Three Pixar “Streamers” To See Theater Releases

 by Beth Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 5, 2024

 

When COVID hit, and people hunkered down at home instead of going to their local theaters, Disney pivoted and decided to release several about-to-debut Pixar films on the fledgling Disney+ instead of taking the movies to theaters.

Whether that ended up being the right decision is a debate for numerous pundits, analysts and talking heads, but for now, Disney is turning an eye toward recouping some of those films’ revenues (losses?) by releasing the pictures to the big screen for the first time.  Plus, families who haven’t seen the animated features in theaters will get their chance to enjoy the flicks as they were meant to be seen.

Turning Red, Luca, and Soul will arrive in theaters in 2024, one per month, for the first three months of the year. Soul will be released on January 12, 2024; Turning Red on February 9, 2024; and Luca on March 22, 2024.

  

Many questions loom. 

 

Will the number of families who don’t have Disney+ and still want to see the movies in the theater make enough of a difference to warrant releasing the films to the big screen at this late of a date?  Is Disney hoping that an audience that has already streamed and enjoyed the three films will turn out to see them on the big screen?  Will either of those cohorts bring in any significant additional revenue? Plus, in an even more quirky twist, Turning Red, Luca, and Soul are all still streaming on Disney+. You could watch it twice in the same day - once in the theater, and once at home!

Families have gotten used to waiting for films to show up on streaming, thus avoiding what can easily approach a hundred-dollar outing for a family of four at the theater.  Whether cash-strapped families will spring for theater tickets after they’ve already seen the films remains to be seen.

 
It’s quite the paradox – Disney released the films to Disney+ the first time around in order to avoid box office losses specific to COVID and simultaneously build their streaming service, but now the company is releasing the films in the theaters to recoup some lost revenue. Only time will tell if this unusual move bolsters Disney’s box office to any significant degree.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

“Lightyear” Ranks as a Big Flop, Raising Questions about Pixar

 by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 5, 2022

 

Disney-Pixar’s Lightyear ranks as a rather staggering flop. There’s just no way around that for Disney. And with it comes questions about Pixar.

 

To drive home the point, consider that Minions: The Rise of Gru, from Universal, opened on July 1, and through July 4, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, it raked in $125.2 million domestically and $219 million globally. In contrast, Lightyear opened domestically on June 17, and thus far it has earned $106.7 million domestically and $188.9 million globally. 

 

That is, the opening July 4^th weekend for Minions generated more ticket sales than Lightyear has over three weekends. Yikes.

Putting aside Minions, the reported production budget for Lightyear was $200 million. That excludes marketing costs, which generally run anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent of the production budget. Let’s take a middle point, and therefore, assume a total costs of $350 million for Lightyear. At just less than $190 million in revenue after its third weekend, there’s just no way that Lightyear will come close to breaking even, never mind making a profit in theaters. Yikes, again.

 

This was Pixar’s first big move back into theaters since Onward was cut short in theaters when the pandemic hit in March 2020. Since then, Soul, Luca and Turning Red went to Disney+. Consider that Lightyear’s production budget at $200 million isn’t all that different from reports that Soul cost $150 million, Luca $200 million, and Turning Red $175 million – again, absent marketing costs. Those are big numbers for few dollars coming in at the box office, while one is left trying to figure out their contributions to Disney+ subscriptions. They no doubt contributed positively to subscriber growth, but to what degree? Also, can these types of budgets be sustained in the future without substantial profits at the box office?

 

Of course, Pixar has a stellar track record over the long haul, and it might just snapback with more hits. It’s hard to bet against them. 

 

But doubts lurk. After all, the creators at Pixar today are not the same as those who gave us Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. and other Pixar classics. Indeed, one could argue that there has been a drop off in the quality of Pixar films over its past 11 movies – starting with The Good Dinosaur in 2015 which had the worst Pixar box office pre-pandemic – again especially when compared to the incredible run with its first 15 movies. 

 

So, Pixar seems to be another question for Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who is a CEO in no shortage of questions and challenges.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Two great ways to order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here. 

 

Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.  

 

Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Get more out of the rest of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. It’s on sale and shipping is always free!

