Over Thanksgiving, Disney’s “Strange World” failed at the box office, forcing the studio to clean up mountains, oceans, and terrains of red ink.
With $11.9 million from 4,174 North American cinemas over the weekend and $18.6 million for the five-day holiday period, the animated film drastically underperformed predictions for its North American release. The film was anticipated to bring in $30 million to $40 million between Wednesday and Sunday, and even those numbers wouldn’t have been very impressive to begin with.
Inaugural ticket sales for “Strange World” now register as one of Disney’s worst opening weekends in modern times, arriving ever-so-slightly ahead of its pandemic-era release “West Side Story” ($10.5 million) and significantly behind fellow family films like “Encanto” ($27.2 million over the traditional weekend and $40 million during the extended Thanksgiving holiday stretch) and “Lightyear” ($51 million).
“Normally this time of year, a Disney family film is the big draw,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst. “It shows we’re still recovering and adapting to the constraints of the pandemic.”
Unless its business rebounds dramatically in the next few weeks (and that seems unlikely given the film’s moderate reviews, lackluster audience reception and minimal buzz), sources estimate that “Strange World” will lose at least $100 million in its theatrical run. Even with proper attention on Disney+ and home entertainment platforms, box office experts suggest it’ll be difficult to get the big-budget film into the black. Since “Strange World” cost $180 million to produce and tens of millions more in global marketing and distribution fees, the film needs to gross roughly $360 million to break even, sources say.
Remember that despite having larger opening weekends, “Lightyear” ($226 million global at the end of theatres) and “Encanto” ($256 million worldwide at the end of theatres) were unable to reach such heights. Rival studios predict that by the conclusion of its domestic run, “Strange World” will be lucky to reach $45 million. Comparatively, “Encanto” brought in $96 million in North America, while “Lightyear” brought in $118 million.
The head of the movie consultancy company Franchise Entertainment Research, David A. Gross, claims that “this is a mediocre opening by Disney animation standards.” “Even with strong ancillary revenue, the film will finish in the red at a cost of $180 million, including marketing expenses.”
It’s possible that foreign earnings won’t be much of a lifeline. At the foreign box office, “Strange World,” which earned $9.2 million from 43 markets, fared as poorly. Due to geopolitical sensitivities, it won’t be released in China or Russia, two significant foreign marketplaces. Additionally, due to the film’s inclusion of a gay character, Disney decided not to submit “Strange World” to a number of smaller markets, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and the whole Middle East. Disney was unwilling to alter the story to conform to the rules of those countries, where censors frequently target movies with LGBTQ allusions.
Overall, it was a weak Thanksgiving holiday for Hollywood as every film that opened (including “Devotion”) or expanded nationwide (in the case of “The Fabelmans” and “Bones and All”) crumbled at the box office. Yet it wasn’t entirely dire for Disney. The studio’s Marvel adventure “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” towered over box office charts for the third weekend in a row, adding $64 million over the five-day stretch. So far, the superhero sequel has grossed $367 million in North America and a mighty $675 million globally.
“Strange World” continues a bleak streak for Disney’s animated offerings, which have long been considered the gold standard. Yet the studio, which bucked tradition by putting Pixar movies like “Soul” and “Luca” directly on Disney+ during the pandemic, hasn’t been able to properly reacquaint those audiences with theatrical releases. Some analysts believe the studio may have inadvertently conditioned families to watch new movies on its popular streaming service.
In any case, Disney has fumbled pandemic-era offerings like “Lightyear,” one of the few Pixar films to lose money in its theatrical run, as well as “Encanto,” which didn’t become a viral TikTok sensation until the musical fable landed on Disney+. It’s an especially important business for Disney because it fuels the company’s consumer productions business, in addition to streaming and theme parks.
It’s not only Disney that has struggled to succeed in the animation space in pandemic times. Even as COVID cases dwindle and normal life rebounds, families have remained frustratingly selective about what they’re willing to leave the house to see. As a result, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” — both of which hail from established franchises — have been just about the only kid-friendly films to resonate with audiences in the past year. That’s a problem because movies aimed at youngsters, particularly of the animated variety, used to account for a significant chunk of the year’s overall box office returns. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” a sequel in the “Shrek” universe, will be the medium’s next big test. Universal and DreamWorks open the film on Dec. 21.
Don Hall directed “Strange World,” which features a voice cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White and Gabrielle Union as a family of legendary explorers who embark on a treacherous journey to save a mysterious land from losing its vital energy source.
