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It's been over a year since John Carter made its way to the big screen and bombed miserably. With a budget of roughly $300 million and a profit of around $64 million for the first 3 weeks (according to The Numbers, http://www.the-numbers.com), it was dubbed as one of the biggest box office bombs of our time. After seeing these dismal numbers, it is not hard for moviegoers to completely write off the Disney film as a viable addition to their home video collection. In many respects, more moviegoers rely on the box office numbers moreso than many wish to believe. However, there have been movies in the past that horrendously underperformed in theaters and yet still came roaring back in dvd sales, pay-per-view and marketing.
Take for instance, Kevin Costner's WaterWorld. According to Box Office Mojo (boxofficemojo.com), the 1995 Universal Studios blockbuster had only profited a rough estimate of $65 million after 3 weeks of showing on the big screen. The film itself cost $165 million to produce. Not taking into account money spent on advertising, this movie was labelled as one of the worst box office movies of all time. Based on records provided by AMC Filmsite (www.filmsite.org) only one other 1995 movie made the list (MGM's Cutthroat Island raked in $18.5 million worldwide after racking up a $115 million production costs). However, since its release, Water World has made its way into the Universal Studios theme park and is still shown over a wide range of well-known movie stations including Starz and HBO. One thing I have not been able to find out is when Water World finally broke even. If anyone has information regarding that subject, please leave the answer in the comments section.
So why would a good movie have a bad box office start? It depends on a lot of things. The easiest one that comes to mind is the economy at the time of the movie debut. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, national unemployment in 1995 for Water World was at 5.6% while the GDP (based on data from the World Bank, data.worldbank.org) was at $7.338 trillion. The last confirmed readings, which were in 2011, had the U.S GDP (in current dollars) at $14.99 trillion. The unemployment rate, however, was recorded to be about 8.1% in 2012. In the case of John Carter, it is possible that many people were thinking conservatively and would rather use the money for necessities or a "safer" movie.
What do I mean by "safer?" Well, I think the fan base had a lot to do with John Carter's flop. I know that Kevin Costner was not very well known for science fictions when Water World came out. He had done many Westerns and war movies, but not science fictions. Assuming you were a fan of Mr. Costner at the time, it was probably because of movies like Bodyguard, A Perfect World and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. John Carter on the other hand, had a solid plot, awesome effects and good acting, but not a very strong fan base in my opinion. At least for me, I had no idea the movie existed until its debut.
That said, it takes a while to create a viable fan base but it seems like Carter's picking up steam. According to Forbes.com, the movie reached its budget late April of last year. So the next time you see a movie coming up with less than stellar box office numbers, don't let the stats decide the quality of the film. Let YOU decide the quality of the film.
Question to the audience: Is John Carter a potential movie classic or another Disney bomb?
UPDATED
Here is a trailer for your viewing pleasure. Courtesy of Disney UK. Please show your appreciation by liking the trailer.
Take for instance, Kevin Costner's WaterWorld. According to Box Office Mojo (boxofficemojo.com), the 1995 Universal Studios blockbuster had only profited a rough estimate of $65 million after 3 weeks of showing on the big screen. The film itself cost $165 million to produce. Not taking into account money spent on advertising, this movie was labelled as one of the worst box office movies of all time. Based on records provided by AMC Filmsite (www.filmsite.org) only one other 1995 movie made the list (MGM's Cutthroat Island raked in $18.5 million worldwide after racking up a $115 million production costs). However, since its release, Water World has made its way into the Universal Studios theme park and is still shown over a wide range of well-known movie stations including Starz and HBO. One thing I have not been able to find out is when Water World finally broke even. If anyone has information regarding that subject, please leave the answer in the comments section.
So why would a good movie have a bad box office start? It depends on a lot of things. The easiest one that comes to mind is the economy at the time of the movie debut. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, national unemployment in 1995 for Water World was at 5.6% while the GDP (based on data from the World Bank, data.worldbank.org) was at $7.338 trillion. The last confirmed readings, which were in 2011, had the U.S GDP (in current dollars) at $14.99 trillion. The unemployment rate, however, was recorded to be about 8.1% in 2012. In the case of John Carter, it is possible that many people were thinking conservatively and would rather use the money for necessities or a "safer" movie.
What do I mean by "safer?" Well, I think the fan base had a lot to do with John Carter's flop. I know that Kevin Costner was not very well known for science fictions when Water World came out. He had done many Westerns and war movies, but not science fictions. Assuming you were a fan of Mr. Costner at the time, it was probably because of movies like Bodyguard, A Perfect World and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. John Carter on the other hand, had a solid plot, awesome effects and good acting, but not a very strong fan base in my opinion. At least for me, I had no idea the movie existed until its debut.
That said, it takes a while to create a viable fan base but it seems like Carter's picking up steam. According to Forbes.com, the movie reached its budget late April of last year. So the next time you see a movie coming up with less than stellar box office numbers, don't let the stats decide the quality of the film. Let YOU decide the quality of the film.
Question to the audience: Is John Carter a potential movie classic or another Disney bomb?
UPDATED
Here is a trailer for your viewing pleasure. Courtesy of Disney UK. Please show your appreciation by liking the trailer.
John Carter Trailer 2012 -- Official Movie Trailer | HD
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