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- 'The Good Dinosaur': Has Pixar Run Out of Box Office Magic?
- Box Office: 'The Hunger Games' Wins Thanksgiving Weekend
- 'The Walking Dead' Season 6 Midseason Finale Preview: 6 Things to Watch For
| 'The Good Dinosaur': Has Pixar Run Out of Box Office Magic? Posted:  2015 isn't just the first year with two Pixar movies. It's also the first time that their movies haven't opened at No. 1."Inside Out" missed that brass ring this summer -- only due to the unexpected staying power of "Jurassic World." Now, "The Good Dinosaur" has underperformed over Thanksgiving weekend, a frame that Disney and Pixar have all but owned over the past two decades. By most standards, the estimated $39.2 million opening weekend "Dinosaur" enjoyed would be cause for celebration. Indeed, Disney is touting the $55.6 million the film has earned since it premiered last Wednesday as the fourth-biggest five-day Thanksgiving weekend debut ever. ("Frozen" is tops, followed by "Toy Story 2" and "Tangled.") But Pixar movies have traditionally done much better -- opening on average above $60 million. In fact, "Dinosaur" saw the lowest three-day wide-release debut for a Pixar picture since "A Bug's Life" earned $33.3 million back in 1998, when tickets were a lot cheaper. Advance tracking for "Dinosaur" was already soft by Pixar standards, with most analysts expecting the movie to open between $50 and $53 million from Friday to Sunday, and from $60 to $75 million over the five-day holiday weekend. Why did the movie fail to reach even those relatively-modest expectations? Here are five possible reasons:  1. The Movie's Troubled Production History"Dinosaur" was initially scheduled for release a year ago, but due to story problems, the studio replaced the film's director and pushed back its release date. "Dinosaur" is hardly the first Pixar film to have to go back to the drawing board -- even "Toy Story" ran into similar problems -- but it's possible this time that not everything that was wrong got fixed. For example: 2. Too family-oriented Usually, this is a plus for an animated movie, but one key to Pixar's success has been its ability to appeal to adults as well as kids. By most accounts, however, "Dinosaur" has lots of kid appeal but little to interest grown-ups. In fact, Disney is reporting that only 17 percent of the "Dinosaur" audience was adults. 3. Less-than-stellar Reviews A 77 percent "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes isn't bad, but original-premise Pixar films and movies in the "Toy Story" franchise typically rate at a 96 or higher. At least the word-of-mouth has been top-notch, with viewers giving the movie an "A" CinemaScore, but you have to get them into theaters to see it first. The weaker-than-usual reviews may have kept adults away from this movie. 4. No Star Power This shouldn't matter much when it comes to a film where you can't even see the stars, and where the target audience is kids too young to care much who's doing the voice work. In practice, however, most of Pixar's movies have relied upon big-name talent for at least the lead characters (think Tom Hanks for the "Toy Story" movies). But the "Dinosaur" cast is led by unknowns Raymond Ochoa and Jack Bright. Arguably, the biggest names in the cast are Anna Paquin and Frances McDormand. None of these are box office draws.  5. Stronger-than-expected CompetitionLast week saw the weakest-ever opening for a "Hunger Games" movie, but "Mockingjay -- Part 2" held on better than expected, losing just under 50 percent of its business to take in an estimated $51.6 million over the three-day weekend and remain in first place. Boxing drama "Creed" (above) was widely expected to open in the low-to-mid twenties, but it slugged its way to an estimated $30.0 million from Friday to Sunday and $42.6 million over the five-day holiday. Strong reviews, excellent word-of-mouth, and the "Rocky" nostalgia factor all helped "Creed" attract an older, predominantly male audience. By contrast, "Dinosaur" not only skewed young, but also female, with 53 percent of the audience. To the extent that it was trying to appeal to all ages and to equal numbers of men and women, both "Mockingjay" and "Creed" bit into the potential "Dinosaur" audience. Disney and Pixar have held themselves to lofty standards. Not only have Pixar's movies typically done better, but so has Disney at Thanksgiving, where eight of the top-10 turkey holiday five-day weekend debuts of all time belong to the Mouse House. Given how good Disney's marketing machine is at selling original-premise cartoons at this time of year, especially Pixar offerings, it seems that someone is badly off