'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[Mmoore29]

The press predicted the failure of Strange World because Strange World looked like it would fail, and sure enough it did. I never read any articles about this movie’s financial predictions and I still knew it would fail (though I was surprised by how abysmally it failed).

As for movies, the press, as a whole, is simply lazy as hell, and they love their narratives. Remember the refrain of "Titanic is going to fail?" Until it became, for 12 years, the highest-grossing movie of all time? But the media was SO convinced and smugly confident that it would fail, and aiming for it to be "the Heaven's Gate of the '90s." Not realizing, of course, that James Cameron thrives under pressure.

 

[TP2000]

Correct. Once upon a time, a movie could "break even" at the box office, and even once AMC takes their cut, there were the DVD sales and the checks from Netflix and the checks from HBO and the checks from TNT where you would still draw money after the fact.

I have no financial experience in the media industry, but that is all as I expected.

And just from casual observations over the past decade as the DVD section in every big box store in America dwindled away to nothing, I assumed that DVD/BluRay sales were now a tiny profit center generating sales somewhere below movie-branded children's pajamas but above movie-branded bubble gum.

But all of that has been sacrificed at the altar of Disney+.

Again, for the past two years or so my pea-sized brain has just been unable to figure out how streaming works financially for these legacy Hollywood studios with their bloated staffs and bloated budgets for tentpole movies. Several others here keep telling me not to worry, that Disney+ is the future and it's a hugely profitable and wildly successful business model. Hollywood!

But I just can't wrap my mind around it how Disney+ could ever work mid-term, much less long-term, with the strategies they've been using for the past three years.

With last weekend's Burbank coup, and this weekend's latest box office flop, I'm convinced the "experts" on streaming weren't so expert after all. Perhaps my simple math in my pea-sized brain makes more sense than Burbank admits?

 

[mf1972]

I'm still trying to get over the fact that Ash is still kicking butt in 2022 at #11 . . .

classic movie

 

[TwilightZone]

Really? I don't think the public even knew this was a movie until a week or so ago.

It had little marketing, until a short burst at the end from Disney's own in-house marketing channels on Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, etc. They didn't even release official media reviews on it until two days before it opened, and those reviews from industry sources were modestly positive.

Heck, even talking about it for the past two weeks on this forum, I hadn't even heard the kid in it was gay until just a couple days before the release. And I only learned about that via this forum, not the commercials for the movie.

There was no real media chatter or social media buzz on this movie at all. Which seemed to be the problem.

This, I have not even heard about one of the characters being gay outside of this forum. I have not heard any convo about the movie in general outside of this forum. The debate about this particular film flopping because it stars a gay character is argubly even lesser than that of Lightyear, which is quite the achievement.

The only way you can tell that one of the characters might be gay from the advertising is that one of the characters quips a "trendy social media friendly" line about the blob creature being "marketable" in, what sounds like to me, a stereotypical gay voice. Which is really bad representation imo, at least to advertise with. The twitter and tik tok crowd would see 5 seconds of that and would probably get kinda mad if they didn't see the movie. Doesn't matter how good the representation is, you already ruined it.

That turned into a ramble but you get the gist right?

 

[Mmoore29]

Correct. Once upon a time, a movie could "break even" at the box office, and even once AMC takes their cut, there were the DVD sales and the checks from Netflix and the checks from HBO and the checks from TNT where you would still draw money after the fact. But all of that has been sacrificed at the altar of Disney+.

Well, hence why I said that if Disney gets to the point they need to sell something (which they're not at the threshold of yet), they can just, after buying the rest of Hulu and integrating it into Disney+ in 2024, sell everything off to Netflix, get fees once more in exchange for having creative control of the content.

"But they've leveraged so much for making it a success, they can't walk away!" Well, that was true of GO.com, wasn't it? But they did walk away, without having an exit strategy or any of the other competitors in the "portal wars" buy them out. Here, they'd have someone to do that far and pivot their strategy while having something to cushion the loss.

Selling off the streaming division would make far more sense than selling off any of these great complementary assets they have in their corner for a short-term boost and a very long-term loss.

