Big Hero 6 | November 7, 2014 | Now available on home video

[a2k]

I think PATF was also affected by A Christmas Carol already having a November slot, had that not been there, PATF likely would have had the early November slot. 

 

The Thanksgiving slot hasn't proved best for DWA as Guardians flopped and unless it's got exceptional marketing and trailers, I can't see Home doing much better. 

 

 

 

 

With DWA and Disney snapping the best release dates years in advance, studios like WB, Sony started to release films in the quieter months to give their animated films the best possible chance. March never used to be such a big month but then films like 300, Alice in Wonderland, Hunger Games etc have made it a lucrative month.

 

Sony did well with releasing Cloudy in September. They released Surf's Up in summer between Shrek 3 and Ratatouille and got burnt, even though Surf's Up was very good. They didn't do the same with Cloudy the year after.

Edited February 18, 2014 by a2knet

[Mojoguy]

Disney got it's ass kicked when DM2 released in MU's 3rd weekend.

 

MU has the worst multiplier after Cars 2 for Pixar. Even though it's 2nd weekend drop of 44%, despite being a sequel, was better than originals like Wall-e and Brave, and same as Cars.

 

3rd weekend onwards it's drops were 57%, 46% ,52%, 44%, 51%, 51%. How many 50%+ drops is that for an animation movie that dropped less than 45% in 2nd weekend!

 

They could have moved ahead 2 weeks and gotten 4 weekends between DM2 and MU, but after TS3 maybe they overestimated MU and underestimated DM2.

 

As animation movies go, unless they are making a princess movie or a Pixar movie, Disney cannot afford to play chicken with a studio like DW.

MU was Pixar, not Disney.

[Omni]

But Dingdong has a point that none of those movies save for MI and TI had REAL potential to breakout. MI did splendidly for what was just the dawn of Pixar. As for The Incredibles, I think GA went in expecting the heart and sentimentality of TS2 and FN and ended up with something else completely. Plus, as I mentioned before, it was a little ahead of its time because it came BEFORE the peak of superhero popularity in pop-culture. I'm sure that if it had come out now when the GA has become much more genre savvy regarding superheroes, than they were ten years back, they would have been able to appreciate the movie more.

 

Ultimately, Disney didn't have much of a choice when it came to BH6. Dreamworks had already nabbed the Thanksgiving slot for Home. So BH6 would have to go head to head with that (a big NO! even if BH6 is the superior and more anticipated movie). So instead they decided to release it two weeks earlier to give it a headstart on Home and build great WOM. No ways would WDAS release anything in December now after the TPATF debacle.

Fact is that the first Pixar film that exploded was released in the summer, MI and TI met expectations or fell just below them. Did Over the Hedge have breakout potential written on it? No it didn't, and in fact it didn't break out. But it certainly didn't seem to have anything more than Chicken Little or Bee Movie, and I'd argue that Megamind could have some potential. Yet OTH surpassed all of them. And Lorax? On the other side, there are failures like Turbo, and many of them would have been less ruinous with an early November opening. Because, once again, that slot works if you are satisfied with a honest performance, and it doesn't if you're hoping for a break out. The reasons are in my previous post.

 

I don't think a mid-December slot should be excluded a priori. Princess and the Frog didn't do well, but I doubt it would have done much better in any other time of the year. It was a nostalgic film, not much appealing and not very well received. Looking at Alvin, it's a slot that is worth a try. Though I understand the studio preferring to pick the safer option.

[Shaldun]

But Dingdong has a point that none of those movies save for MI and TI had REAL potential to breakout. MI did splendidly for what was just the dawn of Pixar. As for The Incredibles, I think GA went in expecting the heart and sentimentality of TS2 and FN and ended up with something else completely. Plus, as I mentioned before, it was a little ahead of its time because it came BEFORE the peak of superhero popularity in pop-culture. I'm sure that if it had come out now when the GA has become much more genre savvy regarding superheroes, than they were ten years back, they would have been able to appreciate the movie more.

