supernova8
Banned
Ugh Awkwafina lol no thank you.
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The Little Mermaid Live Action (no politics)
- Thread starter Marvel14
- Start date
Lord Panda
The Sea is Always Right
Ariel sounding like a raspy chain-smoker not your thing then? Shame.
supernova8
Banned
Basically Asian Amy Schumer knock off
GymWolf
Member
How the hell did this piece of shit costed 250 mil??
yazenov
Member
Many people expected TLM to reach Aladdin numbers of 1B, but now they are moving the gold post to 500 Million if they are lucky. It is estimated to break even with the budget and marking cost of around 600 to 700 million. So the movie is a flop for Disney no matter how they slice or spin it. 500 Million is way below initial expectations as they were comparing it to Aladdin.
Also, note that ticket prices are higher on average than when Aladdin was released, so fewer people actually watched the movie domestically than Aladdin. And Internationally, this movie is a certified dud.
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Tams
Member
I think people thought Aladdin could have been much more. It certainly wasn't bad though.
And Will Smith as Genie? Honestly the best bit.
Lunarorbit
Member
It seems like all underwater set movies are expensive.
supernova8
Banned
Just a shame he didn't slap Aladdin and shout
"Get mah three wishes out of your motha fucken mooouth!"
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Tams
Member
The lad needed it!
Princess Jasmine absolutely gagging for him and it takes him the entire film to get with her.
Umbasaborne
Banned
I dont think any new disney lazy live action remakes will. Those movies were all pre pandemic. I think now that people have had time, they realized how soulless so much of disneys output is.
I actually kinda liked aladdin and beauty and the beast, but lion king is where i lost the plot. “Hey, lets take a beloved 90 minutes childrens movie about talking lions, and turn it into a 2 plus hour long epic that has none of the soul of the original”.
Then i tried watching mulan. Again, the animated one is an all time classic, the new one was boring as fuck.
Lilo and stich, and the upcoming moana (you know disney is truly creatively bakrupt when they are remaking gorgeous modern cg movies from 2016) will have none of the soul of their source material, and be padded out for length
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RoboFu
One of the green rats
Disney gave it a 80 million marketing budget. That’s enough to make a whole other movie. Which means it’s probably more bought reviews than actual agenda pushing.
Now the agenda pushing parts of the movie are what ultimately make it just a mediocre movie. There is a lot of changes to the ending just for stupidity and agenda sake that totally kill the pacing even though the movie ends up with same outcome as the original. Instead of saying “ they got married and lived happily ever after” they try to fill in the details that no one needs just to make it known that she decides it and totally kills the climatic ending.
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kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Deadline says the TLM got a 140 million marketing budget. See https://deadline.com/2023/05/little-mermaid-box-office-profit-loss-halle-bailey-1235383099/
FunkMiller
Gold Member
The spin on this one from the Hollywood press is quite something.
It's going to do half Aladdin's business. That's the truth.
And with a budget of 250 million, and marketing of 140 million, that's a flop for Disney.
It's going to do half Aladdin's business. That's the truth.
And with a budget of 250 million, and marketing of 140 million, that's a flop for Disney.
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yazenov
Member
Yeah, and they need to reach 600 million to break even some people are estimating, as cinemas take a huge cut from the revenue, similar to games where the platform owners and retailers take a huge cut from the $60 game sales.
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Billbofet
Member
Yeah, this looks like it will land right next to Ant-Man, which was almost universally considered a flop.
It is odd to see all the articles saying it is doing "swimmingly."
These films really are just hooks for the merchandise. Thats where kid films reap the $$$. So if Disney can sell a few billion $$$ worth of Ariel toys, t-shirts, bedsheets, night gowns, swim suits, yogurt cups, juice boxes, cereal, marshmallow sprinkles, etc etc then that is where they count their chickens.
We'll see if there are some quiet "executive reshuffling" maneuvers behind the scenes like they are currently doing with some of the Lightyear crew as I'm sure that casting was contentious and some folks had to put their careers on the line for it. Would TLM have made $300-400 mill more with a more conventional casting choice? Would it have done EVEN LESS without all the free publicity the casting created?
