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

[SpectreJordan]

It's not that they should stop using these relatively unknown characters. That can actually be a good thing as you can gain a bit of freedom with them that established characters don't really have. Where they go wrong in my opinion is how they introduce them. Echo had a good introduction in Hawkeye. But not good enough to helm a show as the title character. Let some of these characters show up as a supporting role in a few different films and develop them. Make people love them like Falcon or Wanda. Don't just throw them into the deap end and then wonder why it struggles.

That works too. You'd be able to build them a fanbase first.

 

[erasure fan1]

That works too. You'd be able to build them a fanbase first.

Exactly. The average viewer didn't really know Black Widow when she showed up in the mcu. But in the end she was beloved. It's why I think they made such a big mistake leapfrogging her to get the captain marvel film out first.

 

[Tha Realest]

The Echo character isn't even particularly in the comics either, she's just sort of there. The Guardians at least had a cult favorite comic run from 2008-2010 before their movie dropped.

They have to stop doing these movies/shows based on characters that aren't even popular with hardcore comic fans. The Guardians, Moon Knight & Ms Marvel were all fan favorites. The Eternals, Echo & Iron Heart? Not so much.

The hardcore comic fans are the ones who start drumming up hype early on & then that reaches more casual fans.

Regardless of the character’s popularity, that was clearly acknowledged since the marketing basically portrayed this series as the MCU’s introduction of the Netflix Daredevil/Kingpin universe. There seems to be a pattern here borrowed from wrestling where you take a more popular character and use them to push a lesser known or unpopular character. It’s been happening quite a bit lately in a lot of Disney productions, but with pretty mixed results.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Regardless of the character’s popularity, that was clearly acknowledged since the marketing basically portrayed this series as the MCU’s introduction of the Netflix Daredevil/Kingpin universe. There seems to be a pattern here borrowed from wrestling where you take a more popular character and use them to push a lesser known or unpopular character. It’s been happening quite a bit lately in a lot of Disney productions, but with pretty mixed results.

Borrowed from wrestling??? I think “borrowed from comics” is a lot more relevant.

 

[_caleb]

It's not that they should stop using these relatively unknown characters. That can actually be a good thing as you can gain a bit of freedom with them that established characters don't really have. Where they go wrong in my opinion is how they introduce them. Echo had a good introduction in Hawkeye. But not good enough to helm a show as the title character. Let some of these characters show up as a supporting role in a few different films and develop them. Make people love them like Falcon or Wanda. Don't just throw them into the deap end and then wonder why it struggles.

Because Echo is the first released under the Marvel Spotlight banner, it's intended to be treated as a standalone story. So previous appearances of the character (in the Hawkeye series) are incidental to the new show.

Basically, they're leveraging a lesser character to spin off as a "new" character in her own standalone series.

Had they taken more time to develop Echo in a variety of appearances before spinning off, they'd be making each of those previous appearances the sort of "homework" watching that keeps people from jumping into an interconnected series.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Is Echo doing poorly at the box office? Did I miss what it has to do with the topic at hand?

 

[erasure fan1]

Because Echo is the first released under the Marvel Spotlight banner, it's intended to be treated as a standalone story. So previous appearances of the character (in the Hawkeye series) are incidental to the new show.

Basically, they're leveraging a lesser character to spin off as a "new" character in her own standalone series.

Had they taken more time to develop Echo in a variety of appearances before spinning off, they'd be making each of those previous appearances the sort of "homework" watching that keeps people from jumping into an interconnected series.

Well, then they should expect underperformance if that's what the theory was. It's billed as Marvel Studios Echo. I get it's a new banner, but if no one knows or cares about the character, it's going to struggle. Especially since it's still a marvel product. And since it is part of the MCU, it still suffers from the homework issue. At least if she has shown up in some films, people will recognize her and maybe give it chance. It's then the shows job to hook the viewer. And from the ratings, I don't think 75% is good enough for people who aren't sure to jump in. At least right away.

 

[_caleb]

Well, then they should expect underperformance if that's what the theory was. It's billed as Marvel Studios Echo. I get it's a new banner, but if no one knows or cares about the character, it's going to struggle. Especially since it's still a marvel product. And since it is part of the MCU, it still suffers from the homework issue. At least if she has shown up in some films, people will recognize her and maybe give it chance. It's then the shows job to hook the viewer. And from the ratings, I don't think 75% is good enough for people who aren't sure to jump in. At least right away.

Sorry, @Wendy Pleakley! Moving my response to the Marvel Studios' Echo thread, if you'd like to discuss further, @erasure fan1.

 

[Phroobar]

Couldn't they find an actress with some entries in IMDB for the role? What was the casting call for this?
I guess when it comes to Disney/Lucasfilm/Marvel, anyone off the street can act or direct.

 

[brideck]

Couldn't they find an actress with some entries in IMDB for the role? What was the casting call for this?

The character in the comics is deaf and indigenous, so they were probably, you know, looking for those things.

 

[TP2000]

Finally saw Poor Things tonight and man, what a movie. Just a delight to watch from start to finish, despite the uneasy premise.

For the upcoming weekend, it's not losing many (if any) screens around us, although I see some theaters cutting it back to share a screen with something else for now. There are something like 10 new movies in my market this weekend, which has caused Soul to be preemptively cut back a little -- it's now only slated to be at 3 of our 6 AMCs, etc. whereas I definitely saw more showtimes than that before. Perhaps that coupled with the matinee pricing announcement means that presales have not been what theaters hoped they would be. Wish is almost completely gone after tomorrow.

