Mars Needs Moms EPIC box office flop...Disney Shocked...

[WaltD4Me]

Did anyone see Mars Needs Moms? I didn't know it was this bad. I thought about taking my nephew to see it, but I really can't stand that stop action animation like they used in Polar Express. The people are just creepy, creepy looking. But it only brought in 7 million in the US? Wow.

From the article.......

HOLLYWOOD was stunned last week by the epic box-office flop of a new Walt Disney comedy that is threatening to become one of the film industry's most expensive debacles.

The disastrous release of Mars Needs Moms, a Disney 3-D production that cost at least $US175 million to make and market, sent shockwaves across Hollywood and raised questions about complex computer technologies and the fickle tastes of audiences.

The film took less than $US7m at the US box office and added a mere $US2m from overseas markets. With little hope of a miraculous recovery, it is already being ranked with the biggest money-losers on record.

Here is the whole article.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ms-shocks-disney/story-e6frg6so-1226025011534

 

[MomofKatie]

I'm with you- trying to create photo-realistic humans results in really creepy looking CGI people. We have no desire to see this movie mainly because it doesn't look very good. The previews were not funny, hard to understand, and just not appealing. And those weird, dead-eyed humans- yuck.

 

[Kimberle]

I saw it yesterday. It was a little "darker" than I expected. It was an "ok" kids film.

 

[sayhello]

Have to admit, I had no interest in seeing it. Now I *know* I won't see it. But that big a loss is definitely a shocker!

Sayhello

 

[mommyceratops]

My 2DS ages 7 and 10 really want to see it. There is nothing about it that I want to see.

We might venture out to see it over Spring Break, if I get desperate.

There is also the huge fact that I am sick of spending $50 to go see a movie! I have to REALLY want to see it or be desperate to get out of the house. We get much more entertainment by spending $50 on Legos.

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Remember, Johnny Depp is the competition for Disney this time, with Rango. It's a great movie, but I can't compare to Mars Needs Moms, as I haven't seen it.

 

[Cherinva]

It doesn't look appealing to me at all.

 

[lugnut33]

It's sad because this movie was based on a book by Berkely Breatherd (sp?) who pens the Bloom County cartoons.

I've heard the movie isn't that bad.

We had a choice this past Sat., we could see "Gnomeo and Juliette", "Mars Needs Moms", or "Rango". At our theater "Mars" was only being shown in 3-d and I didn't want to pay the extra money, plus our local theater has a bad 3-d projector (too dark). Decided to see Rango because Depp was in it.

Domestic box-office sales this year have fallen 20 percent to $2.02 billion. Attendance is down 21 percent.

BTW, Rango has pulled in 92.6 million and Mars has pulled in 15.5 million.

 

[Avalon_toon]

We went to see it for my son's birthday - took 8 boys - they all really liked it. And the scenes of the live-action filming that they show as they run the end credits were really cool. I wouldn't say its Disney's best film - pretty much just an okay film - but I'm shocked it didn't earn more than that!

 

[sayhello]

Remember, Johnny Depp is the competition for Disney this time, with Rango. It's a great movie, but I can't compare to Mars Needs Moms, as I haven't seen it.

Actually, they had competition from Rango, and from another "Sci-Fi" movie that opened this week, Paul. Rango came in #2 this weekend, with $15,315,000, and Paul came in #5 with $13,155,000. So part of the issue may have been bad timing.

Sayhello

 

[WaltD4Me]

Actually, they had competition from Rango, and from another "Sci-Fi" movie that opened this week, Paul. Rango came in #2 this weekend, with $15,315,000, and Paul came in #5 with $13,155,000. So part of the issue may have been bad timing.

Sayhello

Well, if my only choices were Paul and Mars Needs Moms, I would see Mars. Paul looked dumb and I hate bathroom humor. Especially alien bathroom humor.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Isn't Paul r-rated? If so, then it won't even be in the same realm as Mars.

Mars just looked too freaky for me to go see it...

I really want to see Rango though, if only for Depp.

 

[sayhello]

Well, if my only choices were Paul and Mars Needs Moms, I would see Mars. Paul looked dumb and I hate bathroom humor. Especially alien bathroom humor.