Disney overall is looking to have a rough summer, other than GOTG3 I'm not sure any of their releases are really gonna light up the box office (and even GOTG3 just hit the "usual" MCU level, while Ant-man3 def underperformed). Indy is not gonna make a profit if that $300 mill budget is true. Elemental? Haunted Mansion? Seems unlikely. They had some really kickass seasons though, so a little choppy water and rethinking directions might work out well for them.
Of course Disney is also funnelling money from one section to another, so that marketing is probably 50% back to themselves as they own so many outlets. Plus the production of these films is probably VERY inflated (i.e. it's factoring in giant computer systems and production house building) so even a "loss" is just a tax write off leaving long term assets in place. It's not like they gotta destroy all the digital sets like with physical stuff, all the tech they develop for these films just fuels the next one.
We'll see if there are some quiet "executive reshuffling" maneuvers behind the scenes like they are currently doing with some of the Lightyear crew as I'm sure that casting was contentious and some folks had to put their careers on the line for it. Would TLM have made $300-400 mill more with a more conventional casting choice? Would it have done EVEN LESS without all the free publicity the casting created?
Disney overall is looking to have a rough summer, other than GOTG3 I'm not sure any of their releases are really gonna light up the box office (and even GOTG3 just hit the "usual" MCU level, while Ant-man3 def underperformed). Indy is not gonna make a profit if that $300 mill budget is true. Elemental? Haunted Mansion? Seems unlikely. They had some really kickass seasons though, so a little choppy water and rethinking directions might work out well for them.
Of course Disney is also funnelling money from one section to another, so that marketing is probably 50% back to themselves as they own so many outlets. Plus the production of these films is probably VERY inflated (i.e. it's factoring in giant computer systems and production house building) so even a "loss" is just a tax write off leaving long term assets in place. It's not like they gotta destroy all the digital sets like with physical stuff, all the tech they develop for these films just fuels the next one.
Trunx81
Member
Aladdin was decent. The main cast did a good job, the new song (Speechless) was catchy and they didn´t stray that much from the formula.
I´ll never forgive the Lion King:RE for cutting "Be prepared" short, it´s the best song of the whole OR movie.
Pinocchio was terrible.
Maleficent had at least an original story.
Cinderella, who kicked of the whole Real Life Action franchise, was ok.
Jungle Book was great (especially the "thats propaganda" joke from Baloo).
But please don´t tell me that they are REALLY trying to make a life action Moana? Do they want The Rock to reprise his role while he´s still young enough or what?
I´ll never forgive the Lion King:RE for cutting "Be prepared" short, it´s the best song of the whole OR movie.
Pinocchio was terrible.
Maleficent had at least an original story.
Cinderella, who kicked of the whole Real Life Action franchise, was ok.
Jungle Book was great (especially the "thats propaganda" joke from Baloo).
But please don´t tell me that they are REALLY trying to make a life action Moana? Do they want The Rock to reprise his role while he´s still young enough or what?
AmuroChan
Member
TLM should turn a profit by the end of its run. With that said, there's no way that Disney's internal projection for this movie was only in the $500m range. Amongst classic Disney animated films, TLM is in that very top tier. Disney cannot be happy if the movie only grosses $500m globally. Also, the "it's good for post-Covid" excuse has got to stop. That excuse is justifiable in 2020 and 2021, but certainly not 2023. 3 of the top 12 highest grossing movies of all time were released post-pandemic. A 4th (Mario movie) may join that list soon.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
How is it damage control? It's just pure facts. Aladdin came out in 2019 and made that $1 billion is a fact. It was also the 9th highest-grossing film of that year! Movies in general aren't making what they used to make in the theatre. Plus.......the fact that TLM is making over half of it's money in North America is better for profit. Like you said they get more money in those theaters, than the international ones. Most people put the break-even point at or around $550 million. Being at $326 million after 9 days isn't a flop. Now if it doesn't get to $400m world-wide, then it would be a flop. It making basically no money in China has hurt, but stop trying so hard to make it a flop.
Batiman
Banned
I like Will as the genie. But as of late I can’t stand to even see him anymore. He just rubs me the wrong way now. I always thought he was one of the most likeable guys in Hollywood.
Trunx81
Member
maybe if you rub his wife, he grants you three wishes?
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Dude......only one movie so far this year has hit $1 Billion world-wide. The post-pandemic world is different. It's just a fact. We live in a different world now where streaming movies are a legitimate option. And especially with movies leaving theaters earlier than they ever have.
