Why did MFS and EIG bomb so bad?

[BobThePizzaBoy]

I was thinking about this. According to Box Office Mojo MFSmade only $16.6 million and EIG only made $11.6 million. Just for comparison Thomas and the Magic Railroad made $15.9 million, Barney's Great Adventure made $12.2 million playing in a lot less theaters than EIG and Doug's 1st Movie made $19.4 mllion and Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie made $25.8 million. I thought that the Muppets and Sesame Street had way more appeal with audiences and more notability than those shows. Can anyone explain what happened?

 

[RedPiggy]

Personally, I didn't see all that much wrong with MFS (didn't ever see the other one ... took me awhile to figure out what the acronym was LOL). I would guess, though, that turning Gonzo from a whatever to an alien really ticked people off.

 

[frogboy4]

My idea - the films just weren't as good as the legacy

Personally I didn't like MFS. It's a better video than a theatrical film. There was so much promise, but the final piece had the Muppet cast appearing to be bored and doing very little. We know now this was a choice from the director (the same one as the eventual Garfield films). Love or hate MFS, we can all agree that the Muppets deserve the best and that just wasn't it. Sony and Henson seemed to acknowledge the film was a bomb when they yanked it from release very quickly. It ultimately had a healthy home video life. MFS bombed because it was by design the least Muppety of the 6 films. No original musical numbers, very little snappy dialogue and a lot less magic = box office flop. It caused the pubic to perceive the Muppets in an identity crisis and they were dismissed as being no longer relevant for many years. They really should have stayed with the original writers and director.

Elmo in Grouchland flopped because parents were less willing to pay for something kids can see everyday for free and classic fans don’t connect with Elmo as we do with other characters. Oscar in Grouchland might have played better. In fact – Oscar was sorely missing most of the time considering this was a Grouch-themed movie. It also wasn’t as well-written as the average special or SS episode. This came out around the time of MFS.

Ultimately both films weren’t up to snuff and the creative teams behind them seemed to know that. Both had marketing pushes, but audiences didn’t catch on so to save box office embarrassment they quickly went to video. That’s my reasoning. I hope future films learn from the mistakes of these films – don’t forsake what made you famous and hide it in the background. Push the unique classic Muppet freakiness up front and fans will come in droves.

 

[CensoredAlso]

MFS may have not have done well at the box office (and I personally think it had problems), but for reason some reason there always seems to be more copies of it in the stores than the other films. And last time I checked, it's the only Muppet movie on Hulu. Like the movie or not, I think it's a shame that it seems to get more attention than the original three films.

 

[dwayne1115]

you can find all of the Muppet movie on youtube

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yeah but I mean as far as the official company releases, there seem to be this need to push MFS more than the others.

 

[frogboy4]

Yeah but I mean as far as the official company releases, there seem to be this need to push MFS more than the others.

It's the latest release and doesn't look as dated (or have a period-look) as previous releases. That's likely why it's pushed the most. That and it's not a Disney release. It's Sony like MTM (the second most pushed Muppet film these days).

 

[Beauregard]

Muppets From Space came out in theatres when Space Movies were really huge (I don't know the exact date, but I remember associating it with Space Jam and Star Wars Phantom Menace? Am I right about that?) And for that reason, it seemed a little bit of a sell-out even before it began.

However, I also wonder whether the trailer itself was just not trying. I've always thought of the MFS trailer as being one of the worst trailers ever seen (although it had funnier lines than the movie in some places). Elmo in Grouchland seems the same. The trailer is just a mess and it's very hard to tell what's really happening.

 

[beaker]

It's the latest release and doesn't look as dated (or have a period-look) as previous releases. That's likely why it's pushed the most. That and it's not a Disney release. It's Sony like MTM (the second most pushed Muppet film these days).

For some reason, movies made between 1999(Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, Matrix, etc) and ever since look like they could have been filmed last year.

Whereas 50's, 60's, 70's, early to mid 80's, late 80's, early 90's, and mid 90's films ALL have an extremely specific and distinct time period look...most films made by 1999 and after still look new and do not look dated at all.

 

[beaker]

I think the real reason MFS royally bombed is because Muppets are underground, and its been that way since the 90's. Muppet fans seem more underground and niche than even say Firefly or Henson's own Farscape brand in some respects(certainly in an online presence)

Another big reason is because of the time: The Muppets 'retro/nostalgia=cool' phase did not kick into full force til 2002(re: Weezer's Muppet video), so this was squarely aimed at children. Well, a lot of kids aren't too familiar with the Muppets, and many might just assume it to be Sesame Street.

And finally, as Jamie said...it was in many ways too far removed from its roots.

I personally find the first 20 minutes of MFS visionary. The whole opening number in the boarding house is pure Muppet magic. I also love how this is the first time we see Pepe shine and come into his own as one of the main characters. I felt after Gonzo got kidnapped it went significantly downhill; but *since* its release on dvd Ive grown a new appreciation for it.

I would now have to say my top favorite Muppet movies/specials in order would befave to least fave)

Muppet Family Christmas
Muppets Take Manhattan
Muppet Movie
Muppets @ Walt Disney World
Muppets Remember Jim Henson
Muppets From Space
MuppetVision 3D
A Very Mery Muppet Christmas
Great Muppet Caper
Letters To Santa
Emmet Otter's Jugband
Muppets Treasure Island
Muppet Christmas Carol
Kermit's Swamp Years