Unfortunately, we're obviously *not* the target audience. Alien bathroom humor is HUGE.

Isn't Paul r-rated? If so, then it won't even be in the same realm as Mars.

Mars just looked too freaky for me to go see it...

I really want to see Rango though, if only for Depp.

Ah, you are right. It *is* rated R. Mars is PG. Maybe it just sucks?

Sayhello

 

[Cap.Steamboat Willie]

I for one am actually happy for this historic flop.

I have recently finished watching "Walt: The Man Behind The Myth" and "The Pixar Story" and was able to gleam this bit of insight. Forgive me if I ramble.

Walt Disney would make decisions based on what would enhance the story. At one point in his early career he reshot "Flowers and Trees" in the new color technology that he had just acquired at a tremendous cost overrun. His brother who was the fiscally responsible one of the team never questioned his brother's vision(s) only worried about raising the funds to make them a reality. WOW!

John Lasseter had to reshoot and rewrite TOY STORY 2 after coming back from a promotion tour, not having had any free time in ages with his wife and family, and dead tired. He did this because what he saw was not right and although it was "good enough" for Disney executives who wanted to release it as is, it was not up to his standards.

The bean counters running Disney and making these decisions are not passionate enough about these films (like Walt and John). They are passionate about money. A wise man once said be passionate about what you do in your life and the money will come later. If you try too hard to squeezed the last dime out of something you will end up squeezing the life out of your dream.

If money drives them, then maybe, JUST MAYBE a BIG loss of profit will wake them up and have them reevaluate the bottom line. I think that some members of the podcast team have brought up somethings along these lines when discussing what has gone into Disney's decision making choices on such topics:

"Lights of Winter"
"Homogenization of Merchandise"
"In-room Coffee"
"Powdered Eggs"
"Disney Dining Plan"
"Phoning-In "Flower and Garden" Less is More Philosophy
" AND (insert rant here) __________"

I'll get off my soap box and formally apologize to anyone who may have taken my sentiments the wrong way. They were just one man's opinion.

 

[book_junkie]

Unfortunately, we're obviously *not* the target audience. Alien bathroom humor is HUGE.

Ah, you are right. It *is* rated R. Mars is PG. Maybe it just sucks?

Sayhello

I *loved* Paul, and so did the teens I took. It's not just bathroom humor, but a lot of sci-fi humor as well. Then again, I am an admitted geek, and I am a huge fan of Simon Pegg.

I've seen the ads for Moms for the past six months, and while I adore Joan Cusack, and have seen a bunch of Disney and Pixar films, I had NO desire to see this one. The concept seemed flawed, the ads never drew me in, and they never even seemed funny to me.

I might have tried it out with it having the Disney name, but the fact that it's $15 for 3D, $10 for "normal" makes me think about every movie purchase, and with a 39% rating on Rottentomatoes.com and other movies coming down the pike that I *know* I want to see, it's just not worth it right now. I can wait until it hits the cheaper theaters (I call them the dollar theaters but they're like $2 now) or when it comes out on DVD...

 

[dpuck1998]

The first time I saw the preview for this movie I had no interest in seeing it, and we see almost every kids movie that hits the big screen.

 

[figment3258]

I have to say I am not all all surprised. From the first preview i had no interest in it at all and we always like watching anything Disney. It's too bad

 

[mjaclyn]

I have to be honest, I'm really not surprised by this. The previews looked hideous and I had absolutely no interest in seeing it...which is actually rare for me because I love almost all of what Disney gives us at the box office. We LOVED Tangled but this movie just looked monumentally stupid.

EDIT: I just read the previous poster's comments and I basically echoed what she said! LOL

 

[WDW_Diane]

We saw this on the Dream a few days ago. Thank goodness we did not pay for it! It was a "B" movie, not up to the usual Disney standards at all.

 

[hannah's dad]

We saw this on the Dream a few days ago. Thank goodness we did not pay for it! It was a "B" movie, not up to the usual Disney standards at all.

Yep...we saw it on the Wonder last week (it was actually the main Walt Disney Theatre show) and I agree...a B movie at best - it was OK, nothing special. Pretty forgettable movie.