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

[LittleBuford]

Anyone who doesn’t know the films in question would think from what’s posted here that the newest releases mark some sort of ideological about-face, when they are just as progressive (if one wants to view them that way) as what preceded them. Inside Out 2 has all the attributes needed for those who would, under other circumstances, have thrown the W-word at it, but, like Barbie, it has had to be reframed in order to explain its success (because heaven forfend that a film might be both “woke” and popular).

 

[erasure fan1]

Anyone who doesn’t know the films in question would think from what’s posted here that the newest releases mark some sort of ideological about-face, when they are just as progressive (if one wants to view them that way) as what preceded them. Inside Out 2 has all the attributes needed for those who would, under other circumstances, have thrown the W-word at it, but, like Barbie, it has had to be reframed in order to explain its success (because heaven forfend that a film might be both “woke” and popular).

I'd say they're just fundamentally better movies.

 

[BrianLo]

it will need $600 or Million or so globally to break even.

500…

Industry standard calculation. 2.5X. I know I’m being annoying. But we’ve discussed this Again, again, again, again, again.

 

[Willmark]

No Way Home, Thor 4, Wakanda Forever, DS: MoM and GoTG3. Even Secret Invasion that I incredibly bounced off of had shockingly good viewership.

It’s less that this is a one-off exception - and more like everything they serve us is not a guaranteed billion earner like it was in the hey day. Some of that is content flooding and people realizing they can skip things and it’s not really earth shattering to do so.

Even D3, which I absolutely love, is seemingly entirely skippable and self contained, for now.

All that said, they hit the break glass in case of emergency at Comic Con. Even if Cap 4 misses, I think there are some billion earners on their slate. The death of the MCU and Pixar were exaggerated and both were just incessantly hurt by Chapek’s D+.

I didn’t say it was dead, I said it(as in the MCU) has a fair number of issues.

 

[Heppenheimer]

500…

Industry standard calculation. 2.5X. I know I’m being annoying. But we’ve discussed this Again, again, again, again, again.

Question that I've always wondered. Why does a more expensive movie need so much more advertising than a cheap one? I get that a movie dumped into the theaters with little fanfare probably won't do well, but it seems to me that advertising will only get you to a certain ceiling, and beyond that, word of mouth needs to kick in to really help an expensive film do well. And this latter point depends on the quality of the film, not how much advertising budget a movie received.

 

[bwr827]

Question that I've always wondered. Why does a more expensive movie need so much more advertising than a cheap one? I get that a movie dumped into the theaters with little fanfare probably won't do well, but it seems to me that advertising will only get you to a certain ceiling, and beyond that, word of mouth needs to kick in to really help an expensive film do well. And this latter point depends on the quality of the film, not how much advertising budget a movie received.

Proportionally, you’re willing to spend more to advertise a project that cost more, even if your percentage of budget is similar.

Risk-wise, if you’ve invested $200M to create something, you’re more worried about ensuring broad awareness to break through the ceiling to organic, word of mouth promotion.

 

[BrianLo]

Question that I've always wondered. Why does a more expensive movie need so much more advertising than a cheap one? I get that a movie dumped into the theaters with little fanfare probably won't do well, but it seems to me that advertising will only get you to a certain ceiling, and beyond that, word of mouth needs to kick in to really help an expensive film do well. And this latter point depends on the quality of the film, not how much advertising budget a movie received.

It’s still a bit of both. When a film is opening so wide and has limited time with premium format screens, you need those butts in seats upfront.

The formula over the years has been misinterpreted to be a representation of the estimate of marketing costs. But it’s not, it’s a proportional representation of front and back end costs. A movie like Barbie and probably Deadpool will have spent even more proportionally than their original production would suggest - simply because there is more back end money to be made. The misinterpretation is spreading back end spend into the theatrical window. Because something is profitable in the front end and they spend more to make more in the back end, does not further front load the productions costs.

A more successful movie will spend even more on marketing as the campaign roles on and they’ve seen great excitement or opening success. It’s that mixed with word of mouth that keeps the audiences rolling forward. Likewise a dud like Strange World stops the spend in its tracks. I don’t think it would be controversial for us to look retrospectively at how little Strange World continued to be not marketed compared to the similarly produced Deadpool 3.

