Walt Disney Animation Studios’ newly released feature film Strange World failed to make an impact at the box office, and many viewers attributed its poor performance to Disney’s lackluster marketing efforts. According to Variety, Strange World made $11.9 million domestically over the weekend from 4,174 cinemas, and the total gross for the five-day Thanksgiving holiday frame was $18.6 million in the United States. The film grossed $27.8 million worldwide. However, Strange World’s $18.6 domestic opening revenue comes in well below the already modest estimates of $30-40 million. Strange World’s opening weekend is also one of Disney’s worst in modern times, just ahead of the 2021 remake of West Side Story, which earned $10.5 million from its own opening weekend in December 2021. Significantly withdrawn—which seems unlikely at this stage—would lose at least $100 million in theatrical release. Given its $180 million production budget and additional marketing and distribution fees, the film would have to gross around $360 million to stay head-to-head. “Normally at this time of year, a Disney family movie gets a lot of attention. It shows that we’re still recovering and adapting to the constraints of the pandemic,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior Comscore analyst. “This is a weak opening by Disney animation standards. With a $180 million cost plus marketing expenses, the movie would end up in the red even with a decent side income,” added David A. Gross, director of Franchise Entertainment Research. Film consulting firm Strange World Box Office Reflects Treasure Planet However, many commenters and viewers on social media seem convinced that Disney’s Strange World marketing is exactly the problem. Numerous users claim to have seen almost no promotional material for the movie in the past few months, and things are just getting started a week before its theatrical release. What’s more, many have drawn parallels between Strange World and Treasure Planet, the 2002 animated movie that didn’t premiere on Thanksgiving weekend 20 years ago, which is believed to be a similarly lackluster marketing campaign by Disney. But despite being bombed at the box office, Treasure Planet has continued to form a cult over the years. Strange World Now in Theaters There are other potential reasons for Strange World’s disappointing performance, some think it has something to do with its place on Disney’s release schedule. Strange World premiered in theaters on November 1. 23 — Less than two weeks after the premiere of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and just three weeks before the premiere of 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way of Water, both support post games are under the Disney umbrella. it is entering. Reviews for Strange World are also solid but not spectacular. At the time of writing, the animated film has an approval rating of 74 percent against an audience rating of 60 percent from Rotten Tomatoes critics. As Dergarabedian points out, the economy is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, with continued inflation potentially impacting moviegoers’ spending decisions. Strange World is currently playing in theaters. Source: Diversity; excitement (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
