Mary Poppins Returns: Practically Perfect on Screen, Questions at Box Office

by Ray Keating

Review/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 28, 2018

DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: êêêêê  out of êêêêê  

DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating:  Incomplete out of $$$$

Mary Poppins hit movie theaters in 1964, and now, 54 years later, along comes Mary Poppins Returns. Even in Hollywood, where sequels seem to be automatically assumed if a film performs well, undertaking a sequel to the marvelous Mary Poppins was a rather risky venture by Disney.

After all, Mary Poppins has taken on iconic status. And let’s not forget that it was nominated for 13 academy awards, winning five.

And then there was Julie Andrews playing Mary Poppins. Here’s one quick test for gauging a performance: As a movie-goer, do you find yourself watching one particular character when on screen to the point where others almost fade into the background? Was Dick Van Dyke wonderful as Bert? Of course. Were the Banks children enchanting? Sure. But, quite frankly, Julie Andrews stole nearly every scene. There’s a reason why she won the Oscar for this performance.

Could anyone else possibly pick up the umbrella of Mary Poppins? The answer turned out to be Emily Blunt. Again, Lin-Manuel Miranda excels as Jack. Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer are quite good as the original Banks’ children now grown up. And yes, the current trio of Banks children are delightful. But in Mary Poppins Returns, Blunt achieves what Andrews did in the first film, that is, she dominates every scene in a memorable performance.

Overall, the director, Rob Marshall, all of the actors, and Disney deserve enormous credit for creating in Mary Poppins Returns a sequel that matches the magic of first Mary Poppins.

As for whether or not Mary Poppins Returns performs at the box office, it’s difficult to say at this point. The film’s production budget has been reported to be $130 million. The movie opened on December 19^th, and as of the morning of December 28^th, BoxOfficeMojo.com was reporting that the movie had pulled in $83 million in worldwide gross box office. Normally, that would signal big trouble. But the Christmas season box office numbers are tricky to evaluate when in the midst of that season. For good measure, Mary Poppins Returns opened against a crowded field of big-name movies led by Aquaman and Bumblebee.

In addition, the awards factor is likely to play a revenue role for Mary Poppins Returns. For example, the film has received Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress – Musical or Comedy (Blunt), and Best Performance by an Actor (Miranda) – Musical or Comedy. I’m going to roll the dice and predict that Blunt also receives a best actress Academy Awards nomination, and I would argue that she deserves to win. Will she win? Well, let’s just say, given the state of Hollywood today, some Mary Poppins-like magic would be needed, but hey, you never know.

So, while Mary Poppins Returns is practically perfect in nearly every way on screen – if you haven’t seen it, go now! – we await to see if financial magic will be achieved by the film.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with the three latest books being Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story and Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.