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

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, yes.
One could say is the perfect storm!
100 degree heat index plus opening weekend - could be bad! and I have been seeing some less than positive reports since they opened it to everyone during previews.

From the start, I said this is Universal's game to lose. We are happy NOT to be there on opening day or anytime before the winter. We may check it out in the winter or maybe January.

It will be interesting to watch the YouTubers.

To get back on topic Snow White 2025 is available to rent or buy digitally

Well it is a different game when you don’t have a limited invite list

I’m guessing that even though it looks big…they haven’t built enough for smooth operation

Really no park has since Epcot

Maybe IOA…maybe

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Almost as if it is a tired franchise choice with diminishing returns.

Most likely it will…bad sequels have been following a pretty easy pattern of late…with just a few unique exceptions

 

[Disney Irish]

I love you…

Thanks.... I think.

and this is me saying this…but are you doing this to reread you own material?

No, I'm actually having a discussion because that is what we do here. If not then why are we here?

You’re going on about a new “Hollywood model”…and that is kinda a different conversation. I’m not even saying it’s not going that way.

Actually that IS the conversation. Because its not theoretical, its happening now in real time. Its affecting the whole box office now, not 6 months from now, not 3 years from, but now. And every Studio recognizes it, accepts it, and is doing something about it. This is something that some of us have been talking about for the last 5 years, and some of you didn't want to discuss it because you don't believe its happening but its happening. Maybe now some of you are starting to recognize what the rest of us have been talking about.

But we’ve seen “predictive” movement in recent years on other fronts

Not sure what you mean "on other fronts"? But if you mean other industries, then yes and its happening, for example in technology (something which I know a lot of about) it was predicted, and has happened. This is something that all of Hollywood is transitioning to and have been preparing for now for 10 years, and its happening.

Bombs are not wanted…and far less “acceptable” to the boardroom than you’ve invented in head. For any of them…but especially for Disney.

I would agree that "bombs" are not wanted, but some of these wouldn't be considered actual "bomb" outside of Snow. Disappointments yes, and on that I agree, but not outright bombs.

Also I'm not sure why "especially" Disney. Are they somehow more at risk than any other Studio? I don't think so, if anything they can weather the storm better than almost every other Studio in Hollywood, including the one with a direct theme park competitor.

They have severely taxed their resources…Rep being a big one now…and they need every penny.

You'd be surprised but I actually agree with you here. They have stretched their reputation pretty thin the last couple years, but the hope is there is a turn around on that. Stitch will be a test to see if its been stretched too thin to the point of breaking beyond repair or if its on the mend.

 

[easyrowrdw]

Almost as if it is a tired franchise choice with diminishing returns.

I think Barbie and Oppenheimer doomed Dead Reckoning at the box office. The movie had good reviews even if it not quite as good as Fallout (which was the high water mark for the series). But it lost the imax screens and buzz to those two other movies.

Overall, it’s been a very successful franchise at the box office and with critics. $400 million is still nuts though lol

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

@Disney Irish

Actually…the conversion is right up in the title thread

It’s performance at the box office

Not “shifting Hollywood models” or “acceptable levels of diminishing returns”

That might be a good thing to go over…but checking the tape here is that the thread coincides with an increase in the frequency or underachieving franchise titles and some downright disasters.

That’s when the goal posts started to sprout legs.

It’s not the end of all discussions…but the benchmark for success is just not really thad debatable.

The product and the performance is down. Just the facts…
And that doesn’t mean all…some have down well or overachieved. Probably 2 for last year…not bad.

May not be a lot of that this year…but stay tuned on that

 

[choco choco]

LOL. I hope this movie loses half a billion.

 

[Disney Irish]

@Disney Irish

Actually…the conversion is right up in the title thread

It’s performance at the box office

Not “shifting Hollywood models” or “acceptable levels of diminishing returns”

That might be a good thing to go over…but checking the tape here is that the thread coincides with an increase in the frequency or underachieving franchise titles and some downright disasters.

That’s when the goal posts started to sprout legs.

It’s not the end of all discussions…but the benchmark for success is just not really thad debatable.

The product and the performance is down. Just the facts…
And that doesn’t mean all…some have down well or overachieved. Probably 2 for last year…not bad.

May not be a lot of that this year…but stay tuned on that

The conversation on the shift in models and its impact on the box office is just as important as the box office results itself, so yes its actually part of the thread topic, thank you. As it has an effect on overall ticket sales, which has been in the decline for over 20 years and is continuing, which has a direct impact on the box office results. So its all correlated back to the whole box office, and its impact on Disney. Its also not happening in a vacuum, so other micro climates such as Disney's favor or not with the public (which has also been discussed in this thread) are also impactful in the overall box office.

So we're still on topic. Not everything is about the weekly numbers my friend, we can have larger discussions that are separate from that while still talking about them.

