MovieChat Forums > Pete's Dragon (2016) Discussion > Why did it fippity-flop at el box office...

Why did it fippity-flop at el box office?

posted 8 years ago by leyenda61
17 replies | jump to latest

I didn't see it cuz it looked too much like Jungle Book, which i already decided would play better for my family at home than in the theater. Also, i hated the original Pete's Dragon, but it was obvious that this one was different enough that that shouldn't have been a factor. I also never heard or looked for any positive buzz or word of mouth; i was surprisingly uncurious. Wonder what affect other folks that passed on seeing this at the box office.

-- Sent from my 13 year old P.O.S. Desktop®

[–] Hold_the_door 8 years ago

It's quite early to call it a "flop".

[–] QueenFanUSA 8 years ago

Well...it's definitely not a "hit".

To the OP's question. The film is wonderful but Disney's marketing hasn't conveyed that.

[–] Hold_the_door 8 years ago

Not a flop either. It’s too early to call it something. I guess time will tell?

[–] leyenda61 8 years ago

Unless, of course, you tell time first. I'm calling it: 2:08pm.

-- Sent from my 13 year old P.O.S. Desktop®

[–] tdl797 8 years ago

It was already in theater 11 of 14 where I saw it. It was the smallest room/least seats I've been to at that theater. I saw it Saturday around noon and it was packed. The kids laughed,and talked up until the point where things get emotional and then the place was mostly silent other than some sniffles. Then everyone gasped at the final scene.

I think once it gets on home video people will wish they would have supported it at the theater.

[–] QueenFanUSA 8 years ago

Td...yeah...it's really good!

[–] leyenda61 8 years ago

I have some regrets about not seeing it even though it's still playing. I'm probably also being conservative/cheap cuz i spent a lot on films this season and too many of them weren't woth the money. Guess i am feeling a little burned. For the rest of the year's offerings i may wait until they eventually become available on Redbox.

-- Sent from my 13 year old P.O.S. Desktop®

[–] torgerrose1 8 years ago

By most accounts, people are really enjoying this film. The problem is that Disney didn't market it well or really at all. I was actually pretty surprised that they didn't give it the full court press. It wouldn't shock me if many people don't even know it exists.

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Everything above this line is a part of my post.

[–] leyenda61 8 years ago

I also wonder if people thought the promos made it look like an overly serious, joyless, jungle book clone. That was my first impression.

-- Sent from my 13 year old P.O.S. Desktop®

[–] QueenFanUSA 8 years ago

Disney needs to learn marketing from both Universal and Warner Brothers. They were able to turn garbage like The Secret Life of Pets and Suicide Squad into must-see, blockbuster events.

The irony is that Disney's got a truly wonderful film and totally blew it.

[–] daflaminga 8 years ago

I saw a lot of ads and commercials for it. I think it has to do more with the fact that the original Pete's dragon is not a classic or even a movie many people remember. Additionally, there's no real box office stars here. Yes there is Robert Redford but this is more of a family film and he only plays a small role.

[–] QueenFanUSA 8 years ago

Yes...they spent a ton marketing it but it was ineffective. Their marketing for The BFG was also expensive and inept.

[–] Hold_the_door 8 years ago

Rumors say the marketing wasn't more than $10 million. Considering films like Civil War, The Jungle Book and Finding Dory spend around $150 million on marketing, that's not that big.

[–] gowland85 8 years ago

In the UK, I'd say it was because of competition. Parents only tend to take their kids to a handful of films a year and this summer the younger set were catered to by Secret Life of Pets, Finding Dory and (a flop in the US but massively popular here) The BFG. I think Pete's Dragon and, to a lesser extent, Ice Age: Collision Course were squeezed out of a crowded marketplace.

It might also be that it fell between two stools. Perhaps younger kids prefer cartoon fun while the over-10s prefer to wait for the next Marvel adventure. There are plenty of kids films in the international top twenty so far this year, but they tend to be CG animation. Perhaps there simply isn't a big enough audience for this type of film.

[–] dunlap-mark64 8 years ago

I did not enjoy this, and I think that the original was pretty darned good. I disagree with you about that, leyenda61. In any event, I thought this remake was boring, with shallow characters, and I missed having any humor. As soon as this version was over, the end credits were rolling, I posted on Facebook that I recommend, to my friends, to stay away.

[–] troyplafond 8 years ago

Considering it's having a slow international rollout and only costed 65 million, I would not call it a flop. Certainly not a hit, but not a flop either. I'm sure it'll be in the black by the time it's out of theaters.

To answer your question on why it didn't connect though, honestly, this year has been jam packed with family movies: Zootopia, The Jungle Book, Finding Dory, Angry Birds, Secret Life of Pets, The BFG, Nine Lives, Ice Age Collision Course, Norm of the North, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ratchet and Clank, and Alice Through The Looking Glass. Now, we can argue all we want about the commercial, critical, and artistic success of each of these movies all we want, but the fact of the matter is, after tickets, popcorn, drinks, and maybe candy, a family of 4 is looking at around 60 bucks for a trip to the movies. Maybe 40 if they skip concessions. Either way, that's a lot. And with the marketing not really ramping up until a week or so before release, there wasn't really time to make sure there was money to go see this.

[–] shadaif 8 years ago

The area I live in experienced a horrific flood that shut down our theaters.

"The end of the shoelace is called the...IT DOESN'T MATTER!"