It seems whatever little magic was left in the House of Mouse has vanished - and no wish is enough to bring it back.
Disney’s latest animated film, “Wish,” tanked at the box office over Thanksgiving weekend, marking just the latest in a string of box office bombs from the entertainment giant that used to rule the children’s entertainment industry. The film brought in $31.6 million over the five-day long weekend, landing significantly short of the $45-55 million projections and suggesting a dire future for a movie with a budget of $200 million.
This latest lackluster offering follows a litany of failed films including Lightyear, Elemental, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Haunted Mansion, and their live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. In fact, Disney has reportedly lost some $900 million in film failures this year alone. And while analysts may blame things like the company’s struggling streaming platform, Disney+, and outside factors like inflation for the company’s poor performance in theaters, even Disney itself seems to recognize that the company’s ill-considered foray into the World of Woke has played a key part in turning off its target demographic: kids…and their parents.
“We face risks relating to misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment, travel and consumer products,” Disney said in its most recent SEC filing.
“Generally, our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance. Further, consumers’ perceptions of our position on matters of public interest, including our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals, often differ widely and present risks to our reputation and brands,” the company admitted.
Related: Disney Wants to ‘Quiet The Noise’ in Culture Battles, But is it too Late?
Once known for generating high-quality kids content that parents could count on, Disney’s taken a hard-left turn in recent years. The company openly pushed back against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill that protected parents’ right to know what was being taught in their children’s public schools. Disney execs openly admitted to pushing a pro-LGBTQ agenda - even to the point of calling for gay and trans characters to be represented in every future Disney project, while butchering beloved classics like Snow White and replacing it with an insufferable feminist diatribe. The company’s major theme parks, already under fire for staggeringly high prices and decreasing quality, drew scrutiny after bearded grown men in dresses were spotted ushering young children into the attractions’ princess boutiques.
Maybe - just maybe - parents of young children don’t want leftist propaganda shoved down their throats - and pumped into their living rooms - by a film company that once produced wholesome films about animated toys, magical castles, and flying carpets. And they certainly aren’t willing to shuck out $15 a person to have the same recycled garbage with a side of woke force-fed to their family in theaters.
Looks like Disney’s going to have to wish on more than a star to fix this one.
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Disneyland’s newest ride? A half-naked man high on drugs playing with wooden dolls. https://t.co/oGjf9h5p1H
— MRCTV (@mrctv) November 28, 2023