2019 Box Office Busts

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Dark Phoenix has already been pulled from theaters
https://heroichollywood.com/dark-pho...film-theaters/

It's a wrap.

And Godzilla will soon follow (if it hasn't already) as multiplexes are clearing the decks for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

[Immortal Weapon]

And Godzilla will soon follow (if it hasn't already) as multiplexes are clearing the decks for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Godzilla at least got the standard theatrical lifespan. X-Men being pulled in its third week is pathetic.

[Divine Spark]

Godzilla at least got the standard theatrical lifespan. X-Men being pulled in its third week is pathetic.

This is what happens when you release an off-season blockbuster with less awareness rates than Rocketman in a crowded summer slot.

[Colossus1980]

This is what happens when you release an off-season blockbuster with less awareness rates than Rocketman in a crowded summer slot.

Agree with the bad release date, disagree with the other stuff. This summer stinks. Many movies are tanking or underperforming. It's not crowded unless you are talking about mediocre box offices. Plus people were aware DP came out, they just didn't care enough in droves. I saw that link. A few dozen or so people who didn't know the release date means.

[Divine Spark]

Agree with the bad release date, disagree with the other stuff. This summer stinks. Many movies are tanking or underperforming. It's not crowded unless you are talking about mediocre box offices. Plus people were aware DP came out, they just didn't care enough in droves. I saw that link. A few dozen or so people who didn't know the release date means.

What that link says about the awareness being less than Rocketman is true. This was mentioned in a Hollywood Reporter article.

At the time, preparations for the Disney-Fox acquisition were in full swing. Marketing and publicity and distribution execs were either being forced out or had one eye on the door. "The campaign was muddled," says a former Fox executive. "Was this the final X-Men movie? Was it about a character going back? This movie just got lost."

An NRG tracking poll taken in May showed that Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios' rival superhero franchise, was rated higher than Dark Phoenix as a choice for moviegoers — and that's after Endgame had been playing in theaters for five weeks already. "Definite awareness never got a score over 75 on tracking," says one insider. "An X-Men movie had never been below 90."

"When definite awareness of Rocketman is higher than an X-Men movie, you know you're in strange territory," says another insider.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...-plans-1216859

[Theleviathan]

I saw endgame twice and there were Phoenix trailers both times. There was also one before Captain Marvel.

I wonder if the lack of awareness was more a reflection of profound disinterest than a failure of marketing. Actually, profound disinterest by the movie going public is a far better explanation than the series of excuses we've heard.

[Divine Spark]

I saw endgame twice and there were Phoenix trailers both times. There was also one before Captain Marvel.

I wonder if the lack of awareness was more a reflection of profound disinterest than a failure of marketing. Actually, profound disinterest by the movie going public is a far better explanation than the series of excuses we've heard.

The National Research Group does more than 1 million tracking-survey interviews each year and saying that are making excuses is rather silly since they did this well before the film’s release.

Not to mention blockbusters can not survive on theater previews alone, hence why studios do more than that.

The situation has had longtime employees on the Fox lot suffering a kind of prolonged trauma since the merger was announced, in December 2017. To hear them tell it, they are being issued mostly vague, Orwellian-lite guidance that outlines dress codes and explains key-card access, but they have been left wanting in terms of business directives. In the middle of February, Fox’s marketing and distribution departments gathered with the filmmakers of Dark Phoenix, the latest X-Men installment from producer-director Simon Kinberg, to lay out their plans for the film’s June release. It was a typical meeting. Ad buys were discussed, and the publicity tour for the film’s stars, including Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jessica Chastain, was laid out. But it was still disconcerting, both because of all the new faces in the room—a handful of high-end consultants have been hired temporarily to fill the jobs recently vacated by long-term employees—and because of the ad hoc approach the Fox marketing team was taking toward the film’s release, four months away.

“We know when we are dropping a trailer, but we are nowhere near where we should be at this time,” said one marketing exec who was at the meeting. “It’s frightening. I would be mad if I were a filmmaker.”

