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

[TP2000]

I was watching the Oscars via the Hulu live stream as I don’t have cable….

I was at a mid-range teppanyaki restaurant in Southwest Utah not watching the Oscars, as I have a few friends who can still rally for drinks and a dinner out on a random Sunday night.

But after two+ hours (and long after feigning humor when the chef pulled down the pants on the Japanese doll to put out the fire on the flaming onions) we wandered out through the bar where most TV's were showing a football game, but one TV said that "Anora" had won Best Picture and had "Swept the Night!".

Anora? What is that? Did anyone see it? I'm going to have to Google this, apparently.

Something tells me the Nielsen numbers on this year's Oscars won't be good. Even if Conan O'Brian tried very hard.

.

 

[TP2000]

Tonight is the Oscars, so out of curiosity, here's the 10 nominees ranked by domestic gross:
Anora: $15.6 million

Quoting you again, after I learned Anora won Best Picture, and Best Actress, and "Swept The Night!" according to the local Las Vegas TV news.

Anora. Um... okay. Assuming everyone who saw Anora only paid $10 for a ticket, averaging out the $14 arthouse tickets in LA or New York with some $6 Tuesday matinees in Wellington, Kansas, we get the following Box Office demographics:

$10 average ticket price = 1.56 Million tickets sold, or 0.5% of the United States saw the movie Anora.

So half of one percent (and I rounded up from 0.45%!) of all 340 Million Americans saw the winner for Best Picture this year.

And who says Hollywood is dead and the Oscars are obsolete?!?

 

[BrianLo]

So it'll be interesting to see Deadline's breakdown later this spring for this one, as @BrianLo has mentioned previously.

That was Mufasa. We likely won’t see this one, it’s neither a major winner or a major loser. Also it would be Spring 2026, technically.

Deadline though has break even estimate (with everything considered in the back end) at 425. Which it might not quite make, but I’d generally trust that figure.

 

[BrianLo]

Quoting you again, after I learned Anora won Best Picture, and Best Actress, and "Swept The Night!" according to the local Las Vegas TV news.

Anora. Um... okay. Assuming everyone who saw Anora only paid $10 for a ticket, averaging out the $14 arthouse tickets in LA or New York with some $6 Tuesday matinees in Wellington, Kansas, we get the following Box Office demographics:

$10 average ticket price = 1.56 Million tickets sold, or 0.5% of the United States saw the movie Anora.

So half of one percent (and I rounded up from 0.45%!) of all 340 Million Americans saw the winner for Best Picture this year.

And who says Hollywood is dead and the Oscars are obsolete?!?

This is very par for the course for the Oscars. They’ve never been an award show that is populist or commercially mediated. It’s rare that something like Wicked would even be nominated and probably a big reason why they expanded the nominations for best picture to 10. So at least the general public has heard of a few of the movies.

Anora is pretty low though.

If it wasn’t this way it would be the teen choice awards, not the Oscars. You are definitely right though that the Hollywood elitist awards night is losing favour with the general public. Your generation was the one propping it up. I doubt it ever isn’t a thing. There will always be an awards show. But it’s not TV draw it once was, it’s dying along with linear.

 

[brideck]

Anora. Um... okay.

Yep, Anora. Made for $6m and has brought in over $40m at the WW box office -- an ROI that even you can probably respect.

And your number covers who saw it in theaters, but as we discuss here all the time, that's not the primary way that people watch movies anymore. When the Nielsen numbers indicate that there are 12m viewings of dreck like Back in Action in a week...

 

[Disney Irish]

This is very par for the course for the Oscars. They’ve never been an award show that is populist or commercially mediated. It’s rare that something like Wicked would even be nominated and probably a big reason why they expanded the nominations for best picture to 10. So at least the general public has heard of a few of the movies.

Anora is pretty low though.

If it wasn’t this way it would be the teen choice awards, not the Oscars. You are definitely right though that the Hollywood elitist awards night is losing favour with the general public. Your generation was the one propping it up. I doubt it ever isn’t a thing. There will always be an awards show. But it’s not TV draw it once was, it’s dying along with linear.

And what’ll end up happening once TPs generation no longer tunes in is that they’ll go back to not televising it like they did the first 25 years of its existence. This isn’t a night for the public to celebrate films, it’s a night for Hollywood to celebrate themselves and their films. It always has been that way, and always will be no matter who watches or doesn’t watch the broadcast.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Dude, could you have any less respect for people doing great work? I'm actually a little shocked you even bothered to watch.

Categorizing Anora as a "last minute favorite" is bonkers. It won the Palme d'Or way back in May.