 

[DKampy]

Anyone who doesn’t know the films in question would think from what’s posted here that the newest releases mark some sort of ideological about-face, when they are just as progressive (if one wants to view them that way) as what preceded them. Inside Out 2 has all the attributes needed for those who would, under other circumstances, have thrown the W-word at it, but, like Barbie, it has had to be reframed in order to explain its success (because heaven forfend that a film might be both “woke” and popular).

Quoting this again…. Because it is this exactly,,, it is all in the framing for certain narratives and their political agenda

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

IMO, the biggest factor in some of the underperforming movies over the last couple years is that they weren't very good

 

[TP2000]

Box office is in from overseas this past weekend, plus an extra day from Monday domestic box office. So here's how Deadpool & Wolverine stacks up against the previous 5 movies from Marvel for opening weekend box office.

This chart is adjusted for inflation from two years ago, because that's how we live our lives now apparently, and it seems that Deadpool & Wolverine should at least meet, if not exceed the big hits of '22. And for some old timey thread fun, we get to see the box office data for The Marvels again, because that never stops being funny.

Movie Comparison: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) vs. The Marvels (2023) vs. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) vs. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) vs. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) vs. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Domestic box office comparison between Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and The Marvels (2023) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

www.the-numbers.com

 

[BrianLo]

D3 breaks even last night!

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Blasting Past $500M Global Box Office Today

Deadpool & Wolverine is tearing towards the $500M global box office mark, and will pass it with today’s numbers included

deadline.com

Also buried further in this article is the very interesting 135 million partner advert licensing campaign that Deadpool generated. This campaign is paid for by the partner companies, not Disney. Deadpool really struck the “Barbie money” of this summer.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Continues To Run Away With Cash, Breaks R-Rated B.O. Monday Record At $24M+; Marvel Pic Fired Up By $135M Promo Partner Campaign – Update

Deadpool & Wolverine will break the R-rated Monday record at the box office, propelled by a $135M promotional partner campaign.

deadline.com

 

[Disney Irish]

D3 breaks even last night!

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Blasting Past $500M Global Box Office Today

Deadpool & Wolverine is tearing towards the $500M global box office mark, and will pass it with today’s numbers included

deadline.com

Also buried further in this article is the very interesting 135 million partner advert licensing campaign that Deadpool generated. This campaign is paid for by the partner companies, not Disney. Deadpool really struck the “Barbie money” of this summer.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Continues To Run Away With Cash, Breaks R-Rated B.O. Monday Record At $24M+; Marvel Pic Fired Up By $135M Promo Partner Campaign – Update

Deadpool & Wolverine will break the R-rated Monday record at the box office, propelled by a $135M promotional partner campaign.

deadline.com

Not only is Disney rolling in the money, so is Ryan, he is getting money from all the partner deals surrounding D3 as its his advertising agency Maximum Effort that is leading the advertising campaign.

 

[bwr827]

Box office is in from overseas this past weekend, plus an extra day from Monday domestic box office. So here's how Deadpool & Wolverine stacks up against the previous 5 movies from Marvel for opening weekend box office.

This chart is adjusted for inflation from two years ago, because that's how we live our lives now apparently, and it seems that Deadpool & Wolverine should at least meet, if not exceed the big hits of '22. And for some old timey thread fun, we get to see the box office data for The Marvels again, because that never stops being funny.

View attachment 805373

Movie Comparison: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) vs. The Marvels (2023) vs. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) vs. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) vs. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) vs. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Domestic box office comparison between Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and The Marvels (2023) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

www.the-numbers.com

I wasn’t watching the box office when The Marvels came out. Holy moly, what a failure.

 

[TP2000]

I wasn’t watching the box office when The Marvels came out. Holy moly, what a failure.

Now all that's left to do is wait for Season 2 of Ms. Marvel on Disney+....

 

[easyrowrdw]

Anyone who doesn’t know the films in question would think from what’s posted here that the newest releases mark some sort of ideological about-face, when they are just as progressive (if one wants to view them that way) as what preceded them. Inside Out 2 has all the attributes needed for those who would, under other circumstances, have thrown the W-word at it, but, like Barbie, it has had to be reframed in order to explain its success (because heaven forfend that a film might be both “woke” and popular).

