Josh D’Amaro, CEO of Disney, recently acknowledged that the live-action remake of Moana and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu didn’t quite live up to the company’s box office expectations. But, as is often the case in the world of Hollywood, a lackluster theatrical performance doesn’t necessarily mean a complete loss. It seems that both films managed to drive sales in other areas, such as merchandise and gaming, which is a nice consolation prize, I suppose.
D’Amaro noted that The Mandalorian and Grogu led to “healthy growth in retail sales for the Star Wars franchise” and even drew in visitors to the updated Millennium Falcon attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The live-action Moana, on the other hand, is expected to perform well on Disney+, because who needs a strong theatrical run when you can just stream it, right? The company’s earnings statement reiterated that these franchise investments contributed to value creation beyond their theatrical releases, which is just a fancy way of saying that they’re still making money, even if it’s not from ticket sales.
The Never-Ending Quest for Franchise Domination
It’s worth noting that The Mandalorian and Grogu only managed to rake in $345 million at the global box office, which is significantly lower than previous Star Wars films. The live-action Moana hasn’t fared much better, with a current box office total of $262 million against a reported $250 million production budget. But hey, as long as the merchandise is selling and the theme park attractions are bustling, who needs a successful movie, right? It’s all about the brand, baby!
Disney is, of course, looking ahead to its future releases, including Avengers: Doomsday in December. Because what’s a year without another Marvel movie, am I right? The studio is likely hoping to replicate the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which broke box office records and proved that people will still shell out money to see the same characters and storylines rehashed over and over again. It’s a bold strategy, but hey, it seems to be working for them so far.
The Merchandising Machine Keeps On Churning
In the end, it’s all about the benjamins, baby. And if that means churning out subpar movies that still manage to sell a ton of merchandise, then so be it. After all, as the great philosopher once said, “A franchise is only as strong as its merchandise sales.” Okay, maybe nobody actually said that, but it sounds like something a Hollywood executive would say, doesn’t it? Somewhere, a marketing team is high-fiving each other over the success of their merchandising campaign, completely oblivious to the fact that the actual movie was a disappointment. Ah, the magic of Hollywood.
And so, the cycle continues. Another year, another batch of lackluster movies, another slew of merchandise opportunities. It’s enough to make one wonder if the actual art of filmmaking has taken a backseat to the almighty dollar. But hey, as long as the machine keeps on churning, who needs originality or creativity, right? The Content Mines remain fully operational, after all.
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
