Instead of waiting for the fast-approaching Halloween season, Disney decided to position their new Haunted Mansion movie as a summer blockbuster, and that may have proven to be a massive mistake on their part. Here in the United States, the film found itself in the #3 spot on the box office charts this weekend, scaring up $24.2 million in 3,740 theaters.
Worldwide, the film’s opening weekend total was $33.3 million.
These numbers may not seem all that bad until you realize that Haunted Mansion‘s production budget was reportedly $150 million, and that’s not even factoring in the massive marketing spend attached to the movie. The general rule of thumb is that big studio movies need to earn roughly 2.5/3x their production budget before they start seeing profits, and it’s unlikely that Haunted Mansion is going to reach that point in theaters. Disney is likely looking to bring the film home to Disney+ for Halloween, which may explain the film’s summer theatrical release.
Director Justin Simien’s live action adaptation of the popular theme park attraction is Disney’s second crack at the property, with Eddie Murphy starring in the previous adaptation back in 2003. That film was made on a production budget of $90 million (unadjusted for inflation), and it ended up making $182 million (unadjusted for inflation) worldwide.
In other words, Disney hasn’t had much luck bringing Haunted Mansion to the big screen. And their second attempt at the adaptation looks to be another major Hollywood movie that cost far too much to make, all but ensuring it would never have a chance of turning a profit. Smaller horror movies like Talk to Me, meanwhile, keep proving low budget horror is the way to go.
Meagan wrote in her review of Haunted Mansion for BD, “Justin Simien and [writer] Katie Dippold joyfully recreate the feeling of hopping on a Doom Buggy, whisking audiences on a nonstop tour of supernatural whimsy, macabre humor, and heart.”
LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Rosario Dawson, and Danny DeVito star, with Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota and Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost.
“In this mysterious adventure, a doctor (Dawson) and her 9-year-old son (Chase Dillon), looking to start a new life, move into a strangely affordable mansion in New Orleans, only to discover that the place is much more than they bargained for. Desperate for help, they contact a priest (Wilson), who, in turn, enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned failed-paranormal expert (Stanfield), a French Quarter psychic (Haddish) and a crotchety historian (DeVito).”
Katie Dippold (Ghostbusters 2016) wrote the new movie’s script for Disney.
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