For Disney, this represents one of the studio’s high-profile disappointments for the years, of which there have been several. This was the Mouse House’s latest attempt to turn a theme park attraction into a movie franchise, which is a dragon they’ve been chasing ever since “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” became a smash hit. But it’s a strategy that has truly only worked once. Even “Haunted Mansion” has now failed twice, as Eddie Murphy starred in a 2003 version that also flopped, though not quite as hard.
Disney spent $157 million — before marketing — to produce this latest iteration. It’s not even going to come close to breaking even theatrically, to put it mildly. After VOD revenue, Blu-ray sales, and whatever value it adds to Disney+ are factored in, the movie’s losses will lessen but it’s difficult to imagine this one getting close to breaking even on a reasonable timeline. On a long enough timeline, almost any movie can eventually become profitable, but that’s not really what a studio aims for with something like this.
Disney wanted another franchise. Instead, they’re left holding the bag with a sizable flop on their hands. Given that this summer’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” ($382 million worldwide/$300 million budget) is arguably the studio’s biggest flop since “John Carter,” it was a rough summer for Disney.