Muppets Most Wanted Box Office Numbers

[DutchMuppet]

Yesterday I had the cinema for myself. I was the only one. On the one hand: Pretty awesome feeling. On the other: I missed the laughing from other people. Officially it's the second week and the box office numbers in Europe are just so poor as they were in the USA. In the premiere week they only reached sixth place. Next week they will not be in the top 10. In Europe Muppets lost from Rio 2. Big time. That's too bad but I can't blame the people. There was no advertisement whatsoever. There was one interview with Constantine in a program that was poorly watched. The biggest cinema company tried to begin a social campaign but without the big bucks from Disney, they stopped. I spoke with someone at the company and he said he felt that Disney just gave up. It was a flop in the USA, so they weren't giving a lot of money for advertisement.

 

[Slackbot]

This makes me saaaaad.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I rest my case, but at MC it's not a flop apparently.

 

[Slackbot]

I'm unwatching this thread because it's pointless going around in circles. It's time we move on too I think

 

[Reevz1977]

Can I jump in and say it's not a flop but didn't do the business Disney expected? I think(!!) it's running a $12,000,000 profit including overseas at the moment. I don't think any company, regardless of size, would balk at a $12,000,000 profit - it's not as good as a $10000000000000 profit but better than a $1 loss!

 

[Muppet Master]

Can I jump in and say it's not a flop but didn't do the business Disney expected? I think(!!) it's running a $12,000,000 profit including overseas at the moment. I don't think any company, regardless of size, would balk at a $12,000,000 profit - it's not as good as a $10000000000000 profit but better than a $1 loss!

Yes that's what I've been trying to say since it's made its budget. A flop is when a film does not reach its budget from the domestic box office, I don't know about anyone else, but I actually track BO every week, and have been doing it since 2011, and when a movie passes its budget every so slightly it's not a flop, just a dissapointment.

 

[Muppet Master]

Also I do blame all this on Lady Gaga....worst cross promotion ever.

I can just imagine a parent turning it on, and seeing the first five minutes, turning it off, and vowing to not let their kids see a movie that was promotd by the lady gaga stripper show.

 

[JustAMuppetFan]

It didn't flop. It made back it's budget exactly, so it's as if Disney never lost money on it.

Actually only half of a film's theatrical gross actually goes back to the studio. The other half goes to the theatre chains. So in reality, Disney has only earned between $30-35 on their initial $50 million investment. Although it is not included in the production budget, the marketing and promotion cost does matter in the long run (just take a look at The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to see how important marketing costs really are to a studio's wallet). This film had at least a $30 million marketing budget. Money spent is money spent. And before someone labels me as a pessimist too, let it be known that (on all other accounts besides box office) I personally view the film as a success. Let's all just remember that the film's box office performance is just a hurdle that the franchise has stumbled on. The Muppet marathon isn't over! The Blu-ray and DVD releases are next!

 

[LouisTheOtter]

I think we can all agree that MMW didn't do the business Disney might have hoped for, particularly given the performance of TM2011 and the relentless media push Disney gave the movie in the first three months of 2014. (I mean, seriously, people - they even bought the freakin' Super Bowl pre-game show!!!)

But, with all due respect to others' opinions, I just can't see Disney shutting down the Muppets for 5-10 years in retaliation for MMW's so-so box office showing. I just can't.

Whether it's a return to TV (in a regular series or specials), virals, direct-to-home-video productions, an original music album or well-timed cameo appearances, I can't see Disney not doing SOMETHING with this franchise after they've invested so much time, money and creative energy in reviving the brand and keeping it fresh.

Think of all the obscure characters that were rebuilt for the last two movies - all the effort put into the advertising tie-ins (especially Lipton and Toyota) - the Muppets' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Jim Henson being named a "Disney Legend" - I'm sorry, but you can't convince me that Disney didn't have any plans for this franchise beyond a couple of theatrical releases.

And you know, we've all groused about the supposed disappearance of the Muppets between MFS and TM2011, but think about it: During that "disappearance" (including seven years of Disney ownership before the Segel-Stoller-Bobin comeback movie), we got:

* Two TV movies (VMX, MWoO), the direct-to-video KSY, and a Christmas TV special (LTS)
* A wonderful Grammy-winning album (A Green and Red Christmas)
* One of the best Muppet books EVER, Before You Leap (by Kermit via Jim Lewis)
* Studio DC Almost Live and amazing cameos on the likes of SNL and 30 Rock
* The release of the first three seasons of TMS on DVD (yes, yes, we want the next two, I know, but it's a start)...
* Wildly successful virals including "Bohemian Rhapsody" that scared up a shocking 20-million-plus YouTube hits

Now, obviously, we differ on the quality and overall appeal of the productions I've just mentioned but my point is this: One bad box-office showing didn't kill the Muppets. MMW's numbers are disappointing but there's just too much momentum to keep the gang in cold storage.

I look forward to the big media push for DVD/Blu-Ray sales in July and August (I expect Fallon and Kimmel to lead the way here - I still smile when I think of the Electric Mayhem doing "Can You Picture That" on Kimmel for TM2011's home release) and I also look forward to the world finally discovering - and re-discovering - that the Muppets still know how to make a quality picture.

 

[JustAMuppetFan]

One bad box-office showing didn't kill the Muppets. MMW's numbers are disappointing but there's just too much momentum to keep the gang in cold storage.

*Raises glass*