Muppets Most Wanted Box Office Numbers

[galagr]

At this point we're stressing over stuff beyond our control. Heck, this was never in our control. The movie did worse than everyone expected and that's that. I hate seeing all this arguing over whether it was successful or not. Correcting people by saying "look at this, it made 23 cents more in Zimbabwe than it did with the last film, it must be more successful!". You can rattle off any excuse you want and that doesn't change the fact that the movie under performed. Oh, well. No use dwelling on it. This isn't the end of the Muppets. Let's just move on, and have fun speculating the next big project!

 

[Pinkflower7783]

My mom taught me if I don't have anything nice to say not to say anything at all. So that's what I'm gonna do. :X

 

[jvcarroll]

At this point we're stressing over stuff beyond our control. Heck, this was never in our control. The movie did worse than everyone expected and that's that. I hate seeing all this arguing over whether it was successful or not. Correcting people by saying "look at this, it made 23 cents more in Zimbabwe than it did with the last film, it must be more successful!". You can rattle off any excuse you want and that doesn't change the fact that the movie under performed. Oh, well. No use dwelling on it. This isn't the end of the Muppets. Let's just move on, and have fun speculating the next big project!

Um...isn't that what forums are mostly about? None of this is within our control, but it's fun to discuss it.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Um...isn't that what forums are mostly about? None of this is within our control, but it's fun to discuss it.

Oh good you were nicer then the reply I had in mind.

 

[RealWonderman]

I choose the optimistic example of Jim over the pessimism I've been hearing from the usual suspects. Here are the facts:

• Muppets Most Wanted underperformed, but not in a tragic way like Muppets From Space. That was yanked from the theaters within ten days of release and fast-tracked to home video.
• The marketing for the home video release has already begun with the new Lipton Tea ads. This success will likely be the predictor of their fuzzy futures.
• It's a generally well reviewed film, even though it didn't hit the same mark as the previous movie.
• MMW is more of an authentic Muppet movie in the tradition of Jim's first three. There's no opinion here. The writing, direction and music follow the classic template much more closely.
• Even with all the promotion from Disney, March movies have always been a hard-sell.
• Modern auds seem to have difficulty with humor that combines silliness with sophistication. Subversive humor generally flies over their heads. Monty Python wouldn't likely fare much better at the modern box office. I hope this trend changes.
• The Muppets have always been a hard-sell since the age of The Muppet Show. They're misfits trapped in the changing landscape of entertainment and they've got company. Even movie stars are turning to television and streaming services because the silver screen only wants sparkly vampires, giant robots and super heroes. That seems like a bad thing, but it's really just growing pains of an industry. In fact, it's an exciting time.
• Lastly, the Muppets aren't leaving. They're exploring other avenues that reportedly include Broadway, television and internet appearances. Few people go to the movies anymore. The Muppets are going to where the people are. Where they can get more bang for their buck.

I understand that not everyone loved the last film. I did!! Very much so! But those who didn't enjoy it need not preach doom and gloom for the franchise. I find that to be premature and kind of petty. I agree that if/when they return to the silver screen one day, it will be under different writers and likely a different director. I think it's time to give Thatcher a shot at it. Right now, I'd rather see them in a new show or maybe some Muppet Show-like specials. That last option is certainly less expensive and would be more widely watched.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL OF THIS!!! Yes, yes, yes and yes.

 

[goldenstate5]

Really, honestly, in the nicest way possible: anyone who doesn't think MMW underperformed at the box office is absolutely delusional. It made 10 million less WORLDWIDE than the predecessor's DOMESTIC total. I don't think any Disney execs were content with that.

Instead right now, what's happening behind the scenes is that they are focusing on pushing the movie BIG on DVD to see if the Muppets will have better traction on the home video market. (I've already seen TV spots and a lot of online advertising, not to mention the Disney Drive On series that they've apparently had in their back pocket for a long while) After that they'll likely review other options that are anything but a theatrical feature.

My best guess is that Disney initially saw after the success of the 2011 Muppets is that they had their answer to Sony's Smurfs in a cheap, nostalgia-based family franchise. But now they're probably just revising their intentions. And as I said in an earlier post: I'm totally, totally cool with that.

Between the 2012 Muppets Blu-Ray release and the 2014 release of MMW, the characters and franchise sort of went into mothballs for two years without a peep. That would likely happen again with a third Muppets film. I'm excited to see what they'll do with the characters next.

 

[Muppet Master]

Really, honestly, in the nicest way possible: anyone who doesn't think MMW underperformed at the box office is absolutely delusional. It made 10 million less WORLDWIDE than the predecessor's DOMESTIC total. I don't think any Disney execs were content with that.

Instead right now, what's happening behind the scenes is that they are focusing on pushing the movie BIG on DVD to see if the Muppets will have better traction on the home video market. (I've already seen TV spots and a lot of online advertising, not to mention the Disney Drive On series that they've apparently had in their back pocket for a long while) After that they'll likely review other options that are anything but a theatrical feature.

My best guess is that Disney initially saw after the success of the 2011 Muppets is that they had their answer to Sony's Smurfs in a cheap, nostalgia-based family franchise. But now they're probably just revising their intentions. And as I said in an earlier post: I'm totally, totally cool with that.

Between the 2012 Muppets Blu-Ray release and the 2014 release of MMW, the characters and franchise sort of went into mothballs for two years without a peep. That would likely happen again with a third Muppets film. I'm excited to see what they'll do with the characters next.

They NEED a web series like "Disney Drive-On" like weekly, that way the muppets won't be forgotten. They should have done this in 2013 before MMW came out to keep audiences.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Honestly it would've been a good way to even start promoting MMW!

 

[goldenstate5]

Like I said in the other thread, I think that was originally the intention but for some reason they didn't use it.

 

[Muppet Master]

Honestly, MMW's advertising should really just have been all about the wedding, since that's the only thing non-muppet fans care about. People would come flocking to see the frog and the pig tie the knot, and end up loving MMW, because of the movie itself.