 

[Nevermore525]

View attachment 859785

LOL. I hope this movie loses half a billion.

That’d be quite the feat with a reported budget of $100M and another $100M+ of marketing considering it was projecting around $350M WW this coming weekend before reviews even released.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

View attachment 859785

LOL. I hope this movie loses half a billion.

…umm…it’s shocking that a British review trashed it as “rubbish”

That NEVER happens to American popcorn.

Looks like the home press here is more kind…
It’s a cute remake…it should rake

 

[celluloid]

An original screenplay not based directly on previous mediums just surpassed what a Marvel Superhero film is playing.

Here is hoping Elio is good and shows good original storytelling for audiences as well.

Only family movie release remake of a cute character well known worldwide. Memorial Day weekend and elementary schools all over going to end of year movie days at local cheap theater showtimes.

There is zero reason Lilo And Stitch should not print money.

 

[LittleBuford]

…umm…it’s shocking that a British review trashed it as “rubbish”

That NEVER happens to American popcorn.

Looks like the home press here is more kind…
It’s a cute remake…it should rake

The reviewer being quoted, Jesse Hassenger, is American and based in Brooklyn. He writes for a variety of publications and outlets, The Guardian being just one of them.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The reviewer being quoted, Jesse Hassenger, is American and based in Brooklyn. He writes for a variety of publications and outlets, The Guardian being just one of them.

He seems to be in the minority…so far

I bet he thinks he’s judging “art”…a common mistake - it appears

 

[easyrowrdw]

He seems to be in the minority…so far

I bet he thinks he’s judging “art”…a common mistake - it appears

Metacritic has it at a 56 at the moment, which is lower than I expected. Here is the full review of the screenshot above in case anyone wants to read it https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/lilo-stitch-review-disney

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Metacritic has it at a 56 at the moment, which is lower than I expected. Here is the full review of the screenshot above in case anyone wants to read it https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/lilo-stitch-review-disney

I see “it’s just like the cartoon” popping up

…and…ummm…not sure why that’s a thing?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

An original screenplay not based directly on previous mediums just surpassed what a Marvel Superhero film is playing.

Here is hoping Elio is good and shows good original storytelling for audiences as well.

Only family movie release remake of a cute character well known worldwide. Memorial Day weekend and elementary schools all over going to end of year movie days at local cheap theater showtimes.

There is zero reason Lilo And Stitch should not print money.

Well it has to be a passable diversion …the critical response is “curious” to this point.

We also have seen very recently that critical response doesn’t mean a whole lot in the “shifting” world of Hollywood…

 

[choco choco]

That’d be quite the feat with a reported budget of $100M and another $100M+ of marketing considering it was projecting around $350M WW this coming weekend before reviews even released.

They should retroactively pay me back for making it through Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

 

[Agent H]

He seems to be in the minority…so far

I bet he thinks he’s judging “art”…a common mistake - it appears

I’m confused. Are you trying to make fun of the movie or not?

 

[BrianLo]

Stitch is pretty notable at 100M budget. Seems like one of those direct to D+ ventures Iger pulled out to theatrical. Very smartly, obviously.

Now everyone ready for my unhinged curveball? I think a 3X multiplier is quite justified for Stitch. It may be budgeted as a medium film, but there’s no way they aren’t throwing a typical Disney marketing blitz at it.

 

[LittleBuford]

He seems to be in the minority…so far

I bet he thinks he’s judging “art”…a common mistake - it appears

That doesn’t seem to be the case. I haven’t read his full review (I am seeing the film next weekend and want to avoid reading too much about it beforehand), but from what I can tell, his objection to the remake is that it is a cynical attempt to cash in on the original without being nearly as good as it. That doesn’t seem a highbrow criticism to me; on the contrary, it seems entirely consistent with what most in the forum say about the remakes as a general category. I find it puzzling that the reaction to Lilo & Stitch has been so different here. Why are people so welcoming of and excited for it, in contrast to nearly all the other remakes?

I ask this as someone who is ambivalent about the remakes: I have never enjoyed any as much as the originals, though I find them interesting enough to want to see them. I am approaching Lilo & Stitch with much the same attitude.

 

[DKampy]

Who said you can't have content streaming success? Not mutually exclusive and does not change the fact that the theatrical box office is still the best and fastest way to make your money.

You will notice that many things people want to watch on Netflix are also box office hits of recent are old. With just their own content, they would habe a rougher go. This was an odd comparison.

The point is according to some people here the only path to profitability is through box office…. Even for a film that is close to breaking even like Cap 4…. Well Netflix literally grosses next to nothing at the box office while still spending billions on some of the worst reviewed movies of any studio

By the way you know what the 2nd most profitable streaming service is…. Disney( which includes ESPN and Hulu…. With the caveat that #1 most likely is actually Amazon Prime…. But they don’t report the numbers