Mars Needs Moms a historic disaster for Disney
In the weeks leading up to the release of Mars Needs Moms,Disney knew interest in the film was tepid at most,but no one was prepared for the box-office wipe out.
In the weeks leading up to the release of Mars Needs Moms,Disney knew interest in the film was tepid at most,but no one was prepared for the box-office wipe out.
From a financial standpoint,Mars could be one of the biggest write-offs in modern Hollywood history. The motion-capture animated film cost 150 million to produce but earned only 6.9 million in its debut at the domestic box-office,the 12th worst opening of all time for a movie released in more than 3,000 theatres and one of the lowest openings for a major 3D release.
The price tag doesn’t include a hefty marketing bill. All told,Disney has likely invested 200 million or more in the picture,made by Robert Zemeckis’ now-shuttered ImageMovers Digital.
“The right audience came,but not in the numbers we needed,” Disney president of worldwide distribution Chuck Viane said. “I’m disappointed for the filmmakers. They spent at least two years of their lives making a terrific movie that people won’t see.”
The chances of recovery are slim. Many times,a movie performing poorly in the U.S. can make up ground at the international box-office. Mars,however,did just as badly in its overseas debut,grossing a paltry 2.1 million from 14 countries about 25 per cent of all territories.
Domestically,it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mars topped out at 25 million. Summit Entertainment’s Astro Boy,opening to 6.7 million in 2009,finished up with 19.6 million,while Fox’s Aliens In The Attic opened to 8 million,also in 2009,and ended up with 25.2 million. For a Disney cartoon to perform as badly as a title from indie label Summit is a tough pill to swallow.
“How do you throw a party and no one comes? This is outright rejection,” one veteran studio distribution chief said. Mars faced several obstacles,according to box-office observers. For one,moviegoers don’t seem to like the motion-capture technology. Other times,it can work,such as in Avatar.
“The movie Mars looked downright creepy,” one observer notes.
The title also was problematic,specifically,the use of the word “mom,” which might have been a turn-off for boys.
“The title shouldn’t have been Mars Needs Moms,but Boys Need Not Come,'” one studio executive joked. Those same boys might have instead opted to see Sony’s chart-topping sci-fi action pic Battle: Los Angeles,according to another box-office observer. Mars skewed slightly female.
For younger kids,watching a movie about a mom being kidnapped by aliens could be scary.
“Who wants to see a mom abandoning you? It’s very odd,” one studio marketer said. “Also,animation works better when they aren’t people. That’s why things like gnomes do well.”
Disney knew there was a problem more than a year ago when screening an early cut of the film. It’s no coincidence that the studio,under the new leadership of Rich Ross,decided to part ways with ImageMovers shortly after the screening. But it was too late to shelve Mars without eating significant costs.
One of the most successful directors of all time,with films such as Forrest Gump and Back To The Future under his belt,Zemeckis gave up his live-action career to pursue motion capture. But it’s an expensive technology that has yet to yield huge box-office profits,unlike other forms of animation.
Disney bought ImageMovers in 2007,giving Zemeckis an official studio home where he and his company could perfect performance capture ImageMovers remained based in Northern California.
A Christmas Carol,costing as much as 200 million to make,was released in November 2009 — not long after Ross replaced Dick Cook as Walt Disney Studios chairman. The holiday film,directed by Zemeckis,grossed 325.5 million worldwide,a so-so result.
Mars Needs Moms was well underway by that time. Simon Wells wrote and directed the film,with Zemeckis producing. Already,Mars has landed on the list of costly Hollywood bombs,joining Sony’s recent misfire How Do You Know. The romantic-comedy,directed by James L. Brooks,cost roughly 100 million to produce after tax breaks,but grossed just 43 million at the worldwide box-office.
Hollywood history is replete with box- office disasters. Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. Years later,Heaven’s Gate ultimately forced United Artists of business.
Studios are far more protected today,with diversified interests. Also,some of the costs of a big-budget production can be amortised over a period of time.
Other infamous financial flops include Renny Harlin’s pirate pic Cutthroat Island — listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest bomb of all time — Sahara,The Adventures Of Pluto Nash” and Gigli.
There also have been high-profile misses on the animation side,including Disney’s Treasure Planet,released in 2002. Mars was always designed to open in the 20 million-30 million range. When tracking showed the film was in serious trouble,Disney downgraded its forecast. As the toon opened,Disney executives braced themselves for a 10 million opening. Even that turned out to be too optimistic.
Disney had been enjoying a sustained winning streak at the box-office,which helps to cushion the blow of Mars. The two top 2010 releases at the worldwide box-office both belonged to Disney; Toy Story 3 1.06 billion and Alice In Wonderland 1.02 billion.
Tangled also has been an overachiever,grossing 551.5 globally,making it the No. 8 2010 release. For now,though,Disney faces the arduous task of detangling itself from Mars.
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