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood...y-fox-freakout

[jetengine]

I'd personally say a mixture of disinterest and fox ineptitude

[TriggerWarning]

It likely won't bust but Toy Story 4 came in with hugely disappointing numbers. It was forecast for a 150 million opening weekend and some were even wondering if it could challenge Incredibles 2 all time opening animated film record. Instead it came in well below expectation at 118 million. It currently sits at 238 million worldwide on a 200 million budget so it only needs another 100-150 million or so to get into profitability after you consider theater cut and marketing. Nonetheless it has to be considered hugely disappointing to underwhelm as it has stellar reviews.

[Theleviathan]

The National Research Group does more than 1 million tracking-survey interviews each year and saying that are making excuses is rather silly since they did this well before the film’s release.

Not to mention blockbusters can not survive on theater previews alone, hence why studios do more than that.

They arent making excuses,but you arefilling the threads with them. Tens of millions of people saw a Phoenix trailer. They know who Sophie Turner is.

The marketing was not ideal, but I think it was utterly irrelevant. People didnt care and nothing about this movie wasgoing to change that. People were willfully unaware, odd as that might sound.

[Scott Taylor]

I felt the marketing was adequate for Dark Phoenix, but it was a mistake to hire Kinsberg. Don't get me wrong, I still liked the movie quite a bit but having the guy who helmed what is arguably the worst movie in the franchise was a really bad look. If they wanted this movie to succeed they needed Singer to start with, and if Kinsberg is involved at all, they needed to hide his name somewhere in the deep recesses of the credits.

[Divine Spark]

It likely won't bust but Toy Story 4 came in with hugely disappointing numbers. It was forecast for a 150 million opening weekend and some were even wondering if it could challenge Incredibles 2 all time opening animated film record. Instead it came in well below expectation at 118 million. It currently sits at 238 million worldwide on a 200 million budget so it only needs another 100-150 million or so to get into profitability after you consider theater cut and marketing. Nonetheless it has to be considered hugely disappointing to underwhelm as it has despite stellar reviews.

Well, there was a study a couple of years back that said Rotten Tomatoes does not effect a film’s performance negatively or positively.

https://variety.com/2017/film/news/r...ds-1202554546/

They arent making excuses,but you arefilling the threads with them. Tens of millions of people saw a Phoenix trailer. They know who Sophie Turner is.

The marketing was not ideal, but I think it was utterly irrelevant. People didnt care and nothing about this movie wasgoing to change that. People were willfully unaware, odd as that might sound.

Are you assuming they all watch Game of Thrones?

[Immortal Weapon]

It likely won't bust but Toy Story 4 came in with hugely disappointing numbers. It was forecast for a 150 million opening weekend and some were even wondering if it could challenge Incredibles 2 all time opening animated film record. Instead it came in well below expectation at 118 million. It currently sits at 238 million worldwide on a 200 million budget so it only needs another 100-150 million or so to get into profitability after you consider theater cut and marketing. Nonetheless it has to be considered hugely disappointing to underwhelm as it has despite stellar reviews.

It got a bigger opening then Toy Story 3 so it had that going for it. I feel it will still make a profit as long as it doesn't take a huge dip on the second weekend.

[AJBopp]

They arent making excuses,but you arefilling the threads with them. Tens of millions of people saw a Phoenix trailer. They know who Sophie Turner is.

The marketing was not ideal, but I think it was utterly irrelevant. People didnt care and nothing about this movie wasgoing to change that. People were willfully unaware, odd as that might sound.

Just an anecdote: Not only do I not know who Sophie Turner is, I don't know whether that's a character or an actor.

Also, one of the reason you might not go all-in on marketing is when you discover that the marketing you are doing isn't generating word of mouth. If you promote something and people don't start getting excited about it, you legitimately don't go all-in on it, you experiment a little, try to find something that resonates that gives a reason and direction to go all-in on.

Dark Phoenix, for good or ill, just had a severe general audience response of No Curiosity. I don't think that was the fault of marketing.

[Theleviathan]

Well, there was a study a couple of years back that said Rotten Tomatoes does not effect a film’s performance negatively or positively.

https://variety.com/2017/film/news/r...ds-1202554546/

Are you assuming they all watch Game of Thrones?

No, in fact, they may be a whole other chunk of people. The GoT folks might have been another source in addition to MCU folks.

We know tens of millions went to see Endgame. Presumably that audience would entertain going to another comic book movie if they were into the preview or the concept right? Yet not only did they not go to the movie, they didn't even care enough to consider going to it. I doubt a major marketing push was going to change their mind.