Taylor Kitsch’s John Carter Is Finally A Winner

June 13, 2012 Lindsay Sperling 22 Comments

url19 Taylor Kitschs John Carter Is Finally A Winner

Even though Walt Disney‘s John Carter will go down as the biggest flop to-date, it can finally be called a winner, in some sense of the word.

John Carter, starring Taylor Kitsch – who you can catch next in Oliver Stone‘s Savages – has managed to beat out both Act of Valor and Safe House to win the top spot in home video sales this week. After grossing roughly $72.9 million domestically and about double that overseas, the film is well on its way to closing the gap between cost and profit. At almost $20 for the average new release DVD and a bit more for the Blu-Ray or 3D version, Disney is looking to finally break even.

The studio has instituted a 28-day embargo withholding the title from certain rental outlets like Netflix and Redbox. Since so many people skipped out on the theatrical run of the film, if they weren’t gaga enough to purchase it already, renting seems like the next best option and hopefully a popular one. The film really wasn’t half bad and definitely worthy of being the feature of a Redbox/Netflix night.

With all this post-theater success director Andrew Stanton might get a crack at a sequel yet!

Did you already see John Carter or are you waiting to rent? Let us know.

Carthoris

Saw it, loved it, saw it three more times in IMAX 3D. Preordered the Bluray as soon as I could. Keeping all of my fingers crossed for a sequel. Wish I was a Thark so I could cross more of them. Finally this movie is getting the positive attention it deserves.
Teetering

I saw it twice in-theatre, bought the DVD which as expected suffers a bit compared to the large screen vista but well worth my investment, I didn’t care for the 3D. I hope the media covers this angle as thouroughly as they did the pre release issues.
rebecca

hooray for positive media coverage! saw it 6 times in theaters. bought the most bonused blu ray I could find. I seriously loved John Carter. really hoping for a sequel.
Hollis Rodney Williams

I saw JOHN CARTER 8 times in the theater. I bought 3 copies of the BLU RAY and I still can’t get over how great this JOHN CARTER film really is…A wonderful, ROMANTIC, funny, stunning, finely crafted motion picture. The editing, dialog, alien characters, music and great sweep of interplanetary adventure just can not be beat…rent this film and you’ll want to buy it for your collection.
Jan Austin

John Carter – excellent film! It’s definitely a good buy on DVD! A beautiful movie, an incomparable cast, fantastic and heartwarming characters, and brilliantly directed by Andrew Stanton. Watch this film and then you too will want to go BACK TO BARSOOM with the thousands and thousands of us from all over the world!
Khanada Taylor

Man John Carter should have been a huge success from the beginning! I LOVE seeing it finally get the attention it deserves! There are new fans every day who are kicking themselves for not watching this in the theater! Man, I want that sequel and along with thousands of fans I’m working my tush off to get it! GO BARSOOM!!!
Patrick Malloy

It is certainly interesting to see the change in perception taking place, first the film was seen as this horrid flop, now the truth of the matter is finally coming to light, that it is in fact a grand, old school type of film the like of which has not been made in a long time! I saw the film three times in the theater, and loved it! That is not something that I do very often I might add. It reminded me of when I was a boy watching movies with my dad as a kid. When I went to buy the Blu-ray copy, I bought the last one, it was all sold out at Best Buy! People who missed the film in the theater, for fear of it being a bad film, are now watching it for the first time and falling in love with it! If ever a film deserved a sequel it is this one!
Debbie Banway

I was lucky enough to have seen this movie in March in the IMAX and
loved this movie. I have been telling friends and family until I was
blue in the face how good this movie was. And now the people who were
scared off by the media flop reports and the critics animosity anr now
finding out for themselves what I discovered in March. That John Carter
is a good movie that got a raw deal. Disney through it under the bus
with poor promotion and advertising. The only hype this movie received
was bad press from Rich Ross, his subsequent job loss, the 200 million
dollar write down at end of 1st quarter. A figure that has been disputed
but not by the lazy media. They all cut and pasted the press release
from Disney and the fix was in. Thank you to the word of mouth of the
fans of this movie for changing the buzz. Hey Disney Take me back to
Barsoom, I want the trilogy that Andrew Stanton envisioned .
KB22

This movie is my favorite movie of all time. I love it. It’s one of those movies that will never get old no matter how many times you watch it. The entire movie is entertaining from beginning to end. I’m so happy that it’s finally getting recognition.
Ned

Awesome movie! Anybody who waited to see it at home on blu-ray / DVD will be delighted.
http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Small/750037816 John Small

