Disney+ Announces Drive-In Event in October

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 29, 2020

 

I miss drive-in movie theaters. Yeah, I know there are still some scattered around the country, but especially in suburban and urban areas, the value of land simply has driven the drive-in into near-extinction. 

Perhaps that’s why almost every visit to Disney World requires a stop at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Hollywood Studios. I love the entire experience, from the tables made like classic cars to the big screen serving up ‘50s sci-fi clips to the burgers and shakes.

 

A very minor benefit that emerged during this horrible pandemic has been the pop-up drive-in movie “theaters” offered by various organizations. A Catholic Church in my neighborhood put up a big screen in their parking lot, as did a VFW post not too far away.

 

Now, Disney is getting in on the drive-in game – at least for those fortunate enough to live in southern California. The Disney+ Drive-In Festival will run from October 5-12 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

 

What’s on the schedule?

 

The Red Carpet Premiere of the Disney+/National Geographic show The Right Stuff will happen on October 5. It starts streaming on Disney+ on October 9.

 

Another Red Carpet Premiere will occur on October 12 for the Disney+ original movie Clouds. That will begin streaming on October 16.

In between these two premieres, the public will be able to enjoy an assortment of classics. For example, that will include celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Tangled, the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and The Sound Of Music Sing-A-Long marking the 55th anniversary of the Rodgers & Hammerstein film. Hispanic Heritage Month will be noted with the Pixar Animation Studio film Coco, and the International Day of the Girl will see Captain Marvel on the big screen. And some Halloween fun will be offered along with a viewing of Hocus Pocus. Disney notes, “Each night will get started with a classic animated short, fan-favorite episodes of The Simpsons or sneak peek trailers from Disney+ Originals on the big screen.”

 

Here’s the schedule according to Disney:

 

Monday, October 5 – The Right Stuff – World Premiere Screening (Invite Only)

 

Tuesday, October 6 – Tangled 10th Anniversary Screening (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Wednesday, October 7 – Coco Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Thursday, October 8 – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary Screening (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Friday, October 9 – Hocus Pocus Disney+ Halloween Night (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Saturday, October 10 – The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long 55th Anniversary Screening (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Sunday, October 11 – Captain Marvel Celebrating International Day of the Girl (Open to the public. Register beginning September 28)

 

Monday, October 12 – Clouds – World Premiere Screening (Invite Only)

 

Disney also reported: “Capacity is extremely limited and reservations will be required to attend. Beginning Monday, September 28 at 10 a.m. PT, fans can register for complimentary tickets at www.disneyplus.com/drive-in. One registration is required for each vehicle, with a maximum of four guests per vehicle. Event capacity is extremely limited and reservations will be required.”

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

 

Disney Will Have Seven $1-Billion-Plus 2019 Releases

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 16, 2019

Over the weekend, Disney’s Frozen 2 topped $1 billion in box office receipts. That makes the sixth Disney release in 2019 to exceed the billion-dollar mark.

According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Frozen 2 has now raked in $1.03 billion worldwide. The other five billion-dollar babies so far this year for Disney have been:

• Captain Marvel at $1.13 billion

• Aladdin at $1.07 billion

• The Lion King at $1.66 billion

• Avengers: Endgame at $2.8 billion

• Toy Story 4 at $1.07 billion

But, of course, the next billion-dollar earner opens later this week – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That, too, will top a billion (perhaps $2 billion?).

Much has been made of Disney fumbling Star Wars. But The Mandalorian on Disney+ and the huge demand for the Disney World ride Rise of the Resistance tell another story. If director J.J. Abrams erases the failure (or at least reduces the sting) of Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, most negative talk about Star Wars will give way to excitement about what’s next.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Disney Hits Annual Box-Office Record ... in July

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 29, 2019

Disney hit a box-office record for the entire year, but it’s only July, according to a Hollywood Reporter article.

Keeping in mind that these comparisons are in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation (my standard economist disclaimer), Disney has pulled in a total of $7.67 billion globally so far this year, according to the Reporter, which surpasses the previous full-year record of $7.61 billion, which also was held by Disney for 2016.

For good measure, Disney’s $5.09 billion internationally ranks as the first time international revenues have moved beyond $5 billion for a studio.

