'Lightyear' Coming Summer 2022

Kirby86

Well-Known Member
If the movie wasn't Lightyear, and instead was a backstory for Space Mountain, perhaps it would have done better as just a sci-fi movie.

I still think it was good. The references to Buzz the toy's characteristics was great. Ignoring sales, go see it, and report back.
Nah it did better with the Lightyear name then it would have as an original IP. Speaking financially. Critically maybe it would have done better disconnected from Toy Story, however if you change Buzz Lightyear to Lunar Larry the movie still has the same issues.

It starts off well but after the first act it kind of starts to head downhill. It's not bad by any means but it's not the type of movie that will have great word of mouth. Also the comic relief outside of Sox was annoying.
 

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Funny how all of the Lightyear apologists after the first weekend have dropped off the face of the earth from this thread…
I guess I might be among such folks but my opinion was that the opening wasn’t as bad as people were making it out to be. But since the box office has fallen off in the second weekend I would agree that now calling Lightyear a bomb is actually appropriate.

That being said, I still think this is less an issue about Lightyear specifically and more about family/children/animated movies. Those types of films have just not done all that well since the pandemic and IMHO consumer behavior may have been permanently changed due to the pandemic and rise of streaming. IOW I’m not sure we’re going back to animated films being able to be the massive blockbusters that they sometimes were pre-2020.

Rise of Gru will be an interesting litmus test in that regard. If it does well then it is a good sign for the box office potential of animated films. But if it too underperforms, we likely have a genre issue that isn’t going away. And it better have a big opening weekend because Thor is coming out the next weekend and will draw the attention of moviegoers.
 

Ghost93

Well-Known Member
I think you’re totally misreading my feelings on this. I honestly don’t care about Lightyear at all and what it does or doesn’t do at the box office. Now ask me about Elvis and I’ll have a fiery response. But getting back to Lightyear, several of us only pointed out that it bombed and that seemed to trigger several folks in this forum.


That being said, there is no point in spinning it: Lightyear is a flop. Unfortunately, since Soul, Luca and Turning Red were sent straight to streaming and Encanto had an absurdly short theatrical window, we really don't have much to compare Lightyear with to assess how much of the underperformance was due to a backlash against LGBTQ inclusion and how much of it is due to animated movies underperforming in general during the pandemic.

Reviews are also a factor — Lightyear had low reviews by Pixar movie standards. While l liked the movie, I also think Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis are better movies to check out in theaters. Everything is better than Jurassic World Dominion, however. ;)

The Minions sequel will probably make more than Lightyear, although I also think that franchise panders more to kids anyway — compared to Lightyear which had a fairly somber tone throughout.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
That being said, there is no point in spinning it: Lightyear is a flop. Unfortunately, since Soul, Luca and Turning Red were sent straight to streaming and Encanto had an absurdly short theatrical window, we really don't have much to compare Lightyear with to assess how much of the underperformance was due to animated movies underperforming in general during the pandemic.

The highest grossing animated release since March 2020 is Sing 2 at $162 million domestically. Rise of Gru is likely to beat that (if it doesn't, that will send off alarms across the industry regarding animated features).

Lightyear is now less than $10 million away from becoming Disney's highest grossing animated release since the start of the pandemic...because they keep dumping them on Disney+, so not even Encanto could crack $100 million in the US.
 

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Exactly how many levels of suspending disbelief do we need ? A cartoon movie about an imaginary character that was the basis for an imaginary toy line with abandonment issues that enthralled a young protagonist? Does that make this far-far-far-fetched?

Seriously whoever greenlit this project needs to be taken to the woodshed.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
The Box Office numbers are in for this weekend. As was apparent by Saturday morning, Lightyear fell off the cliff and is now officially a box office bomb. It will cost the Walt Disney Company a few hundred million dollars because it will never get close to breaking even. 💣

Here's the chart, plain and simple, and it's interesting to see how poorly Lightyear did even though it was in a staggeringly large 4,200+ theaters for its second weekend.

Box Office Boffo! .png



And reading Forbes this afternoon over a crab Benedict down at The Cottage (best brunch spot for decades now!), I saw this article on my pad. It's pretty insightful and a good summary of how Lightyear failed to launch. Here's the relevant paragraphs on Lightyear...

Alas, Walt Disney's Lightyear will not be cracking $700 million. The well-reviewed but (relative to Pixar) indifferently received Toy Story spin-off earned just $17.7 million in its second domestic weekend. That’s a record-for-Pixar drop of 65%. Lightyear’s “falling without style” drop single-handedly prevented theaters from getting the first “the entire top five grosses $20 million each” weekend since July of 2016. The $200 million sci-fi actioner has earned $88.7 million domestic (suggesting a total just over/under The Good Dinosaur’s $127 million finish) and $63.2 million overseas for a $153 million global cume.

With only Japan left for next weekend, it’s looking like the Chris Evans-led toon will struggle to match Encanto’s $255 million global cume. If Minions: The Rise of Gru opens noticeably better next weekend (after Sing 2 legged out to $400 million), then Disney won’t be able to claim Covid-curve hardship for animated films. Yes, I do think Disney normalizing the notion of big Disney blockbusters being available for “free” on Disney+ (either instead of theaters or very soon after theaters) is doing exactly the long-term damage we all feared it would do.


But honestly, if you are ever in San Diego and want a good breakfast or brunch spot that stays open into the afternoon, head to The Cottage! Excellent food, big outdoor patio, stylish yet never snotty about it, with friendly-chirpy-San Diego service. Nice folks! And a mean Benedict!
 
