'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[TalkingHead]

With this domestic weekend's forecasts and the film quickly and quietly exiting cinemas globally, we can start to close the book on this film and put its failure in historic context.

From Deadline on this weekend's Domestic BO: Strange World (Dis) 2,870 (-690) theaters, 3-day $2.2M (-41%) Total $33.8M/Wk 4

International currently is at approximately $23M and has only a few territories left to open. So in the spirit of the holiday season, we will be generous and say the film's global box office will end up somewhere near $70M (probably closer to $65M, but +/- $5M will not change the story).

With a complete audience rejection and the lowest CinemaScore in Disney animated history, here are some comps to put its box office in perspective (all numbers in today's dollars)

- Strange World: Estimated $70M global box office

Recent major animated releases:

- Minions: Rise of Gru: $939M
- Encanto: $256M (Covid impacted and available on Disney+ 30 days after release)
- The Bad Guys: $250M
- Lightyear: $226M

Historic Disney box office bombs:

- Mars Needs Moms: $52M
- Treasure Planet: $182M
- Home on the Range: $229M
- Atlantis: $312M
- Lone Ranger: $334M
- John Carter: $368M

The box office failure will be felt throughout the downstream ecosystem as there will be minimal home entertainment sales (EST/VOD/Physical), Disney+ has replaced their pre-negotiated Pay 1 window and box office bombs do not generate new subscribers (new account + first click), and there will be minimal demand/return from international Pay/Free windows which are priced based on box office.

In short, with a very conservative estimated $150M ultimate loss (Disney obviously will not provide the actual loss so there will just be estimates), Strange World has now entered into the conversation of not just biggest Disney box office bombs, but the list of biggest non-Covid impacted disasters of all time.

#resoundingsuccess

Ugly numbers, so the question will turn to how Ant Man 3, Mermaid remake, Elemental, and Indy 4 do in the next 6-7 months.

I’d forgotten about the Mermaid remake until seeing the trailer before Avatar. (Just about the most cynical trailer imaginable but how else do you sell another unnecessary live-action animation remake?) Surprised the Indy 4 trailer wasn’t playing before Avatar since it’s opening next summer.

 

[TwilightZone]

Ant Man 3

Probably decent. He's not an A list superhero IMO, but people still eat up superheroes enough it seems like.

Mermaid remake

Very badly. The remakes already have bad word of mouth thanks to pinocchio

Elemental

Depends on how they advertise it. Good ad campaign and I can see it doing well. The trailer on youtube has over a million views, that's a good start. Keep the ball rolling.

Indy 4

Very good. It's the first movie in a legacy film series in a long time. If it has good reviews and word of mouth it could do just as well as Top Gun 2.

 

[Phroobar]

I'm looking forward to Ant Man 3, Rise of the Beasts, Guardians vol 3. and Super Mario Brothers.
I can wait for Disney+ for Elemental, Wish and the Mermaid thing.

 

[ILoveWDW4ever]

Looks like National Treasure is another misstep. Things going great at TWDC.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Looks like National Treasure is another misstep. Things going great at TWDC.

I had to do a little Googling...

Wow, that show is getting absolutely roasted!

I try to stay out of political discussions, but it appears that this path Disney insists on following of gender-swapping popular characters and franchises and trying to appeal to (quoting the Critical Drinker) MODERN AUDIENCES is netting Disney neither good will nor money.

Something has to give, because hemorrhaging cash and good will like this is not sustainable.

 

[ILoveWDW4ever]

I had to do a little Googling...

Wow, that show is getting absolutely roasted!

I try to stay out of political discussions, but it appears that this path Disney insists on following of gender-swapping popular characters and franchises and trying to appeal to (quoting the Critical Drinker) MODERN AUDIENCES is netting Disney neither good will nor money.

Something has to give, because hemorrhaging cash and good will like this is not sustainable.

It’s just a minority of online bigots submarining these shows/films is not a winning argument at this point. These shows and films are being widely rejected.

 

[networkpro]

It just shows the lack of business support for creating anything new. Making a few modifications to an existing IP under the guise of "appealing to new sensitivities" is lazy,

 

[erasure fan1]

I try to stay out of political discussions, but it appears that this path Disney insists on following of gender-swapping popular characters and franchises and trying to appeal to (quoting the Critical Drinker) MODERN AUDIENCES is netting Disney neither good will nor money.

The biggest problem is non of it is at all natural. Moving a franchise forward with new characters, male or female different race... Isn't really an issue. It becomes a problem when there isn't a compelling story or development of the transition. If you don't tell a great story, no one is going to care either way. And Disney has not done a great job telling great stories.

