Strange World is Disney’s latest big animated feature. But apparently no one knows that, because it’s tanking at the box office.
Disney’s latest animated film Strange World hit theaters over Thanksgiving weekend. It made about $11.9 million at the domestic box office, well below expectations. Ladies and gentleman, we have a flop.
According to Variety, Strange World cost Disney around $180 million to make and will need to draw around $360 million to break even. If the box office draw does not improve dramatically, the film is set to lose Disney at least $100 million.
There is part of a pattern of recent animated Disney films underwhelming at the box office; both Lightyear, which was made by the Disney-owned Pixar, and Encanto broke even, but just barely. Encanto only became a viral sensation after it landed on Disney+.
And Disney+ may be part of the issue. After Disney opted to release animated movies like Soul and Luca straight to the streaming service, families may be opting to watch animated movies at home instead of going to the theater. The only animated films to really punch hard at the box office this year were Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Strange World stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu and Alan Tudyk. The story follows a family of legendary explorers on a mysterious journey. So far, the film is getting slightly above average reviews from audiences and critics, but “slightly above average” apparently isn’t enough to inspire people. But don’t worry too much for Disney; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still raking it in.
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