This movie DESERVES a sequel. And please stop calling it a flop; no movie with this kind of fan support can be considered a failure, regardless of what the critics say.
Ricardo Richard

I really enjoyed this movie! I don’t understand the hate that it received and I think it definitely deserves a sequel. Granted it’s not the greatest film ever and it does have a a few flaws but on an all it’s a very entertaining popcorn flick! There are far worst films that made a whole lot a movie (cough cough TRANSFORMERS 3 cough cough) IMO.
Wendy

I saw John Carter in the movie theaters a couple of times. First in 2D and then I decided to see it in IMAX. The 3D version blew me away. I ended up traveling to the El Capitan theater in Los Angeles in order to see the display of movie costumes and props and to see the film again in Disney 3D. I have purchased the blu-ray and have added this film to my collection. I don’t buy many DVDs each year. A film has to grab me before I will buy the DVD. This film did not even have a question mark about purchasing. I pre-ordered. Now I’m impatiently awaiting word from Disney that the other two sequels will be greenlit. I hope that Disney realizes that they have a new classic on their hands.
Chris Farley

Great movie. The story gets better over the other 10 books in the Barsoom series. Desperate for sequels. Buy the DVD/Blu-ray and join the fight at johncartertwo.com and on Facebook
Maegan Langer

Saw it in the theatre multiple times and now own the DVD/Blu-Ray. Glad to see it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves. We want sequels!
Pincin

Wow–what would it have hurt to get your facts right for this…review? “John Carter” made well over $209m overseas, over $70m domestically and is STILL earning money every single day in cinemas around the US and elsewhere even three months after opening day AND more than a week after its DVD release. (Note: Most box office tabulator sites haven’t even updated totals beyond the above for this film since April 15th). I came back from a packed house of enthusiastic fans just this evening and that theater has seen the same nearly every night for a month. “John Carter” made its money back easily six weeks ago, yet it has been way more fun for the media to keep using it as a whipping boy in the argument against “tentpole films,” leaving the fans to get the truth out. (Btw, Andrew Stanton has always disputed the “$250m” budget routine, stating that the budget never topped $175m–and that makes sense, considering that Disney was happy to announce that it balked at $215m for the far more high profile “The Lone Ranger” project more than six months before “John Carter” ever arrived in cinemas). The fact that Disney did not make a mega-profit on this excellent cinematic outing is of no concern to the fans; the studio didn’t deserve a profit because they failed to properly advertise or market it. It’s been the fans who have kept it going, supporting the film in the theaters and now on DVD, as well as nurturing a fan base which daily continues to grow. We fans have shown that we can sustain this franchise despite Disney’s bumbling and deserve a sequel which we’ll support as well.
JC Fan 4 Life

I loved this film! It amazes me that so many people, like cattle, listened to insane internet critics and didn’t check out this great film by themselves. It’s old school in its approach and there’s something refreshing about that. It’s not some pornographic CGI mess with soulless characters that leaves you empty after you leave the theater. It’s a film that belongs up there in the pantheon of great romantic adventure films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, the original Star Wars trilogy and the Back to the Future films. It’s the type of time that makes you look up at the stars and long for adventure. It really does make you feel like a kid again. It’s a damn classic just waiting to be uncovered by the masses. It so deserves a sequel. Please check it out for yourself. Don’t pre-judge this film! Wake up and find yourself on Barsoom. Beg to go back! Demand a sequel!
Kenneth Jordan

Lindsey, Thanks for this article about John Carter winning the home video wars last week!

I love this movie! It is a perfect depiction of a great pulp sci-fi action-adventure story! I’m hoping that the blu-ray and dvd sales continue to stay strong so that Director Andrew Stanton, who did a fabulous job creating and directing this spectacle, gets a chance to make the sequels he and his co-writers have already prepared for filming!

I still say that, in the end, “John Carter Shall Conquer!”
Bobby Gore

Lov John Carter. An glad I did not listen to the critics when it came out at the theater. I would have miss a great Movie.
McFarty

The movie was bad. Not the worst in the world, but not worth owning on DVD. And there’s no way DVD sales could bring in 200 million Disney lost on this, get your facts straight.
Eric

I think the theater ” flop” was due to bad marketing. The average movie watcher didnt know who JOHN CARTER was, so that fact alone kept the movie from being on the must see list. After watching it on DVD i loved the movie and would have went to the theater to see it had I known what it truly was about.
http://wegotthiscovered.com MattJo

I was surprised by this one too, glad to see it doing so well on Blu-Ray/DVD.