 

[TwilightZone]

Also isn't it weird, that from marketing alone, I don't know any of the characters names? Not even one, not the creature, not the family name, nothing. 90's, 00's, early 10s, Disney synergized well enough that you could at least know one of the characters names. The synergy is really lacking here. Even films from the "post renissance" like Chicken Little and Home on the Range had better synergy/marketing.

 

[TP2000]

This, I have not even heard about one of the characters being gay outside of this forum. I have not heard any convo about the movie in general outside of this forum...

That turned into a ramble but you get the gist right?

I do get the gist. It's spot on.

Their failure with Strange World, and flushing at least $150 Million down the toilet at the exact same time that panic is sweeping through the executive suites of Burbank, is just the latest chapter. I guess at least the remaining execs can blame that idiot meanie Bob Chapek, who in his absence will get as much blame as they can heap on him as fast as they can.

Which means the box office performance of Avatar Way of Water is now even more important. And that movie had a production budget of $250 Million and it will get a lot more marketing millions spent on it than Strange World did.

That'll be a fun one to watch, too!

 

[Piebald]

The first trailer I saw felt like it was a month ago. I remember when Disney would release a teaser a year in advance and hype people up and promote well. This felt like it got less marketing than that stupid Birds of Valor movie from years ago lol

The media REALLY wouldn't stop talking about the Lightyear kiss which was a nothing burger (the movie was not great in general IMO) but not a peep here at all. So, little media coverage whether positive or negative and the little I did read about was from random internet trolls in Facebook comments and stuff? Yeah I'm not surprised this movie bombed unfortunately.

 

[ILoveWDW4ever]

The first trailer I saw felt like it was a month ago. I remember when Disney would release a teaser a year in advance and hype people up and promote well. This felt like it got less marketing than that stupid Birds of Valor movie from years ago lol

The media REALLY wouldn't stop talking about the Lightyear kiss which was a nothing burger (the movie was not great in general IMO) but not a peep here at all. So, little media coverage whether positive or negative and the little I did read about was from random internet trolls in Facebook comments and stuff? Yeah I'm not surprised this movie bombed unfortunately.

What’s a feefee?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

But I just can't wrap my mind around it how Disney+ could ever work mid-term, much less long-term, with the strategies they've been using for the past three years.

For scripted TV, streaming is necessary. It's not necessarily that it's BETTER than the old cable bundle, but the old cable bundle was dying anyways so streaming is inevitable.

Blockbusters still have to block-bust. Streaming was a COVID bandaid and it's time to rip it off.

Sports and News still work as ad-supported products because people want to watch them live.

 

[TP2000]

Also isn't it weird, that from marketing alone, I don't know any of the characters names? Not even one, not the creature, not the family name, nothing. 90's, 00's, early 10s, Disney synergized well enough that you could at least know one of the characters names. The synergy is really lacking here. Even films from the "post renissance" like Chicken Little and Home on the Range had better synergy/marketing.

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There's gotta be a story there with how Burbank execs handled Strange World.

At my local suburban Target, there is absolutely zero Strange World merchandise in the toy aisles and kids departments, while Wakanda Forever has a big branded toy display and lots of t-shirts and pajamas for sale.

That was a purposeful decision on Disney's part to not offer the Strange World merch in stores. Strange World merch and toys were developed and produced, as you can buy them online if you search for it specifically.

But Burbank purposely did not push the Strange World merch they had developed and produced into physical stores, even their flagship toy/clothing agreement with Target. Why? There's gotta be a story there!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I do get the gist. It's spot on.

Their failure with Strange World, and flushing at least $150 Million down the toilet at the exact same time that panic is sweeping through the executive suites of Burbank, is just the latest chapter. I guess at least the remaining execs can blame that idiot meanie Bob Chapek, who in his absence will get as much blame as they can heap on him as fast as they can.

Which means the box office performance of Avatar Way of Water is now even more important. And that movie had a production budget of $250 Million and it will get a lot more marketing millions spent on it than Strange World did.

That'll be a fun one to watch, too!