their game. %Slideshow-333296% This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Box Office: 'The Hunger Games' Wins Thanksgiving Weekend Posted:  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Despite some mighty competition, Katniss and her crew dominated the box office once again."The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2" held on to its first-place spot in its second weekend in theaters, earning $51.6 million to top "The Good Dinosaur" and "Creed," which both debuted Wednesday, according to Rentrak estimates on Sunday. The fourth and final installment in Lionsgate's highly successful series has grossed $198.3 million to date. Audiences had their pick of genres over the crowded Thanksgiving weekend. Disney and Pixar's animated dinosaur movie took second place, bringing in $39.2 million Friday through Sunday, while "Creed," a new entry into the Rocky Balboa canon, came in third with $30.1 million. Families accounted for 79 percent of "The Good Dinosaur's" audience. The film, which cost a reported $175 million to $200 million to produce, grossed $55.6 million in its first five days in theaters. "This Pixar group has just been so consistent with high-quality storytelling that appeals to all audiences. This weekend's result is another testament to the way they do things," said Dave Hollis, executive vice president of distribution for Disney. "We are off and running in a great way and also set up for a very, very long run." "Creed," meanwhile, came out swinging. The critically acclaimed Ryan Coogler-directed film focuses on the character of Apollo Creed's son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) who wants his own shot in the ring with the help of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The film cost $35 million to make and has earned $42.6 million over five days. Its audience has been largely male and over age 25, according to exit polls. "This is a movie that played broadly everywhere. You expect it to do well in the big markets and even the medium-size markets, but the small markets were just fantastic," said Jeffrey Goldstein, executive vice president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. "The boxing element really resonates." Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Rentrak, said the indie sensibilities, critical response and stellar cast has made "Creed" the movie to see right now. "This is a movie that's going to go the distance," Dergarabedian said. James Bond film "Spectre," with $12.8 million, and "The Peanuts Movie," with $9.7 million, rounded out the top five. "Victor Frankenstein" was not so lucky. The $40 million revival of Mary Shelley's monster classic, starring James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe, proved lifeless in theaters, earning just $2.35 million from Friday to Sunday. Awards hopeful "The Danish Girl," starring Eddie Redmayne as the transgender artist Lili Elbe, also opened in four theaters with a solid $185,000. No records were broken this Thanksgiving weekend, but that's more of a sign of a crowded slate than the health of the box office, Dergarabedian said. "Rankings are not as important this weekend as how these films can play for the long haul," he said. "I haven't seen this crowded of a marketplace in years. ... I don't know how anyone would have time to see everything." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'The Walking Dead' Season 6 Midseason Finale Preview: 6 Things to Watch For Posted:  "The Walking Dead" wraps the first half of its sixth season on Sunday, and as we head into the midseason finale, there are still a bunch of storylines that need addressing. Who will live, and who will die? What other dangers await our survivors, aside from the walkers now walking around Alexandria? Here are a few things to look out for tonight.The Alexandrians Need to Prove Themselves This is the most obvious obstacle currently facing our survivors: Last week's episode ended with the church tower crumbling down, taking out the community's wall with it. Now, dozens of walkers are streaming in, and Alexandria is once again under attack. How will its residents handle this new, undead challenge? The Wolves' assault left the community broken and battered, both physically and emotionally. Can they rise above that anguish, and put their newly-acquired training into use? These people have proven themselves inept to just about every challenge thrown their way; there's a good chance that that will still be true tonight, and the results could, once again, be devastating. Wolves May Pounce Again (With an Assist From Enid) All those zombies milling around could mean another Wolf attack, since the Alexandrians