I was pretty pleased with most of the outcomes tonight -- especially thought both animated categories, feature doc, and international film were on point with their selections.

Dude…I don’t know them personally…and they aren’t here posting about Halloween tickets or dvc…

…lighten up

Did Brody look stupid? Yes he did

Is anyone gonna see Anora? Not really.

I’m not saying give the awards to Sonic the hedgehog…but there can be a happy medium without a political statement. It doesn’t all have to be weird…and most of that was and most has been for years.

Perhaps Hollywood can be more entertainment and less auteur occasionally for its own survival?

What did stone win for last year? Frankenstein sex doll? Anybody remember the name of that?

And no…I don’t like just popcorn

Loved slumdog, crash,
Etc

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I thought the winners of the major awards were good choices, except Brody. Surely the most head scratching two time Best Actor winner, and what was that speech?

It was a trainwreck…they called the NTSB in to investigate

Nobody cares about the “personal struggles” of an actor…especially if they can’t articulate them with any grace

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Gal and Rachel presented together. I may have been reading into it, but it seemed a little distant between the two.

I read into it that it was on abc and Bob and Wills were in the B section

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Did you see Anora? I thought Mikey Madison was great in that… it was who I was rooting for…. It was the surprise of the night for me… I was expecting Demi Moore…. Although I would not have been disappointed if she took home the prize either…. The Best Picture win though I was expecting

I looked for it somewhere around me two weeks…which is just when they started to talk about it winning after the Emilia Perez (which I did see) backlash…not playing

And I don’t live in the sticks

That’s problem. What are we doing?

I will stream it when it comes out later this month. Contrary to what the director told me to do

I’m sure she did a good job…they don’t give the award to bad actors…but who will ever know? Pretty much nobody

Every year people complain about how they need to nominate movies that people watched…. As someone who watches everything from popcorn crowd pleasers to small independent films… I don’t think that is the issue…. I like a blockbuster escape film as much as the next person…. But often my favorite film of the year is closer to what is Oscar nominated….it’s not the films fault if no one watches it… this is not the most financially successful film of the year award

I think they’ve gone too far. Doesn’t have to be complete nonsense…but a little wide appeal would keep the movie industry more relevant.

 

[TalkingHead]

Had to laugh when Iger got his contractually-required random cutaway shot sitting in the audience.

Does ABC have the rights to the show locked up for a while? Conan was good but the production had real C+/B- energy. Very curious what the ratings will show.

 

[Farerb]

I read that "someday My Prince Will Come" played when Zegler and Gadot came to stage. THE HORROR! now young girls that watched the event would want to marry at 14 years old and give up their dreams of becoming CEOs. So problematic.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Had to laugh when Iger got his contractually-required random cutaway shot sitting in the audience.

Does ABC have the rights to the show locked up for a while? Conan was good but the production had real C+/B- energy. Very curious what the ratings will show.

Sometimes it’s worth asking yourself before you type: does what I’m about to say add anything of value to the discussion - or am I just adding more negativity for the sake of negativity?

 

[DKampy]

I looked for it somewhere around me two weeks…which is just when they started to talk about it winning after the Emilia Perez (which I did see) backlash…not playing

And I don’t live in the sticks

That’s problem. What are we doing?

I will stream it when it comes out later this month. Contrary to what the director told me to do

I’m sure she did a good job…they don’t give the award to bad actors…but who will ever know? Pretty much nobody

Anora went wide in early November, but by the time the big Thanksgiving features debut….they had to make room…. apparently Wicked needed 6 theaters… as was the case art my local theater… and I liked Wicked…,But I don’t believe any movie needs that many

I think they’ve gone too far. Doesn’t have to be complete nonsense…but a little wide appeal would keep the movie industry more relevant.

I think the bigger issue is they need to make the show entertaining for the Gen Pop…. I thought last night was a good start…It flowed well… did not feel long despite it’s 4 hour run time… and Conan was a pretty good host… in a way I think a general audience could appreciate

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Had to laugh when Iger got his contractually-required random cutaway shot sitting in the audience.

Does ABC have the rights to the show locked up for a while? Conan was good but the production had real C+/B- energy. Very curious what the ratings will show.

The sound was terrible…I get it’s in an acoustic theater…but it sounded like a canyon

Sometimes it’s worth asking yourself before you type: does what I’m about to say add anything of value to the discussion - or am I just adding more negativity for the sake of negativity?

There was a mandatory Iger shot though

He has an awful look on his face though and looked p!zzed Willow was talking to him

 

[Disstevefan1]

Sometimes it’s worth asking yourself before you type: does what I’m about to say add anything of value to the discussion - or am I just adding more negativity for the sake of negativity?