I don't know why but I feel optimistic that Way of Water is going to be an event. I'm a filthy casual with zero love for A1 and I pre-ordered two PLF 3D tickets at $30 a pop anyways. It just screams "this is a movie for movies' sake and you must see it in theaters, ideally in IMAX or Dolby Cinema 3D."

 

[TP2000]

For scripted TV, streaming is necessary. It's not necessarily that it's BETTER than the old cable bundle, but the old cable bundle was dying anyways so streaming is inevitable.

I'm loving season 5 of The Crown. That show came up in conversation multiple times this weekend, unlike Strange World. I was surprised to hear half the people at the table only rejoined Netflix for November just to watch The Crown's new season, and have already cancelled for December. These are all people living a comfy lifestyle with disposable income to spare.

I thought I was the only one who thought to pull that "Subscribe for one month for The Crown" trick!

Blockbusters still have to block-bust. Streaming was a COVID bandaid and it's time to rip it off.

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal that claimed Bob Chapek's failure and the reason for his sudden firing was his inability to create a post-Covid strategy for the company. He had no exit strategy lined up, and was still playing by Covid rules in 2022.

Which kind of makes sense, as when I went up to a swanky restaurant in west LA six weeks ago for a dinner with friends, over half the people in the restaurant and on the streets were still wearing masks! They just can't give up masks and fear in LA, like they wanted to pretend it was still 2020. I think that has impacted the way Burbank makes decisions, as they didn't realize that 90% of the country outside of LA and NYC has moved on from Covid and gone back to normal.

I just moved to Utah. I haven't seen a mask in public since I got here. America has moved on, but Chapek and his Burbank bubble are still stuck in 2020.

Bob Iger has to create a Covid exit strategy ASAP. Sending big budget movies to Disney+ isn't working.

 

[_caleb]

Correct. Once upon a time, a movie could "break even" at the box office, and even once AMC takes their cut, there were the DVD sales and the checks from Netflix and the checks from HBO and the checks from TNT where you would still draw money after the fact. But all of that has been sacrificed at the altar of Disney+.

I mean, people do pay for Disney+

 

[RobWDW1971]

Now that we have a general sense of where this movie's box office performance is heading (although with each day its forecast is reduced) we can begin to put it in historical perspective.

Variety referred to the opening as "catastrophic", but its failure is truly historic for a major big budget holiday release.

The film reportedly cost $180M, opened on 4,174 screens, and achieved the lowest CinemaScore in the history of Disney animation at a B from those that rushed out to see it.

Its domestic box office over the three day holiday Thanksgiving weekend is projected to be approximately $12M (approximate $19M for the five day).

For some perspective on the $12M three day holiday weekend domestic opening (all numbers in today's dollars):

- Family animated film (destined to Peacock less than 90 days later) "Minions:Rise of Gru" opened to $107M over a holiday weekend four months ago

- Blockbuster films (destined to Disney+) such as "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" opened to $180M on a non-holiday weekend two weeks ago and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" opened to $187M on a non-holiday weekend just six months ago

- For a film opening on over 4,000 screens, it is the third worst opening in history, only about $2M behind the all-time champion "The Nut Job 2:Nutty By Nature" which opened in the middle of August on a non-holiday weekend

- In comparison to the "Mount Rushmore of Disney Box Office Flops" (note it played in more theaters than any on this list), only "Mars Needs Moms" had a lower opening and that was on over 1,000 less screens on a non-holiday weekend:

- "Mars Needs Moms" - $9M, March 2011, 3,117 screens
- "Strange World" - $12M, Thanksgiving 2022, 4,174 screens
- "Treasure Planet" - $20M, Thanksgiving 2002
- "Home on the Range" - $22M, Easter, 2004
- "The Lone Ranger" - $37M, July 4th weekend, 2013
- "John Carter" - $39M, March 2012
- "Chicken Little" - $61M, non-holiday November, 2005

- In terms of financial loss, this is more difficult as studios do not expose their accounting so there are only very rough industry estimates, but at a projected loss of $150M, it would place it in approximately the top 20 box office financial disasters of all-time

List of biggest box-office bombs - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Consumer]

Disney exceeds when they tell stories set in a romanticized past that promote morals and truths that transcend nations and generations.