Disney also is on track to break its 2016 record of having four films break the $1 billion mark – with Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Aladdin and both Toy Story 4 and The Lion King are on track to do so shortly.

And there’s more to come, including Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Frozen II and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as films moved under the Disney umbrella with the Fox merger, such as to be Ad Astra, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Ford v. Ferrari.

One of the interesting questions looking ahead is: Will Disney in future years be able to match what it has accomplished at the box office in 2019? Although, how much will Disney care given its investment in the Disney+ streaming service and the ongoing shift of video entertainment from the theater to the home?

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

If you enjoyed this article, and since I am the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?

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4) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.

Disney’s Purchase of Fox a Decision for the Long Run, Not a Short-Term Hit

by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 10, 2019

Accusations of businesses looking only at the short run usually are hurled by politicians, who, of course, specialize in short-run decisions. In reality, business owners and CEOs make decisions for a wide variety of reasons, and few, if any, are about trying to get a short-term kick at the expense of long-run well-being. 

The latest example is the purchase of Fox by Disney. We’re seeing via the box office that this acquisition wasn’t about boosting Disney’s bottom line in the short term.

When talking about 2019 Disney movies that were in the Disney column prior to the Fox merger, the House of Mouse is looking good in the short run, and for further building its brand and bottom line over the long haul. Disney is three for four so far, with the box office hits being Captain Marvel  (global gross of $1.13 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.73 billion, so far) and Aladdin ($607.6 million, so far), with Dumbo ($350.6 million) being the miss.

And it’s hard to see a miss coming among the pre-Fox-merger Disney line-up, with Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Frozen II and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on the way through the end of the year.

However, the 20^th Century Fox movies being released post-merger with Disney is a different story. Breakthrough offered a nice return with a box office take at $50.2 million on only a $14 million production budget. But it got ugly with the next two films. 

The botched Tolkien movie didn’t appeal to Tolkien fans, and hence it made a measly $7.7 million. 

And then there’s Dark Phoenix, the X-Men movie that just opened on June 7. It took in only $32.8 million domestically in its opening weekend, and a total global take of $136.6 million. Oh yes, and critics hate it, and audiences are less than pleased. With an enormous budget – widely reported at $200 million – Dark Phoenix is on its way to being a big box office bomb.

And the remaining Fox releases for 2019 look like a mixed bag. And while no one knows in the movie business what will hit and what will miss until the lights go down for audiences, the keys appear to be Ad Astra, Terminator: Dark Fate, Ford v. Ferrari and Spies in Disguise.

Ad Astra and Ford v. Ferrari particularly look intriguing. But we’ll have to see.

The sure bet, if you will, for Disney with the Fox deal was the acquisition of a wide assortment of IP that Disney will use, such as for its streaming service Disney+, and build on as well. For example, with Fox never having done anything well with the Fantastic Four and ending its X-Men run with two busts (Dark Phoenix and X-Men: Apocalypse) – while Logan was quite good, I’m not sure what to do with Deadpool, and who knows what will happen with The New Mutants – it will be Disney’s turn with these and a wide assortment of other properties to reboot and re-energize. 

That’s a long-run thing.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

If you enjoyed this article, and since I am the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?

1) Please join the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories email list, and get the upcoming short story, THE TRAITOR, for free! Sign up here.

2) Buy one of my Pastor Stephen Grant novels or short stories at Amazon.comor signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

3) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.

Avengers: Endgame Must Be Great ... In Part to Justify Sitting Through Captain Marvel

by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 8, 2019

To the delight of Disney, superheroes just keep getting bigger at the box office – with the most momentous success coming late this month. Well, Avengers: Endgame (opening on April 26) better be the most successful – in terms of both story and revenue.

Despite a rather flat, flawed story that undermined certain characters and previous movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel (released on March 8) has raked in more than a billion dollars at the box office. (See the DisneyBizJournal review of the movie and early box office numbers.) Interestingly, if you check out RottenTomatoes.com, reviewers leaned positive on Captain Marvel, while audiences were not exactly enthralled. Yet, the movie made an enormous amount of money. Hmmm. 

Meanwhile, Warner Brothers seems to be getting it right at the box office as well. Aquaman, which was released on December 21, 2018, made more than $1.1 billion. (All box-office numbers from BoxOfficeMojo.com unless otherwise noted.) Reviewers were not exactly huge fans of the film, while audience reviews were more positive. 