All of Us Strangers also looks to be expanding this weekend, as it's showing up in at least 3 of our local multiplexes. That screen count might prove larger than I was expecting.

Wish is only at the 50 day mark in theaters, and will likely be in theaters through the end of January. Even Strange World got to stay in theaters for 70 days. The two previous Thanksgiving movies that actually broke even and then went on to make a profit, Frozen II in '19 and Ralph Breaks The Internet in '18, were kept in theaters for 120 days.

I'm assuming they'll keep Wish in theaters for at least 75 days. Maybe 90, to scoop up whatever loose change is left.

But something tells me Poor Things peaked at 800 theaters back before Christmas.

 

[TP2000]

The character in the comics is deaf and indigenous, so they were probably, you know, looking for those things.

You have to actually be deaf to play a deaf person? Since when? And don't tell Patty Duke that.

 

[_caleb]

Couldn't they find an actress with some entries in IMDB for the role? What was the casting call for this?
I guess when it comes to Disney/Lucasfilm/Marvel, anyone off the street can act or direct.

Are you complaining just to complain? Think of it this way: a better known actress would likely be less well-suited for the role and more expensive.

And here in the Box Office– So What Happens Now? thread, I think we've all come to agreement that Disney needs to spend less on their productions.

 

[crispy]

It’s interesting to note that the marketing rule does not apply correctly to Illumination films. Their budgets are often widely out of whack with their marketing spend.

For example Minions had a budget of 74 million but a marketing spend of 593 million. No that’s not a typo. Not what I’m accusing Migration of by any means, but 36 million seems awfully under-estimated. I’d imagine it is at least closer to Wish’s 100m. I think we all know Illumination campaigns rival or outstrip Disney.

Just to put an ‘asterisks’ besides the guess. Even Trolls 3 I’d assume spent more on marketing than the film was budgeted.

If you fully read the article you are referencing, it spells out that the $593 million was not in actual spending, but in the "media value" of their cross promotions with other companies. For example, the put Minions stickers on Chiquita bananas. Lots of value for a fairly minimal cost. It's a pretty genius actually.

 

[CinematicFusion]

Amazon Is About to Eat the TV Universe​

“On Jan. 29, Prime Video will make its ad tier the default for its tens of millions of subscribers, a move that could unravel how advertisers deal with TV broadcasters and scare off rivals with its massive scale.”

Amazon’s decision to introduce advertisements on Prime Video is a solid move, elevating their advertising revenue, projections hitting $5 billion. Factors in the earnings from users who want ad-free viewing experience. It’s a game-changer. Prime Video is diversifying content and enhancing it with targeted advertising.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

Amazon Is About to Eat the TV Universe​

“On Jan. 29, Prime Video will make its ad tier the default for its tens of millions of subscribers, a move that could unravel how advertisers deal with TV broadcasters and scare off rivals with its massive scale.”

Amazon’s decision to introduce advertisements on Prime Video is a solid move, elevating their advertising revenue, projections hitting $5 billion. Factors in the earnings from users who want ad-free viewing experience. It’s a game-changer. Prime Video is diversifying content and enhancing it with targeted advertising.

All they have to do now is put content worth watching on Prime. ;D

 

[brideck]

You have to actually be deaf to play a deaf person? Since when? And don't tell Patty Duke that.

Certainly since some point after 1962... If I happen to stumble across Patty Duke's grave, I'll let her know that she probably wouldn't be cast as Helen Keller in today's world.

Marlee Matlin won an Oscar in the '80s and CODA won Best Picture just two years ago. It would not go over real well if Disney cast a hearing actor in the role of Marvel's only prominent deaf character.

Wish is only at the 50 day mark in theaters, and will likely be in theaters through the end of January.

Sure, but it will have screen counts closer to Strange World's last two weeks (170 & 60, if you can't be bothered to look), which is what I mean by "almost completely gone." Strange World made a whopping $230K total over its last three weeks in theaters, so likewise there's going to be little to talk about for Wish.

 

[Tha Realest]

All they have to do now is put content worth watching on Prime. ;D

NFL is pretty popular, and The Boys appears to be both more critically acclaimed and has higher viewership numbers than the Mandalorian the last time they faced off against one another.

The Boys is officially more popular than The Mandalorian Season 2 - Dexerto

The Boys has taken the lead against The Mandalorian and Stranger Things, with the best opening weekend figures for season 2.

www.dexerto.com

'The Boys' Is the First Non-Netflix Show to Break Top 10 Streaming Shows

The Amazon Prime Video original is bringing in super ratings.

www.tvinsider.com

 

[DisneyHead123]

Certainly since some point after 1962... If I happen to stumble across Patty Duke's grave, I'll let her know that she probably wouldn't be cast as Helen Keller in today's world.

Marlee Matlin won an Oscar in the '80s and CODA won Best Picture just two years ago. It would not go over real well if Disney cast a hearing actor in the role of Marvel's only prominent deaf character.

I think it’s a fairly new societal shift. I remember there was controversy over Bryan Cranston in The Upside (since the part did not go to an actor in a wheelchair) and that was actually considered a somewhat controversial stance. That was in 2019.

 

[brideck]

I think it’s a fairly new societal shift. I remember there was controversy over Bryan Cranston in The Upside (since the part did not go to an actor in a wheelchair) and that was actually considered a somewhat controversial stance. That was in 2019.

Agreed. Although I think there's a longer history of an effort/expectation with casting deaf roles in particular, which is why I brought up Marlee Matlin.

I also think of the big blowback over Maddie Ziegler's portrayal of autism in Sia's 2021 movie, Music.