I don't really see that, but I think it's probably just a matter of opinion. According to Google AI , "Some conservative reviews of Inside Out 2 have noted that the movie avoids major content concerns for Christian families, and that it has messages that have biblical precedents." The "conservative" reviews I see were posted in advance of the release so they don't seem to be post-hoc rationalizations.

But I think that statements from filmmakers and executives support that they are attempting to make a shift.
From the NY Times article.

“We have to entertain first — it’s not about messages,” Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, said at a conference late last year. “I don’t really want to tolerate the opposite.”

His comments were a sharp reversal from Disney’s shareholder meeting in 2017, when he spoke with pride about more openly weaving sociopolitical messages into the company’s movies. “We can take those values, which we deem important societally, and actually change people’s behavior,” Iger said then.

 

[LittleBuford]

I don't really see that, but I think it's probably just a matter of opinion.

Even in this forum, we had multiple posts mocking the fact that the hockey coach was portrayed as a Black woman (because statistically she “should” have been white). Had the film done badly, it would have been easy for those so inclined to spin it as a “woke” fail.

But I think that statements from filmmakers and executives support that they are attempting to make a shift.
From the NY Times article.

I don’t take what Iger says as gospel, particularly when the films themselves don’t bear out what he’s saying. Elemental has much stronger social messaging than Lightyear, yet it’s infinitely more entertaining and, of course, did much better at the box office. Something can be entertaining (or not) regardless of whether it has a strong message.

 

[mickEblu]

Anyone who doesn’t know the films in question would think from what’s posted here that the newest releases mark some sort of ideological about-face, when they are just as progressive (if one wants to view them that way) as what preceded them. Inside Out 2 has all the attributes needed for those who would, under other circumstances, have thrown the W-word at it, but, like Barbie, it has had to be reframed in order to explain its success (because heaven forfend that a film might be both “woke” and popular).

Barbie is not a PG animated Disney film that parents take their 6 year olds to see. Apparently Barbie was also a good movie. I tried to watch it but fell asleep. The Disney brand has a reputation that was built over the last 100 years. People have certain expectations and have/had a strong emotional connection to the company. Again, you had two women kissing in Lightyear. A boy crushing on another boy in Strange World. This was a huge shock to many people. Many parents are not comfortable with this content being in children's movies. Especially Disney ones. You are either being obtuse or just don't get it as you think that a multicultural relationship between a flame and a puddle of water is comparable to the examples above. What happens in Inside Out 2 that you think remotely comes close to these two examples that would keep a lot of conservative families away? These are the main reasons a lot of people found those movies woke and stayed away from the theaters. Why do you refuse to understand or accept this reality?

 

[erasure fan1]

Even in this forum, we had multiple posts mocking the fact that the hockey coach was portrayed as a Black woman (because statistically she “should” have been white). Had the film done badly, it would have been easy for those so inclined to spin it as a “woke” fail.

Sure it would be easy. Easy for people with an axe to grind. If the film hadn't hit, I don't see the hockey coach being anyone's reason why. Except as like I said, YouTubers with an axe to grind.

 

[mickEblu]

Even in this forum, we had multiple posts mocking the fact that the hockey coach was portrayed as a Black woman (because statistically she “should” have been white). Had the film done badly, it would have been easy for those so inclined to spin it as a “woke” fail.

Cmon, the Hockey coach being Black wasn’t going to keep people away from the movie. That was just an example of something that doesn’t come across as authentic to me because yes, a Black female hockey coach is very rare. Which is of course why they chose to make the Hockey coach a Black female.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I don't really see that, but I think it's probably just a matter of opinion. According to Google AI , "Some conservative reviews of Inside Out 2 have noted that the movie avoids major content concerns for Christian families, and that it has messages that have biblical precedents." The "conservative" reviews I see were posted in advance of the release so they don't seem to be post-hoc rationalizations.

But I think that statements from filmmakers and executives support that they are attempting to make a shift.
From the NY Times article.

So what if IO2 had a gay character? Do we still think the (apparently) good story/quality movie would render that meaningless? Or would the boycott brigade kick in?

It’s different from Deadpool. It’s an animated film aimed at children.