Iger getting his contractually-required random cutaway shot sitting in the audience does show that multiple people are doing their job right. That's a positive

 

[LittleBuford]

I read that "someday My Prince Will Come" played when Zegler and Gadot came to stage. THE HORROR! now young girls that watched the event would want to marry at 14 years old and give up their dreams of becoming CEOs. So problematic.

To quote @Tony the Tigger:

Sometimes it’s worth asking yourself before you type: does what I’m about to say add anything of value to the discussion - or am I just adding more negativity for the sake of negativity?

 

[brideck]

Is anyone gonna see Anora? Not really.

...


I looked for it somewhere around me two weeks…which is just when they started to talk about it winning after the Emilia Perez (which I did see) backlash…not playing

And I don’t live in the sticks

That’s problem. What are we doing?

It peaked in 1500 theaters (~40% of a standard non-premium release) back in November, so if, as you say, you don't live in the sticks, it was definitely playing somewhere near you. But you do need to be paying attention earlier than 2 weeks before the Oscars, if you have a real interest in seeing the contenders.

I will stream it when it comes out later this month. Contrary to what the director told me to do

Why wait? You can watch it for $6 in the comfort of your own home today!

I’m not saying give the awards to Sonic the hedgehog…but there can be a happy medium without a political statement. It doesn’t all have to be weird…and most of that was and most has been for years.

Perhaps Hollywood can be more entertainment and less auteur occasionally for its own survival?

You must be advocating for Hollywood to make different movies as opposed to just awarding the current stuff that the masses have heard of? Because there is precious little in the top 30 (which I would generously use as a cutoff for what penetrates to most people) that I would ever consider giving an award to. When the movies being made are either big popcorn movies (because that's where the money is) or indie pictures, with nothing in between, the awards are going to go to the indie movies.

I would personally prefer that people just broaden their tastes, but that seems doomed to failure. I hear from my peers all the time that they just don't like to think while consuming entertainment, which saddens me every time. Not everything needs to be a think piece, but it'd be swell if audiences would budge even just a little back in that direction. Because we used to be more open to thinking, as a society.

 

[easyrowrdw]

This is very par for the course for the Oscars. They’ve never been an award show that is populist or commercially mediated. It’s rare that something like Wicked would even be nominated and probably a big reason why they expanded the nominations for best picture to 10. So at least the general public has heard of a few of the movies.

Anora is pretty low though.

If it wasn’t this way it would be the teen choice awards, not the Oscars. You are definitely right though that the Hollywood elitist awards night is losing favour with the general public. Your generation was the one propping it up. I doubt it ever isn’t a thing. There will always be an awards show. But it’s not TV draw it once was, it’s dying along with linear.

What's interesting is that it wasn't always that way. In the 90s, for instance, you've got popular movies like Dances with Wolves, Silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump, and Titanic winning Best Picture. Schindler's List, Braveheart, and Unforgiven also did well at the box office.

I think that has shifted in the years since, with less popular movies winning more frequently now. I'm sure there are many factors that go into the change.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It peaked in 1500 theaters (~40% of a standard non-premium release) back in November, so if, as you say, you don't live in the sticks, it was definitely playing somewhere near you. But you do need to be paying attention earlier than 2 weeks before the Oscars, if you have a real interest in seeing the contenders.



Why wait? You can watch it for $6 in the comfort of your own home today!



You must be advocating for Hollywood to make different movies as opposed to just awarding the current stuff that the masses have heard of? Because there is precious little in the top 30 (which I would generously use as a cutoff for what penetrates to most people) that I would ever consider giving an award to. When the movies being made are either big popcorn movies (because that's where the money is) or indie pictures, with nothing in between, the awards are going to go to the indie movies.

I would personally prefer that people just broaden their tastes, but that seems doomed to failure. I hear from my peers all the time that they just don't like to think while consuming entertainment, which saddens me every time. Not everything needs to be a think piece, but it'd be swell if audiences would budge even just a little back in that direction. Because we used to be more open to thinking, as a society.

I’m not a film critic…so I’m not reading trades or watching YouTubers (as I don’t for those that “cover” Disney)…so I respond when I pick it up on my radar. I looked for Anora about a month ago…which is honestly when a normie might have caught wind…just not a wide net

Is it available for buy? I thought it wasn’t available until 3/17?

I never liked the bifurcation of Hollywood in the last 25+ years. It’s either arthouse that is weird…or popcorn that is intentionally dumbed down to the lowest common dumbinator

In an ideal world (I’m still searching for)…they’d both move toward the middle