New Disney Adventure Is Failing At The Box Office
Disney's Strange World took in only $800,000 in its first couple of days in theaters.
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There’s never a better time to catch movies than the holiday season, and this year’s no different with audiences flocking to see titles including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Devotion, The Fabelmans, and Bones and All. Typically a top contender for the Thanksgiving crowds, Disney’s latest animated feature, Strange World, isn’t quite knocking box office sales out of this world. While it may have received a large amount of positive early reviews, Variety reports that the film only brought in $800,000 in Tuesday previews, giving it a rocky start to the holiday weekend.
And, although these early numbers are indicating that Disney won’t be gobbling up the $30 million to $40 million that Strange World was originally projected to be feasting on over the next five days, the jig isn’t totally up. Because it’s an animated production, the feature’s target crowd is a younger demographic who are probably not showing up for early Tuesday showings. There’s some chance we can still expect to see a large number of folks – both young and old(er) – coming out to travel to worlds unknown alongside the Clade family
Directed by Academy Award-winner Don Hall (Big Hero 6, Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon), Disney’s Strange World centers around the Clade family, a famed lineage of explorers. Unlike the rest of his relatives, Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) likes to stay in one place, and lives and works on his farm alongside his wife Meridian Clade (Gabrielle Union), and their son Ethan Clade (Jaboukie Young-White).
But, when the Avalonian president Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu) approaches Searcher and his family for an emergency mission to the furthest reaches of the universe, the trio quickly joins the team and sets out for the most colorful adventure of a lifetime.
Along with the adventurous aspect of Disney’s latest animated feature, Strange World also focuses on family dynamics, putting the relationship between parents and children front and center. While they’re on their world-hopping journey, Searcher comes face-to-face with his long-lost father and renowned explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), with the duo forced to patch up their broken relationship to ensure the mission’s success.
The leading cast is joined by an ensemble that includes Karan Soni (Deadpool), Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien), Adelina Anthony, Abraham Benrubi (ER), Jonathan Melo, Nik Dodani (Atypical), and Francesca Reale (Stranger Things).
As previously mentioned, Disney’s Strange World is facing off against a huge lineup of adult-aimed films with heavy competition hitting it from all sides. Although Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been out for almost two weeks, the Marvel blockbuster will likely have another wave of superhero fans rushing to theaters over the weekend. Meanwhile, there’s the J.D. Dillard-helmed based-on-a-true-story wartime feature Devotion, which stars Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, as well as the Luca Guadagnino-directed cannibal romance, Bones and All, led by Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell.
While the odds may be stacked against Disney, it’s completely within the realm of possibilities for Strange World to rake in its initial projected earnings. After all, who doesn’t love a heartfelt Disney movie just in time for the holiday season?