will be distracted as they try to fend off this fresh threat, paving the way for the Wolves to once again infiltrate the community and finish what they started. They also have to rescue their friend, who Morgan has hidden away in a cell. And they may have another accomplice on the inside: Enid. Based on her previous actions, we're pretty sure she's a Wolf, though her recent run-in with Glenn suggests she's trying to turn over a new leaf. But as the saying goes, you can't teach an old Glenn and Maggie Still Need to Reunite As for Mr. Rhee, miraculously surviving what should have been certain death is just one the latest amazing feats he's accomplished. He's also been traveling alone with a teenage girl, too, and that's gotta test anyone's sanity. Will we finally see his long-awaited reunion with Maggie? His poor, pregnant wife has been worried sick about him, and now that he's finally given her a sign that he's alive, it would be cruel to further drag out their separation. Then again, this is "The Walking Dead," and cruel character developments seem to be the name of the game. (See: Faking Glenn's death in the first place. Still not over that.) The fact that the wall came down only moments after Glenn sent up those balloons may mean that this story has to remain unresolved until the show returns in February, serving as a dramatic cliffhanger to stew over in the months ahead. Morgan's Morality Is in Jeopardy Morgan has been determined to stick to his "All life is precious" routine, even in the face of the Wolves' pure evil (and despite Rick, Carol, and Michonne's best efforts to convince him of his foolishness). He kidnapped a member of the pack in an effort to get him to see the error of his ways, and eventually change, just like Morgan did. But also like Morgan, this Wolf is obstinate, too, and tells his captor that even if he dies, the Alexandrians won't win this fight. So will Morgan be forced to change his tune, and kill this man before he kills him (and the rest of the community, including its children)? Morgan's trajectory has been building toward a big moment like this, and he's been questioning his moral code for a few episodes now; will he break that code, or will he simply break? There's a New Sheriff in Town -- and Not Everyone Is Happy As we mentioned in our season six preview, a major power struggle has been brewing in Alexandria, and it's set to boil over at any minute. Rick, with Deanna's blessing, has asserted himself as the de facto leader of the community, and while there have been a few loudmouths who questioned this decision (Carter, who's dead; Blue Shirt Guy from episode 3, who's dead -- sensing a pattern here?), it's been an unspoken rule that the constable is pretty much in charge now. But Spencer isn't a fan of this turn of events (his daring -- and dumb -- attempt to climb over the walkers without Rick's consent proved that), and will likely continue to butt heads with Mr. Grimes. He almost got himself killed last week; could his hotheadedness finish the job tonight (and take down some bystanders, too)? And then there's Jessie's son Ron, who stole some bullets and seems determined to kill a cocky Carl (and he's not a big fan of Rick, his mom's new boyfriend, either). His possession of a now-loaded weapon could spell serious trouble for our original survivors. Another Mysterious Group Is Nearby Yet another potential danger is the mysterious sect that Daryl discovered in episode 6, which promised safety to those around them at a high price (and also tried to kill him, Sasha, and Abraham). He helped a trio of defectors evade its search party, though the surviving duo eventually double-crossed him and returned to the fold, lamely explaining that even the illusion of security in this inherently dangerous world was good enough for them. Their gang seems poised for a return (was it them crying out on the walkie talkie?), especially if they happen to show up just as the walkers (or the Wolves) are streaming into Alexandria. What will they ask – or take – in exchange for help? Or maybe they won't help at all, but let our survivors dangle until they're desperate enough to need assistance, no matter the cost? That could be prime time to swoop in and appear to save the day – and some of the weaker-minded members of the community (pretty much all of them, save our core group) may be more than eager to give up anything to get back some of their recently-lost peace of mind. "The Walking Dead" midseason finale airs tonight at 9 p.m. on AMC. Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC %Slideshow-326754% This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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