2022 was a strange and rather depressing year if you were a Disney/PIXAR animation fan. "Turning Red" marked the third PIXAR film in a row that was released straight to Disney+, along with hybrid films "Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers" and "Disenchanted." "Lightyear" did get a theatrical release, probably based on being part of the "Toy Story" franchise, but underperformed. Then there was Disney's holiday release, "Strange World," which couldn't play in a few overseas markets because it has an LGBT main character. It was also a flop, and upset fans suggested that a major contributing factor was that the film didn't enjoy the same marketing blitz that usually accompanies the release of Disney films.
Ex-CEO Bob Chapek definitely had a concerning attitude toward Disney's animated output, suggesting in October that he didn't think adult Disney+ viewers were watching the animated films, and that the success of "Encanto" on streaming after a weak box office performance pointed to a different potential model for Disney releases. However, considering the big push to promote new streaming services over the past three years, his view was hardly unique. A ton of films that would have gone to theaters in regular circumstances ended up premiering on streaming services, leaving theaters scrambling for content. Ticket sales are still down significantly compared to where they were before the pandemic, though the recent success of films like "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "Top Gun: Maverick" suggest we're finally seeing some improvement.
Premiering on streaming wouldn't be so bad for a film if it weren't for the drastically different treatment in regards to marketing and advertising. There is so much competition for our attention that it is very easy for streaming content to get lost in the flood of options. I've grumbled on this blog before that it's difficult to build up any kind of anticipation for some titles, because they're often dropped in our laps with little to no fanfare. A "Beavis and Butt-Head" movie premiered in June on the Paramount+ service, which I didn't know existed until a trailer appeared three weeks ahead of its release date. When a service like Netflix does commit significant resources to a film, like Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio," pegged from early on as an awards contender, it often feels like it comes at the expense of others, like Henry Selick's "Wendell & Wild."
It becomes very, very easy for smaller films to fall through the cracks. I'm using animated films as an example, but this happens to media across all genres, and for all audiences. Relying on word of mouth and only showing ads to subscribers of a particular service has its advantages, but too often this fails to connect the right piece of media with the right audience. I can't count the number of times I've had to go through a laborious search process in order to find a movie or show I've been anticipating on a streamer that doesn't seem to want to acknowledge that it's there. There's only a very short window for a new release to attract its audience. And once a piece of content is no longer considered new, it's much harder for it to drum up any attention.
Even when a film does well on streaming, it can be difficult to tell because the metrics are often so inaccessible. "Turning Red" was the most streamed animated feature with a 2022 release date, but I have no idea how that compares to "The Sea Beast" on Netflix or "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" on Amazon Prime. Nielsen, the company that tracks television viewers, only started releasing streaming charts in September of 2020, and I've only seen the data more widely reported over the last year or so. "Minutes watched" is the metric, which can be difficult to parse in some cases, though some alternatives like Flixpatrol use other criteria. Also, we only tend to see data for the best performers instead of the data for everyone.
In theaters, however, the numbers are much more transparent. The latest "Puss in Boots" movie was a modest hit after fighting its way back from a disappointing opening weekend - enough to give Universal the top two spots for highest grossing animated films at the 2022 domestic box office. "Lightyear" just about made its money back, but "Strange World" was Disney animation's worst performer in ten years, actually making less than the studio-shuttering "Treasure Planet." GKIDS anime titles had a great run, with "Dragon Ball: Super Hero" winning a slow weekend in August, while "One Piece: Red" and "Jujutsu Kaisen 0" both broke into the top five.
Of course, the box office numbers don't tell the whole story either. "Lightyear" and "Strange World" were much more popular when they arrived on Disney+, and "Encanto" is the most streamed movie of 2022 on any platform. Some have speculated that there's an expectation that Disney's animated films will inevitably be available on streaming, causing audiences to skip out on the theatrical run. It's going to take a lot more time and a lot more movies to say anything for sure, but for now the low box office numbers sure make for bad optics.
At least Disney doesn't have to worry about their films truly becoming obscurities the way "Wendell and Wild" might. "Strange World" still got a home media release and merchandise and a lot of people did see it on Disney+. Disney has the resources and the incentive to keep their theatrical disappointments accessible, in the hopes of another "Encanto" style hit. The features on Netflix and Amazon Prime and Paramount+ aren't nearly so lucky. Did anyone see that new "Beavis and Butt-Head" movie? Are we sure it really exists?
—
No comments:
Post a Comment