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
The damage control is that tweet saying that Aladdin and The Little Mermaid are on the same box office trajectory. A $500 million dollar BO isn't a good outcome when a movie cost $250 mil plus $140 mil marketing as stated by Deadline. TLM would have to haul in $780 million at the global box office just to break even. That's completely out of the question at this point.
Tams
Member
maybe if you rub his wife, he grants you three wishes?
Nah, she just abuses and bullies you for social media.
AmuroChan
Member
I didn't say the post-pandemic world wasn't different. If you think Disney's internal projection for TLM's boxoffice is no higher than $500m, I got a bridge to sell you. As I said, 3 of the top 12 highest grossing movies of ALL TIME were released post-pandemic, and that's not counting Mario which is still in theaters and already in the top 20.
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Oh okay gotcha. Yeah, that part is stretching a bit considering the cost for both. And anybody thinking TLM or any movie is a walk in the park to $1 Billion has another thing coming. Mario hitting it is HUGE!!! But Mario is also literally the biggest and most well-known video game character in human history and has never had a good movie made of him. So that movie hitting it (after seeing the good reviews from regular people) isn't a big surprise to me.
If Flash is as good as they say it is, may not make $800 million. And it cost $220 million to make too.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Oh I'm sure Disney thought TLM was going to do $1 billion. They seem to be a little lost, which is why they got rid of their old leadership. TLM shouldn't have been as long as it is (even though I liked the movie). It's at least 20 minutes too long.
But I checked the Billion dollar club. 52 movies are on the list.
- Only 4 combined are post-pandemic (2020 - Now).
- 9 are from 2019
- 5 are from 2018
- 4 are from 2017
- 4 are from 2016
AmuroChan
Member
Even though Flash has been getting good reviews, I just can't see it hitting $800m. There's too much baggage associated with that movie and the current DCEU is dead. Black Adam and Shazam both flopped hard. I think DC just wants to recoup as much costs as possible, but they're really just looking forward to 2025 when Superman Legacy kicks off the new DCU.
GoTG Vol. 3 will hit $800m. Fast X has a chance to hit that if the international boxoffice remains strong for a few more weeks. Indy and MI: Dead reckoning should hit $800m as well.
Yes, keep in mind that two of those are in the $2B club (Avatar, No Way Home). And the other (TGM) grossed way over $1B at $1.48B. Mario is already at $1.3B. So these movies went way over $1B. The point is, audience will show up for the right movie, even post-pandemic. I don't think anyone was saying definitely TLM should've hit $1B, but $750m-$800m is a totally reasonable expectation.
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
You think Indy has a shot at $800m?! No way I can see that after the last movie did under $800m and was considered an overall bad flick. I'd be shocked if it did $500m at this point. But I guess we'll see.
AmuroChan
Member
I think this being pitched as Harrison Ford's final appearance as Indy may get more people to come out and see him one last time. Also, Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls did not get a China release, whereas Dial of Destiny will.
Azurro
Banned
Doubt it, the movie is basically forgotten in the international box office, it will be a miracle if it makes above 600 million dollars. Another Disney flop, guess all of those initiatives to spread THE MESSAGE are not resulting in profit.
Azurro
Banned
No one is trying to make it a flop. If the movie doesn't make its money back plus profit to cover inflation, then it's a flop, that's it. This movie more than likely will not make its money back, what else do you want to call it?
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Doubt it, the movie is basically forgotten in the international box office, it will be a miracle if it makes above 600 million dollars. Another Disney flop, guess all of those initiatives to spread THE MESSAGE are not resulting in profit.
The movie did the following.....
- Made $120 domesically the first weekend.
- Made $326 million world-wide in 9 days
- Has an "A" Cinema Score
- Has a 68% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics (meaning they viewed it as good, but with some flaws)
- Has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes audience score
So, I guess the initiative to make sure it's viewed as a flop and ignored hasn't worked either lol
There's something between the words, FLOP and RAGING SUCCESS. I hate this new-age binary internet world we live in now. Now breaking even is considered a flop. And a hit movie is "teh great3st moviez of all timez!"