And Shazam! just opened this past weekend, and it has taken in $159 million. I haven’t seen the movie yet (going on Tuesday night!), but both reviewers and audiences seem to love this film starring Zachary Levi (of NBC Chuck fame). For good measure, the film had a rather modest production budget for a superhero flick at $100 million. That’s a trifecta for Warner Brothers – loved by reviewers and audiences, box-office success, and some relative degree of cost control.

And then there’s the forthcoming movie... No, wait. Let’s call it the forthcoming phenomenon titled Avengers: Endgame. 

During the first day of online presales early this month, records were shattered on Fandango, for example, and the traffic on the AMC theater chain website caused it to shut down. Some estimates put the opening weekend box-office haul for Endgame at $900 million – which would blow away every record around.

Avatar still holds the all-time global box-office record at $2.79 billion (in nominal dollars). I’m predicting that Avengers: Endgame will surpass that to become the top earner.

After all, this basically completes an amazing 22-film arc created by Marvel, while setting up future movies. My expectations certainly rate very high for a great movie. Obviously, I’m not alone in this, and that’s at least part of the reason why Captain Marvel did so well at the box office. As part of the MCU story, and being the final entry before Endgame, fans had to see Captain Marvel in preparation for the most anticipated movie ... well ... ever.

For Disney, the story with Captain Marvel is the opposite of what happened with Solo: A Star Wars Story. (Check out DisneyBizJournal’s take on Solo.) After the atrocious Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fans basically punished Disney by making Solo the worst box-office performer of any Star Wars film. In contrast, Avengers: Endgame helped make Captain Marvel a massive success.

The pressure is on Disney. What do I mean? Avengers: Endgame needs to be great to not only satisfy this incredible MCU journey moviegoers have been on, but also to justify having to sit through Captain Marvel. 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with three books - 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 – published in 2018. In addition, the second edition of Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel was published in January 2019. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Captain Marvel: Big Box Office, But Boring, Flawed Story

by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 10, 2019

DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 2 out of 5 stars  

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

Captain Marvel excelled during its opening weekend in terms of box office numbers. The same cannot be said for the movie in terms of story and performances.

(Before I dive into the business and artistic aspects of this movie, it seems necessary to offer a disclaimer. Today, in terms of certain movies that are favored by one political camp or another, negative criticisms often lead to accusations hurled at the critic. In the case of Captain Marvel, criticisms seem to lead to accusations, from certain feminist camps, of the critic being anti-woman. Well, people who have read my novels know very well that they feature strong female characters. So, let’s get back to actual points on the film.)

The opening weekend box office numbers amount to a huge success. As Variety reported, for example, the film’s opening weekend North American box office is estimated at $153 million, and when combined with $302 million internationally, that’s $455 million, which tallies up to “the sixth highest global debut of all time.” Disney obviously has to love these numbers.

As for the movie itself, however, it ranks as one of most boring Marvel films. It lacks the heart that many Marvel movies possess. There is little joy, nor much gravity.

And for the most part, Brie Larson’s performance as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel is rather flat. She seems to be going through the motions.

And then there are the story problems. (SPOILER ALERT going forward from this point.)

Beyond the problems already noted, the biggest issue from a story standpoint with Captain Marvel is that the character’s enormous powers undermine much of the Marvel movie universe storyline that came before this movie. Captain Marvel is a prequel set in the mid-1990s, and at the end of the movie, Danvers gives Nick Fury the ability to contact her in case of emergency, as she leaves Earth to undertake a mission across the universe. Therefore, throughout all of the enormous threats and, yes, emergencies, that came in the previous Marvel movies, Nick Fury only decided to call on Captain Marvel at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Really? That’s simply preposterous. Either SHIELD needs a far more competent leader, or this movie needed better writing.

For good measure, in Captain America: Winter Soldier, in a poignant moment, Fury talks about trust. He tells Captain America, “Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.” And then we see in Captain Marvel that Fury loses his eye because of a cat. That’s not funny; instead, it’s just an astoundingly poor story choice.

Captain Marvel doesn’t disappoint because of some political agenda being advanced, as some have claimed or might think. Instead, the movie comes up short simply because it’s a flawed, flat story.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with the three books - 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 – published in 2018. In addition, the second edition of Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel was published in January 2019. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.