Friday, March 29, 2024

Box Office Disney Disaster: New Animated Film “Strange World” Bombs in Previews with Just $800,000

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Most kids had half school days yesterday. They should have piled into theaters to see Disney’s new animated film, “Strange World.”

But they did not come in droves. Instead, “Strange World” made just $800,000 in previews. This does not augur well for Thanksgiving weekend. At that rate, “Strange World” could turn out to Disney’s lowest grossing animated film — family film — in a long, long time.

Just for context: “Lightyear,” considered a Disney bomb earlier this year, had a $5 million preview night and went on to earn $118 million domestically (and $100 million internationally).

A lot of potential audience may be thinking they’ll wait and see “Strange World” on Disney Plus. If that”s the case, theaters are in bigger trouble than anyone thought.

Already smaller films with Oscar potential are heading early to streaming. The much praised “The Banshees of Inisherin” from Disney’s Searchlight Films is going to HBO Max before December is out. This is unheard of. In the past, a movie like “Banshees” would continue playing in a limited number of theaters until awards nominations kicked in and word of mouth helped build interest.

It’s indeed a Strange World.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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