 

[brideck]

Finally saw this in the theater over the weekend and really enjoyed it, but like a lot of recent non-musical animated Disney fare it seems to be targeting an older audience (teens & adults) more than anything else. The folks who are expecting to plop their 3-5 year old in front of it and have them be entertained are likely going to be disappointed. From a plot perspective, Disney would not have been out of bounds trying to figure out how to market it to the Miyazaki crowd, although it's tonally nothing like those movies -- it leans heavily into pulp adventures.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Moving a franchise forward with new characters, male or female different race... Isn't really an issue.

Race, I agree, gender, I disagree. A lot of these are  combat-oriented roles. James Bond can be black, but he can't be a woman, because it's implausible that Daisy Ridley could beat up David Harbour.

 

[_caleb]

Race, I agree, gender, I disagree. A lot of these are  combat-oriented roles. James Bond can be black, but he can't be a woman, because it's implausible that Daisy Ridley could beat up David Harbour.

But Scarlett Johansson can!

 

[Haymarket]

Strange World is on Disney+ this weekend?

 

[_caleb]

Strange World is on Disney+ this weekend?

Yes, on December 23rd (this Friday).

https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/strange-world/1OVzv6hnhOFm

 

[mickEblu]

I had to do a little Googling...

Wow, that show is getting absolutely roasted!

I try to stay out of political discussions, but it appears that this path Disney insists on following of gender-swapping popular characters and franchises and trying to appeal to (quoting the Critical Drinker) MODERN AUDIENCES is netting Disney neither good will nor money.

Something has to give, because hemorrhaging cash and good will like this is not sustainable.

Ok I’ll go back to Burbank and let them know that the name for the new Swiss Family show coming out on Disney + is a bad idea. I don’t get it. I thought Swiss Family Robindaughter was a great name.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Ok I’ll go back to Burbank and let them know that the name for the new Swiss Family show coming out on Disney + is a bad idea. I don’t get it. I thought Swiss Family Robindaughter was a great name.

Maybe name the show Icelandic Family Robinsdóttir to lend it an air of verisimilitude.

 

[Phroobar]

The biggest problem is non of it is at all natural. Moving a franchise forward with new characters, male or female different race... Isn't really an issue. It becomes a problem when there isn't a compelling story or development of the transition. If you don't tell a great story, no one is going to care either way. And Disney has not done a great job telling great stories.

The problem is Disney can't just pivot away from this as it takes years to develop a project. It will take years before Disney projects will win good will again and make money. We are in that ten year cycle of mediocracy. Things released in 2030 will be better.

Disney was better off when they first acquire a company and let them do business as usual. As soon as the management is mucked with is when things fall part.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I had to do a little Googling...

Wow, that show is getting absolutely roasted!

I try to stay out of political discussions, but it appears that this path Disney insists on following of gender-swapping popular characters and franchises and trying to appeal to (quoting the Critical Drinker) MODERN AUDIENCES is netting Disney neither good will nor money.

Something has to give, because hemorrhaging cash and good will like this is not sustainable.

Most of the direct-to-D+ movies and series get poor ratings. Even when based on new IP.

Just like most of Disney Studios' movies released to theaters before streaming came along.

Live action is not Disney Studios bag (with the exception of a minority of properties... most of them remakes/reboots/sequels).

 

[Phroobar]

Like I said at the beginning of this thread. I thought Strange World would fail because 1. It's character style was unimaginative. 2. They made the father look like bumbling idiot. The grandfather was an even bigger man child. Everyone else was there to treat him as a big kid and work on problems without him. I thought that was insulting to fathers everywhere. At least that is what I got from the trailer.

This was the same problem Black Widow had. The Red Guardian started out as an effective leader of the household when they were undercover. When we see him again, he is complete idiot. The girls and mom take control over everything leaving him as nothing more than the muscle. Go girl power. The same thing happen again in the Incredibles 2. Why can't they work together as a family and equally find a solution?

 

[networkpro]

But Scarlett Johansson can!

With considerable off-screen assistance, carefully rehearsed choreography, a wiring harness, and ignoring basic physics. She's 5 foot 3 and around 130 lbs.

 

[networkpro]

Like I said at the beginning of this thread. I thought Strange World would fail because 1. It's character style was unimaginative. 2. They made the father look like bumbling idiot. The grandfather was an even bigger man child. Everyone else was there to treat him as a big kid and work on problems without him. I thought that was insulting to fathers everywhere. At least that is what I got from the trailer.

This was the same problem Black Widow had. The Red Guardian started out as an effective leader of the household when they were undercover. When we see him again, he is complete idiot. The girls and mom take control over everything leaving him as nothing more than the muscle. Go girl power. The same thing happen again in the Incredibles 2. Why can't they work together as a family and equally find a solution?

because of the Mary Sue axiom.