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doctornick

Well-Known Member
The highest grossing animated release since March 2020 is Sing 2 at $162 million domestically. Rise of Gru is likely to beat that (if it doesn't, that will send off alarms across the industry regarding animated features).

I think Rise of Gru likely will beat that total but I also expected Lightyear to do so. That is why I think it’s an interesting test. The franchise is popular but I think there’s some potential diminishing returns there as the fifth movie which is often around when interest wanes.

Rise of Gru will have the current movies as competition since Top Gun and Jurassic World have been having decent holds and then has Thor the week after. It does have a good window until League of Super Pets late in July.

I personally think streaming has completely undercut animated family films. Why spend so much on tickets (and concessions) and deal with bathroom breaks and whatever when a movie is likely to be on a streamer within 3 months. Or you can just watch something they already like again for “free” because you already have the streaming service. I feel like the pandemic may have irreversibly impacted behavior towards such films.
 

TwilightZone

Well-Known Member
Exactly how many levels of suspending disbelief do we need ? A cartoon movie about an imaginary character that was the basis for an imaginary toy line with abandonment issues that enthralled a young protagonist? Does that make this far-far-far-fetched?

Seriously whoever greenlit this project needs to be taken to the woodshed.
The sad thing is, it was done years ago, way better but Pixar refuses to acknowledge it.

Team-Lightyear-Wallpaper-buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-5130018-800-600.jpg


Rumor has it Pixar HATES this series because they didn't make it. Yet this one cartoon was popular enough to semi-inspire an entire ride that is still popular with guests today. People who grew up with the show know how much of a comparable downgrade this new movie is. Countless comparisons have been made now.
 

tcool123

Well-Known Member
Finally saw Lightyear it’s a solid animated film with a predictable plot and with some gorgeous visuals. The space scenes in particular looked amazing in IMAX. The audience in my theater really enjoyed the film giving it a round of applause at the end and plenty of laughter throughout thanks to the films jokes.



A true shame the film didn’t find its audience in theaters as it’s a solid flick and can have made for a cool way to pull the Buzz Lightyear rides into a more futuristic look.
 
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Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Turning Red is the definition of a movie that, while not pleasing some old fuddies, pleases a lot of the modern generation (very important I think since social media fuels a lot of popularity).
Buzz doesn't seem to please anyone.
This is my impression of the two movies as well. I suspect Turning Red will also benefit a lot from streaming as it will be more conducive to its intended audience finding the film.

Personally, I was very interested to see Turning Red and watched it as soon as it became available on Disney+ as it at least seemed like an interesting and fresh idea. Can't say that Lightyear interests me in the least, and I don't think I will probably even watch it on Disney+. It does seem to me like it could have been a hit if they really nailed the execution, but it also seems like a film no-one was asking for.

Will be honest and say that for me the franchise was already seeming a bit tired by Toy Story 4.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
And yet the very woke Doctor Strange 2 with the two moms scene made $250M more than Doctor Strange 1.

Marvel's Doctor Strange 2 is a very different film than the consumer marketplace that Pixar deals in.

Doctor Strange 2 was rated PG-13 and was marketed with visuals and subject matter that was clearly aimed at teens and adults looking for a scary superhero movie. I love that gay representation is being included in more films aimed at young adults, so long as it's not pandering and flows naturally and is key to the plot. I don't have any problem with a teenager seeing a movie like that, and I imagine most parents don't either.

But teenage boys and young men have loved that kind of gory and violent stuff since the 1950's. Doctor Strange 2 was not a children's cartoon produced by a family-film studio like Pixar.

Doctor-Strange-Zombie-in-Multiverse-of-Madness.jpeg


I think it's obvious now from the box office results that far too many American parents had a problem with letting their 8 year olds go see Lightyear. A family-film studio needs to release movies lots of parents will allow their children to see. Lightyear wasn't one of those films.

 
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DCLcruiser

Well-Known Member
Marvel's Doctor Strange 2 is a very different film than the consumer marketplace that Pixar deals in.

Doctor Strange 2 was rated PG-13 and was marketed with visuals and subject matter that was clearly aimed at teens and adults looking for a scary superhero movie. I love that gay representation is being included in more films aimed at young adults, so long as it's not pandering and flows naturally and is key to the plot. I don't have any problem with a teenager seeing a movie like that, and I imagine most parents don't either.

But teenage boys and young men have loved that kind of gory and violent stuff since the 1950's. Doctor Strange 2 was not a children's cartoon produced by a family-film studio like Pixar.

Doctor-Strange-Zombie-in-Multiverse-of-Madness.jpeg


I think it's obvious now from the box office results that far too many American parents had a problem with letting their 8 year olds go see Lightyear. A family-film studio needs to release movies lots of parents will allow their children to see. Lightyear wasn't one of those films.

It’s a shame. It would have been a great time in A/C with popcorn and fake butter.
 

Tiggerish

Resident Redhead
Premium Member
This is my impression of the two movies as well. I suspect Turning Red will also benefit a lot from streaming as it will be more conducive to its intended audience finding the film.

Personally, I was very interested to see Turning Red and watched it as soon as it became available on Disney+ as it at least seemed like an interesting and fresh idea. Can't say that Lightyear interests me in the least, and I don't think I will probably even watch it on Disney+. It does seem to me like it could have been a hit if they really nailed the execution, but it also seems like a film no-one was asking for.

Will be honest and say that for me the franchise was already seeming a bit tired by Toy Story 4.
I agree with all of this, but that I was only mildly interested in Turning Red (which, considering I’m a redhead, is sayin something) and when I did watch it, i thought it was cute but I am definitely waaaaaay older than their target demographic.

I'm with you 100% on Lightyear and TS4.
 

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