2023-11-29 17:02:00
Walt Disney’s latest film, “Wish,” was supposed to be a celebration of the company’s 100th anniversary, which brought us popular animated princess films such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella.”
However, box office sales over the Thanksgiving weekend were only half of what was expected. Following in the footsteps of Marvel and Lucasfilm, Disney’s new films have been underwhelming recently.
A billboard promoting Disney’s ‘Wish’ in Hollywood
Photographer: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Disney’s division, which includes its film studios, has been in the red for two years, and the recent poor performance highlights new potential problems for the company. Stories for young girls are Disney’s core business, and related sales are wide-ranging, including merchandise and theme parks. The poor box office performance of Disney’s theatrical films, including “Wish,” is a boon for activist Nelson Peltz and his Trian Fund Management, who are eyeing a board seat. It may provide material for attack.
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Disney has previously dominated the five-day Thanksgiving weekend with hits such as “Frozen” and “Toy Story,” but “Wish,” which opened around this time this year, grossed 3,160 yen at the box office. Only 10,000,000 dollars (approximately 4,659 million yen). The film, which cost around $200 million to make, finished in third place behind Lions Gate Entertainment’s latest installment of the Hunger Games series and Apple’s Napoleon.
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Source: Company reports
Analyzing the causes of failure is an urgent task for Disney film executives. Was “Wish” too serious compared to this year’s more playful hit movies like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and the latest installment of the “Trolls” series (both produced by Comcast’s Universal Pictures)?
Another issue of concern is that people with their families are refraining from going to movie theaters as people become aware that new movies will soon be released on Disney’s video distribution service, Disney+. Tsuda.
Changing tastes may also be a problem.
“Wish” is peppered with homages to classic princess movies of the past, including a girl who wishes upon a star, an evil king, and adorable animal sidekicks. The event was intended to commemorate and celebrate Disney’s animated legacy, including The Magic Mirror, The Seven Dwarfs and A Castle Surrounded by Fireworks. By the way, the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes has a poor rating of 50%.
However, today’s girls may not be looking for fairytale princesses, but rather older protagonists and stars they can emulate. This year’s popularity of Greta Gerwig’s feminist “Barbie,” Taylor Swift’s concert film, and the new Hunger Games, which features a new heroine, is a testament to the popularity of such new films. Predict a trend.
The Disney Wish cruise ship departs Port Canaveral in Florida in 2022.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger, who returned to the top job at Disney a year ago, said at a meeting with employees that he was evaluating the performance of the movie business. “I think one of the reasons for my decline was that I was making too many movies,” he said, adding, “When it comes to creativity, quality is the most important thing, and in many ways quantity destroys quality.” “Storytelling is clearly at the core of our business.”
Disney has revised its theatrical release dates three times in the past year, pushing some back up to three years and pushing some to 2031. Iger, whose contract as CEO runs through 2026, will have more time to improve the quality of each production.
Original title:Disney’s Failing ‘Wish’ Shows Iger Also Has a Princess Problem(excerpt)
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