Current Disney tells stories set in a contemporary and future settings and promotes cynicism and liberal Western ideology.

It is clear to anybody with two eyes as to why the company is struggling. Disney needs to return to its roots and cease appealing to a hateful society if they wish to succeed once again.

 

[TP2000]

Now that we have a general sense of where this movie's box office performance is heading (although with each day its forecast is reduced) we can begin to put it in historical perspective.

Variety referred to the opening as "catastrophic", but its failure is truly historic for a major big budget holiday release.

You don't say? I think several of us here were going into this weekend expecting words like "underperforming" or "disappointing". But instead it's this?....

- For a film opening on over 4,000 screens, it is the third worst opening in history, only about $2M behind the all-time champion "The Nut Job 2:Nutty By Nature" which opened in the middle of August on a non-holiday weekend.

I'd still love to know how a studio like Disney gets over 4,000 screens from theater operators. What's that conversation like, and how is it negotiated? And how much longer can theater operators be expected to listen to Burbank's sales pitch on giving 4,000 theaters, much less obey?

Also, I have never heard of The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature. I'm suddenly proud of that.

- In comparison to the "Mount Rushmore of Disney Box Office Flops" (note it played in more theaters than any on this list), only "Mars Needs Moms" had a lower opening and that was on over 1,000 less screens on a non-holiday weekend:

- "Mars Needs Moms" - $9M, March 2011, 3,117 screens
- "Strange World" - $12M, Thanksgiving 2022, 4,174 screens
- "Treasure Planet" - $20M, Thanksgiving 2002
- "Home on the Range" - $22M, Easter, 2004
- "The Lone Ranger" - $37M, July 4th weekend, 2013
- "John Carter" - $39M, March 2012
- "Chicken Little" - $61M, non-holiday November, 2005

Yikes. I imagine that Burbank execs are using stronger language this weekend than "Yikes".

- In terms of financial loss, this is more difficult as studios do not expose their accounting so there are only very rough industry estimates, but at a projected loss of $150M, it would place it in approximately the top 20 box office financial disasters of all-time

And coming one week after a corporate coup in Burbank, with company-wide cutbacks and layoffs "staff reductions" and general crisis-mode vibes coming this winter.

Yup, I won't be subscribing to Disney+ for 8 bucks a month, but I'd pay 100 bucks for the Pay-Per-View of the hidden camera in the executive conference room in Burbank tomorrow morning.

 

[TwilightZone]

YOUCH, I thought it would be bad, but I never expected Strange World to do this badly. A shame, because the surface concept: a family finding themselves in an odd, strange landscape and trying to survive, is a good concept. It's a timeless concept really, Swiss Family Robinson did it, if you really want to make it roadtrippy, you have national lampoon, etc. The sci fi twist also intrigued me, plus the colors even though a little nauseating, at least was more appealing than the dull browns and greys of Lightyear.

Oh well.

 

[Prince-1]

Disney exceeds when they tell stories set in a romanticized past that promote morals and truths that transcend nations and generations.

Current Disney tells stories set in a contemporary and future settings and promotes cynicism and liberal Western ideology.

It is clear to anybody with two eyes as to why the company is struggling. Disney needs to return to its roots and cease appealing to a hateful society if they wish to succeed once again.

What hateful society are you talking about?

 

[Consumer]

What hateful society are you talking about?

Our contemporary society is hate filled and only seeks to destroy, dismantle, and deconstruct. Earnestness is despised and irreverence is praised. Right wingers would point to cancel culture as an example, but it is by no means limited to the political left. It is a deeper rooted problem with our society that can be traced back to the Enlightenment thinkers, but really took of after WWI and has come to full fruition in the last few decades.

In Disney’s latest movies, we can see this in Frozen’s mocking the idea of true love at first sight, or in Wreck It Ralph 2 with its portrayal of the Disney princesses. They mock and jeer, rather than uplift and praise.