Having somehow managed to race past $4 billion at the box office despite suffering from a string of high-profile bombs, Disney’s earnings have put a Band-Aid over the gaping hole that’s been the company’s theatrical profitability this year, with Haunted Mansion the latest offender.
Releasing a Halloween-themed blockbuster in July was a stupid idea on paper, and it proved to be even dumber in practice after Justin Simien’s mediocre reboot of an already-mediocre Eddie Murphy vehicle debuted under expectations that weren’t great to begin with, before sinking even further in its second weekend to plot a course for the worst domestic performance of any live-action theme park adaptation in over 20 years.
At this point, Haunted Mansion has absolutely no chance of matching the $182 million haul of its predecessor, which was even deemed as a disappointment at the time. Rubbing even further salt into a cavernous wound, though, the spin on the story currently playing on the big screen that nobody’s paying to see is being usurped once again by its forebear, with Disney Plus subscribers flocking to the original en masse.
Per FlixPatrol, The Haunted Mansion has not-so-coincidentally risen from the grave to become one of the top-viewed titles on the Mouse House’s streaming service, with audiences apparently happier to revisit a 20 year-old dud from the comfort of their own home than opening their wallets to see the exact same story play out in cinemas.
It’s ironic, cruel, and an indictment on Disney’s strategy all at once, but at least a Haunted Mansion film is being watched.