I agree with this, I just don’t think they’re happy about it.
Except of you are the Star Cruiser
I’m pretty much alone here in thinking that at least some of the Disney bigwigs knew this was a gamble that may not pay off. I agree they would be disappointed, but not necessarily surprised. (I actually expected the film to do much worse than it has.)
Cf...Welcome to Hollywood, where exec's think stuff they make will bring in truckloads of money. This isn't just a Disney thing.
This is where I kind of throw up my hands when it comes to the remakes.
These truly are the end times...Cf...
Mattel Has Gone Insane
Mattel Has 45 Toy-Based Movies In Development https://comicbook.com/movies/news/mattel-toy-movies-in-development-barbie-hot-wheels/ https://comicbook.com/movies/news/j-j-abrams-hot-wheels-movie-emotional-grounded-gritty-mattel/...forums.wdwmagic.com
Same, I haven’t seen a single one of them in the theater but I’ve seen them all (I think) on video/streaming… I’m personally not a fan but it’s hard to argue against the revenue they bring in, they’re hit or miss but overall they make money.
I think anyone who is honest would have a hard time justifying turning off that revenue stream as well, creatively bankrupt as they maybe.
Revenue as in less revenue that it costs to make and market?
Which raises a question I’ve asked but which hasn’t really been answered - do the folks glorying in TLMs failure want authoritarian governments to have a veto over American entertainment products? I was livid when Transformers: Age of Extinction halted its “narrative” to present what amounted to an ad glorifying the Chinese government, and I’ve been highly critical of Disney’s relationship with that government. A lot of the anti-TLM posters are the same who constantly bring up China to try to divert from American political issues, so I ask again - should Disney base creative decisions on how they think China (or Russia, or Saudi Arabia, etc) will react?
It’s odd that the party line seems to have become “we want cheap films.” Maybe it’s just me, but one (or even several) underachieving films doesn’t make me want Pixar to become Illuminations - I enjoy some of their films on a very non-demanding level, but they aren’t what one might call “good.” And it’s funny to read legitimate grousing about the sometimes lackluster cgi in Marvel films and then have folks shouting to spend LESS money on them. It’s almost like folks want to complain about Disney regardless of what they actually do…
Yes, I can imagine the protest outside Disney's Burbank headquarters with people chanting "make cheaper films!"
It's odd when folks discuss trying to control the budgets of any film, it translates to “we want cheap films.” Nobody wants cheap films.
And here is the rub of it all, movies and tv shows are only going to get more expensive.
Anyone looking at it from a honest standpoint, wouldn't just look at the revenue. If it were me, I would definitely shut any live action remake down that has a crazy tent pole budget. 200/250mil is just too crazy for this kind of thing. $130mil tops, and that's for a top tier film like froen. If all the direct to home sequels from the 90s cost the same as the original lion king or beauty and the beast. How long do they continue to make them? Not long I would guess.
Why do you care, though? Isn't that a problem for Disney and their accountants?
Well, are you happy when you see budget cuts at the parks? As a fan, do you react with satisfaction that the parks will be more profitable for the company?
You have to look at the entire revenue stream, not just box office. And given that its an easy money maker, even if not directly from the box office, it only makes sense to continue them. Again if we're looking at it honestly.
For point one, while I am sure the accounts are very creative about moving money around and fool shareholders into thinking all is well, but as a regular person sees a company, I am a fan of, losing money on movies, I wonder how long they can get away with it.
This is where the timing of TLM production and budget decisions and the pandemic fall into play. I don’t think we can say they knew that going into TLM, as so much was planned pre-pandemic.