 

Ultimately, Disney didn't have much of a choice when it came to BH6. Dreamworks had already nabbed the Thanksgiving slot for Home. So BH6 would have to go head to head with that (a big NO! even if BH6 is the superior and more anticipated movie). So instead they decided to release it two weeks earlier to give it a headstart on Home and build great WOM. No ways would WDAS release anything in December now after the TPATF debacle. October is an option but kind of risky especially since BH6 is not Halloween/horror themed. So first weekend of November was the best choice among what lesser options there were. Two weeks for itself, and when Home rolls out, BH6 may have already amassed lots of strong WOM, so that it holds up against that movie in a spectacular fashion. Allows for a greater OW and initial holds than immediately going up against Home and MJ1 if it had come out during Thanksgiving. 

TBH they could take the spot of Home and play chicken. With the Frozen success + a Marvel brand and if the movie is great, they will win this so Fox will move Home surely. Btw the OS release schedule isn't definitive (and it's incomplete too) right ? It's weird they decide to keep BH6 for February in Europe.

[Dingdong123]

I think disney said before that they liked the early november slot since it produces better film grosses (The Incredibles, Monsters Inc) than the thanksgiving slot (Toy Story 2, Tangled). That is, before Frozen happened.

[Fullbuster]

BH6 will be a success with a simple formula : "By the creators of Frozen"

[Mojoguy]

TBH they could take the spot of Home and play chicken. With the Frozen success + a Marvel brand and if the movie is great, they will win this so Fox will move Home surely. Btw the OS release schedule isn't definitive (and it's incomplete too) right ? It's weird they decide to keep BH6 for February in Europe.

What really needs to happen is Disney needs to nab the Thanksgiving 2016, 2017, and 2018 release dates before other studios take them.

[Mojoguy]

BH6 will be a success with a simple formula : "By the creators of Frozen"

"From the creators of Frozen AND Wreck it Ralph". It sounds better with two names.

[Spidey Freak]

"From the creators of Frozen AND Avengers". It sounds better with two names.

 

Fixed.

[Fullbuster]

Fixed.

 

Technically that would be a lie

[Spidey Freak]

Technically that would be a lie

 

Technically it is the truth. Somebody answering to Disney Animation created Frozen, somebody answering to Marvel created The Avengers, and somebody answering to Disney Animation created a movie based on something created by somebody answering to Marvel. It is tautological fact!

[Fullbuster]

Technically it is the truth. Somebody answering to Disney Animation created Frozen, somebody answering to Marvel created The Avengers, and somebody answering to Disney Animation created a movie based on something created by somebody answering to Marvel. It is tautological fact!

 

Twisted thinking

[Jonwo]

Sony did well with releasing Cloudy in September. They released Surf's Up in summer between Shrek 3 and Ratatouille and got burnt, even though Surf's Up was very good. They didn't do the same with Cloudy the year after.

I think Surfs Up being a penguin movie after the success of Happy Feet and March of the Penguins hurt it as well. Cloudy not only had a good release date but it look original,

[a2k]

MU was Pixar, not Disney.

Yeah I know  ...release dates, etc. is handled by Disney though

[SpiderByte]

I'm surprised we have so little news on this. I mean, I'm not surprised we don't have a trailer (Frozen didn't have one till, what, September?), but we should have heard casting by now.

[kitik]

Any chance we'll hear anything about it on the Marvel Studios primetime special next week? I have a feeling we won't. Anyone want to disagree?

[Orestes]

Any chance we'll hear anything about it on the Marvel Studios primetime special next week? I have a feeling we won't. Anyone want to disagree?

 

Im not sure we will. Nothing was mentioned about it, and Marvel isn't the studio that's actually making it.

[Spidey Freak]

I'm surprised we have so little news on this. I mean, I'm not surprised we don't have a trailer (Frozen didn't have one till, what, September?), but we should have heard casting by now.

 

Disney Animation is suffering a severe hangover after their party hearty nights over Frozen winnage!

 

[Boxx93]

That picture is too damn creepy!

[Spidey Freak]

That's G-rated compared to some of the unofficial stuff featuring the Disney Princesses that you can find online.