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney Cashes In With Oscar Nominations

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

February 8, 2022

 

Oscar nominations are a win-win for any movie studio. That is, it’s a win from the perspective of artistic recognition (if one considers the Oscars to provide this), and it’s a win commercially, as films with Academy Award nominations often experience some additional life at the box office, via Blu-Rays or digital purchases, and/or streaming eyes.

 

Disney got a lot of win-wins by racking up 23 Oscar nominations, as announced on Tuesday (February 8) morning.

Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

The big winner for Disney in terms of nominations was Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Among its seven nominations were nods for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Ariana DeBose, and Best Directing for Spielberg. I certainly hope that these nods give West Side Story some added attention with audiences. This marvelous film deserved much more at the box office.

 

Nightmare Alley earned four nominations, including one for Best Picture.

Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

In addition, Jessica Chastain earned a Best Lead Actress nomination for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

 

On the animation front, Encanto, Luca and Raya and the Last Dragon all received nominations for Best Animated Feature Film. So, it wound up that Disney produced three of the five films nominated in this category.

Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

As for Marvel superheroes, Sony’s (and Marvel’s) Spider-Man: No Way Home received a nomination for Best Visual Effects. As a Sony release, this is not counted among Disney’s 23 nominations. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also received a Best Visual Effects nomination, as did Free Guy. If one counts Spider-Man, Disney/Marvel claimed three of the five nominations for visual effects.

 

The Academy Awards will be televised on Disney’s ABC network on the night of March 27.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Get more out of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13^th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Pixar: Three Times a Charm or Three Strikes You’re Out or … COVID?

 by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 24, 2022

 

Disney recently announced that Pixar’s Turning Red will skip a theatrical release, and instead, head straight to a Disney+. This marks the third Pixar film in a row to land on Disney+, after Soul and Luca. What does this mean for Pixar? Three times a charm? Three strikes you’re out? Or just more COVID fallout?

Interestingly, the articles citing anonymous sources from inside Pixar didn’t capture anger and hostility against Disney or CEO Bob Chapek. Instead, the quotes came across as a combination of resignation and disappointment. With what’s going on with COVID, including the latest Omicron variant surge, those quoted admitted that they understood these decisions, though not necessarily liking them. 

 

As one Pixar person was quoted by the Hollywood Reporter: “Everyone is really bummed, but most of us get it. Families just aren’t going to the movies.”

 

That lines up with what Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said: “Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritize delivering the unparalleled content of The Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world.”

 

Consider that Disney animation’s Encanto, which was released in theaters on November 24, made $224 million at the box office on a production budget estimated at between $120 million and $150 million. Factor in marketing, and the film might have broken even … maybe.

 

Box office revenues obviously matter to Disney, but so does streaming subscriptions. And imagine where would Disney, and its Pixar subsidiary, be without streaming in this environment.

 

The big Pixar test now stands as Lightyear, which is scheduled to hit theaters on June 17, 2022. And yes, COVID will largely tell the story.

 

Turning Red will arrive on Disney+ on March 11. Like Soul and Luca, Turning Red will be available to Disney+ subscribers at no additional cost.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Get more out of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13^th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney Movie Releases Updated

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 24, 2021

 

Disney has announced updates to its movie release schedule, including the next Marvel Studios’ release Black Widow.

 

Black Widow will be released in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access (that is, at an extra cost of $29.99 beyond the Disney+ monthly subscription fee) on Friday, July 9. It was formerly scheduled for May 7.

Cruella will use the same combination of theater release and Disney+ Premier Access on May 28. The release date for this film, though, has not changed.

 

Meanwhile, Disney and Pixar’s Luca will stream (at no extra cost) exclusively on Disney+ starting on Friday, June 18. Previously, it was set for a theatrical release on that date.

 

Other new release dates are Free Guy on August 13, 2021 (previously May 21); Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on September 3, 2021 (previously July 9); The King’s Man on December 22, 2021 (previously August 20); Deep Water on January 14, 2022 (previously August 13); and Death on the Nile on February 11, 2022 (previously September 17).

 

Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said, “Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences. By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world.”

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the  Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books  at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. 

 

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