rd time’s the charm? I haven’t seen a bad Pedro Pascal project yet - and he did one with Nicholas Cage.

 

[wtyy21]

Ne Zha 2 officially dethroned Inside Out 2 becoming the highest grossing animated film all-time. IO2 hold the record for the title for just six months, while 2019 version of The Lion King was the highest grossing animated film, a title that was unchanged for five years before IO2 release. https://english.news.cn/20250218/fecb5a003f3649bfabb46c23af8dcad2/c.html

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has dethroned Disney's 2024 picture "Inside Out 2" to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time globally.

As of Tuesday evening, the film's worldwide earnings, including presales, surpassed 12.319 billion yuan (about 1.72 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.

This milestone comes just 20 days after its release on Jan. 29 during the Chinese New Year and one day after it reached the all-time global box office top 10.

 

[Phroobar]

Ne Zha 2 officially dethroned Inside Out 2 becoming the highest grossing animated film all-time. IO2 hold the record for the title for just six months, while 2019 version of The Lion King was the highest grossing animated film, a title that was unchanged for five years before IO2 release. https://english.news.cn/20250218/fecb5a003f3649bfabb46c23af8dcad2/c.html

Ne Zha is on Roku channel if you want to see it. If you love anime, this should be right up your alley.

 

[TP2000]

If I’m not mistaken, he hasn’t watched a single one of the Disney, Pixar, or Marvel movies or shows under discussion in these threads.

You aren't mistaken. I stopped seeing Disney/Pixar stuff for the most part once my nephews outgrew them 20 years ago.

That's why you will rarely find me in the various threads dedicated to the individual movies and discussion of their artistic merits, characters, songwriting, special effects, etc. I have no real interest in movies I haven't seen, so why would I discuss them at length?

But the good news is that I'm here in the... wait for it... Disney Box Office thread to discuss box office results.

I think we should all bear that in mind and reflect on how surreal it is to be exchanging posts with him on this topic (and yes, I’m guilty of it too). Can you imagine how absurd it would be for someone who had never been to the parks and had no interest in any of the attractions to keep posting about them over in the main part of the forum? Would others really engage with such an individual?

I agree, that would be bizarre. Which is why I'm here in the Box Office thread discussing (mostly) box office results for Disney's various studios.

It's a financial topic I find interesting as a lifelong Parks fan because the Parks are such a mess right now, and still going downhill, while across the campus in Burbank they seem to be shoveling money into the furnace to create way too many big-budget movie flops. That's not sustainable.

 

[LittleBuford]

I have no real interest in movies I haven't seen, so why would I discuss them at length?

And yet here you are opining repeatedly (and dishonestly) about a character you’ve never seen in a film you’ve never watched.

As I said, it’s surreal and absurd. The rest of us should know better than to feed it. I for one am determined to stop.

 

[brideck]

And yet here you are opining repeatedly (and dishonestly) about a character you’ve never seen in a film you’ve never watched.

Don't you understand? It's because of the intense and egregious impact on the box office that this reality-defying ice hockey coach had. It damaged the movie so much and ruined so many people's experiences that it only made (checks notes) nearly $1.7b at the box office.

 

[LittleBuford]

Don't you understand? It's because of the intense and egregious impact on the box office that this reality-defying ice hockey coach had. It damaged the movie so much and ruined so many people's experiences that it only made (checks notes) nearly $1.7b at the box office.

Thank you for picking up on the utter untenability of the “I only talk about plot points that bear on the box office” defence. That really puts into perspective how nonsensical this all this.

 

[TP2000]

And here you are still doing it. Bringing up a manufactured example to then rail against is ridiculous.

It was a throwaway line I came up with out of thin air meant to be an outlandish example of how woke virtue signaling often reads as cringey and fake to an audience. Nothing more, and I apologize if it wasn't clear that's all it was.

I could have just as easily typed Cambodian Transgender Welder and it would have been the same point, although not as closely related to a recent Pixar product.

I'm sorry that you don't think black people have a place in ice hockey,

Wha???? Talk about reading comprehension skills! Who said that? All I said was that the vast majority of hockey fans, players and coaches are white. It's a thing. Really. Do some Black folks attend hockey games? Of course they do. Has a Black man ever played in the NHL? There's something to Google! Are they in a small racial minority when they do attend games or play in that sport? Yes. For example...

As someone who has actually attended a hockey game in THIS century, I can tell you that your experience is quite outdated and wrong. We are in the 21st century now, things have changed since the 1990s. So your "assurance" here is just wrong.

Portland has changed a bit demographically in the past 30 years. But it's still known as the "Whitest Big City in America" for a reason. It's WHYYYYTE! But to bring things into the 21st century and because this is a Disney Parks website...

Here's a recent and random photo of the crowd at an Anaheim Ducks game, two miles east of Disneyland.

It's not exactly Showtime At The Apollo, is it?

 

[Chi84]

And yet here you are opining repeatedly (and dishonestly) about a character you’ve never seen in a film you’ve never watched.

As I said, it’s surreal and absurd. The rest of us should know better than to feed it. I for one am determined to stop.

Oh you all know better! There’s a sure fire way to stop the nonsense.

 

[TP2000]

And yet here you are opining repeatedly (and dishonestly) about a character you’ve never seen in a film you’ve never watched.

As I said, it’s surreal and absurd. The rest of us should know better than to feed it. I for one am determined to stop.

Don't worry, in just a couple hours the box office data will be out for the full 4 day Presidents Day Weekend, and we can get back on topic!

Captain America.... what's its trajectory from its very modest for Marvel opening weekend?