No sequel and no spin-off either: With Strange World, Disney released an animated film last week that goes back to an original idea and also with the first gay protagonists came up in the history of the studio. But the science fiction adventure failed completely at the box office.
Actually, Strange World looks fantastic. Inspired by stories from pulp magazines from the first half of the 20th century, we get to know a fascinating world. $180 million Disney has invested in colorful homages to works like King Kong and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Strange World is a really annoying Disney flop
After the launch weekend, however, one thing is clear: Strange World is one of the biggest Disney flops in years. Just $28 million the film was able to take in the box office worldwide. Variety assumes a loss of around $ 100 million. Deadline even speaks of a minus of 147 million US dollars.
You can watch the trailer for Strange World here:
Strange World – Trailer (German) HD
Now it is being discussed whether the film would not have been better off at Disney +. Last but not least, the studio has been struggling since the pandemic to position large animated films in the cinema. This was recently made clear by Pixar’s Lightyear defeat at the box office. However, the films themselves are not the problem.
Especially in the case of Strange World, the flop comes as no surprise to many fans: Disney marketed the film poorly, which is particularly disappointing given that we’re talking about a project that takes an important step forward in terms of representation. For many, it seems as if Disney intentionally let the film fail.
The main culprit is Ex-Disney boss Bob Chapek, who was replaced by Bob Iger a few days ago. Under his leadership, the studio made many questionable decisions, especially with regard to the release policy of its films. In addition, Chapek has been widely criticized for not taking a stand against Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law, the Hollywood Reporter summarizes.
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Did you see Strang World at the cinema this weekend?