I'm actually kinda curious WHY the movie is so domestic heavy. Is it the IP, does TLM not have much resonance overseas? Was it not marketed as much? Is there some other competition (Mario still going strong, delayed release?). Or was the casting an even bigger problem in overseas markets? This film is DYING in China, why? I hope the dismal performance of so many films, even ones that were "designed" to appeal to chinese audiences, convinces Hollywood to limit their scope a bit and stay closer to home.
Azurro
Banned
You mean the manipulated critics and audience ratings? Tell me you are incredibly biased without telling me you are incredibly biased. And dude, the budget plus marketing is enormous, it needs to make 600 million+ to even break even. You can desperately try to paint it as something else, but THE MESSAGE is losing money.
No, your movie is a flop if it doesn't make money. It will be another in the line of Disney movies that lost money because it focuses on THE MESSAGE rather than on being a good movie.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
The IP historically has done about a 50-50 split with domestic and international sales. But the movie did come out on May 26th and Spiderverse just came out this weekend so that could play a part in it. But I think the casting was an actual issue in China and some overseas markets. I think the casting in America has been a net-neutral position. Some have a personal ban on it whereas others personally went out to support it to "fight back" against all the casting talk.
This my friends is when the internet starts to infect the minds of our citizens. The bolded clearly shows that you are infected. Because had the movie scored in the 30s on RT you would been laughing. Had it gotten a C+ Cinema Score, you would have been laughing.
Just face the pure facts that some many people actually liked the movie. That's fine! You aren't losing any war. And you must also think that TLM isn't going to make a dime outside of the theater too huh?
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Azurro
Banned
You are really misinformed, rotten tomatoes outright said that their score is weighted. I am genuinely puzzled, are you trying to gaslight yourself into thinking a movie that loses money, that has an rt score in the 60s is a success?
Why are you so invested in this movie being a success to the point that you lie to yourself? Big fan of THE MESSAGE?
GymWolf
Member
Azurro
Banned
True. From his post, the only thing that he was kinda right about is that I despise the people pushing this. It's divisive, it is regressive, racist, its intent is to erase European and western culture, so I'm really glad the pendulum is beginning to swing back.
FunkMiller
Gold Member
And Disney can’t even scream RACISM!!!! because Across The Spiderverse just smashed its first weekend box office with a black lead.
Actually, an even MORE "poc" lead, since Miles is half black/half puerto-rican, while Ariel is half black/half white (and, I guess, half fish as well).
The racism accusation is pure PR drivel. If the new TLM had given her ANY other name besides "Ariel" I think so many problems could have been avoided. I suppose the lawyers mandated it so Disney can lock down the "Ariel=little mermaid" connection for distant future copywrite but that one decision really perplexes.
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
Look at who you are discussing with. You should have realized what they would do.
mcjmetroid
Member
Well yes. He was always the likeable cool funny guy.
He did the unfunniest uncoolest thing in front of the largest audience possible. I think he would have been better off if he shat his pants instead on stage. At least that would have been funny.
So ya it's hard to take him seriously in anything anymore. He should probably stick to maybe indie films to build up his reputation again.
Toons
Member
If it gets a full summer run it will likely do better than 500.
I thought this film was gonna make a bil initially but after seeing they released it a week before the most competitive theatrical month in almost 5 years I can't think they expected it too. I certainly dont.
It still hasn't released in every country either.
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AmuroChan
Member
Japan is the only big international market it hasn't opened in yet. It's already opened in China, France, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Australia, Spain, Germany, and the UK. So if the TLM is looking for a big bump internationally, it's not looking very likely.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
- RT has always been weighted. That hasn't stopped people from using those scores before.
- I have no investment on the movie being a success. If it is, then it is. If it isn't, then it isn't. I've asked you a genuine question. Is there something between flop and success?
Why would literally any functional brain having person blame racism on TLM financial success or failure?
Learn to have a functional conversation without taking needless jabs.
balls of snow
Member
So just like how that Aladdin dude is lighting up the screen with blockbuster after blockbuster (not), will this Ariel have a career after this I wonder.
For reference:
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Aladdin5bc0bf86693f3-2000-2861424a8df048e9aed21dc2fff24c6b.jpg)
ew.com
For reference:
'Aladdin' star Mena Massoud says he hasn't 'had a single audition' since film came out
The movie grossed more than $1 billion at the box office. Massoud isn't feeling that love from Hollywood.
Yah...Im sure that will stop them.