It may have become the first studio this year to cross $4 billion at the global box office, but Disney‘s 2023 has nonetheless been characterized by a string of disappointments, duds, and outright flops that have ensured the profit margins have been rendered razor thin despite such vast income.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny set the studio back a ridiculous $295 million and won’t turn a profit, while the jury is still out on whether or not the $200 million animation Elemental and the $265 million The Little Mermaid will even end up in the black, without mentioning the colossal sums of money poured down the train via Strange World, Lightyear, and Jungle Cruise to name but three recent catastrophes.
However, the most damning indictment of all ironically comes from a former Star Wars spin-off that neither the Mouse House, Lucasfilm, nor its eventual creator were interested in partnering up to bring to life. Despite the trailer boasting incredible scope, scale, spectacle, and visual splendor, both parts of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon carry a combined price tag of just $166 million.
Not only is that cheaper than all of Disney’s 2023 blockbuster output, but it’s also less expensive than Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Fast X, and The Flash. Beyond that, for reasons that can’t be comprehended by anyone other than the people responsible for Disney’s rampant financial mismanagement, it’s also a mere $9 million more expensive than Haunted Mansion of all things.
The $157 million reboot has been tanking hard ever since it first released, and you’ve got to wonder how the hell Rebel Moon only set Netflix back a fraction more when it boasts 10 times the eye-popping aesthetics, world-building, and sheer grandeur than the dimly-lit theme park adaptation. Netflix often spends far too much on movies that should be a lot cheaper, but Snyder’s latest is looking like a bargain by comparison.
