Disney Making Movie About The Worst Canceled Ride?
With Haunted Mansion receiving a lackluster response at the box office, grossing a mere $24.1 million in its opening weekend under Justin Simien’s direction, it appears highly improbable that Disney has immediate plans for another theme park attraction-based movie. Despite this, Simien is reportedly eager to take on a new project inspired by a different Walt Disney theme park ride. According to Screen Rant, the 40-year-old director has expressed interest in developing a movie based on the now-closed Captain EO attraction.
Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien wants to bring the defunct Disney Captain EO 3D experience to movie theaters.
During San Diego Comic-Con, Simien shared his experiences and insights into the process of transforming The Haunted Mansion, a Disney ride, into a full-length movie. Despite Captain EO not being a ride in the traditional sense, he confirmed his readiness to adapt it into a motion picture. With a sense of excitement, he proclaimed, “Captain EO, let’s go.”
Launched in Disneyland in 1986, Captain EO distinguished itself as an innovative 3D science-fiction attraction, captivating visitors for over a decade. Despite its initial success, the Disney attraction closed in 1997. This immersive experience also had its presence in Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris, but all these versions ceased operations a year after the original’s closure.
Helmed by legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, the Captain EO attraction featured Michael Jackson as the eponymous hero leading a ragtag crew of aliens on a mission to bring a message of love and music to the oppressive ruler of a dystopian planet.
The 17-minute short film was a grand spectacle, blending the magic of Disney with the unparalleled talent of the King of Pop. It brought a never-before-seen form of entertainment into the world.
The revolutionary blend of 3D film effects and in-theater experiences, such as lasers and smoke, made the Captain EO attraction a pioneering effort in 4D entertainment. Produced at the zenith of the MTV era and the golden age of music videos, the immersive attraction reflected the cutting-edge creativity of the time.
Its estimated $30 million budget made it one of the most expensive films per minute ever produced, highlighting the significant investment Disney made in this forward-thinking project.
Captain EO was a 17-minute film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Michael Jackson that ran for nearly a decade at Disney parks around the world.
Disney has a long history of adapting its theme park rides into movies, with varying degrees of success. However, the tepid response and less-than-stellar box office earnings for Haunted Mansion may suggest that it’s time for the company to reevaluate this strategy. This might serve as a hint for Disney to pause the practice of turning rides into films, potentially redirecting their attention towards creating original intellectual properties.
Haunted Mansion, released on July 28, has managed to pull in a modest $38.7 million during its first week. Considering the film’s sizable production budget of $150 million, a figure likely matched by its marketing costs, the movie needs to rake in around $500 million to be profitable for Disney. However, even reaching the break-even point of about $300 million seems challenging, though the final outcome is yet to be determined.
The next Disney theme park ride to become a feature film is Tower of Terror, starring Scarlett Johansson.
The second cinematic adaptation of the beloved Walt Disney theme park ride following the 2003 version, Haunted Mansion tells the story of a single mother, Gabbie, who enlists the help of a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to rid her newly bought mansion of resident ghosts.
The movie boasts a star-studded cast featuring LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, and Rosario Dawson. With Justin Simien at the helm and Katie Dippold penning the screenplay, the film comes to life.
