At least not for Disney, as this piece in Variety says:
Disney has bailed out of co-financing the third movie in Walden Media's "Chronicles of Narnia" series, according to published reports.
The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that Disney had decided not to exercise its option to partner with Walden on "Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," which has Michael Apted attached to direct.
Disney's move comes on the heels of disappointing worldwide B. O.for the second "Narnia" pic, "Prince Caspian." "Caspian," released in May, grossed $419 million worldwide, compared to a haul of $745 million for the first "Narnia" pic, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," in 2005.
Disney like other studios is also looking to be selective about its big-budget bets amid the economic downturn.
Walden execs told the Times they were "disappointed" in Disney's decision but that they remain committed to the franchise.
The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that Disney had decided not to exercise its option to partner with Walden on "Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," which has Michael Apted attached to direct.
Disney's move comes on the heels of disappointing worldwide B. O.for the second "Narnia" pic, "Prince Caspian." "Caspian," released in May, grossed $419 million worldwide, compared to a haul of $745 million for the first "Narnia" pic, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," in 2005.
Disney like other studios is also looking to be selective about its big-budget bets amid the economic downturn.
Walden execs told the Times they were "disappointed" in Disney's decision but that they remain committed to the franchise.
-I'm not a fan of the series, but I know many are, so let's see where this goes from here...
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If Disney is upset they didn't make as much with the second film as they did with the first, then why did they pick a release date that was sandwhiched between Iron Man and Indiana Jones? Also, the first film was very holiday themed and came out for Christmas. This one's a little darker and wasn't marketed quite as well. I really don't care for these films either, but the blame isn't the quality of the movies, really.
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ReplyDeleteHmmm. Well, I suppose that as long as Walden Media is dedicated to keeping it alive, that's what's important, whether Disney is on board or not. I personally am a big fan of the series, though I admittedly prefer The Lord of the Rings films and books. I think the box office struggles of Prince Caspian were largely due to the fact that it was released at the wrong time of year. The first film was released in the holiday season and did tremendously. The main reason behind that is because the books have a large following, and are very family friendly. The Christmas season is the perfect time for something like that, especially because the films tap into the Christian Youth Group audiences. I cannot tell you how many of my friends saw the first film due to a church youth Group event.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, summer, as we know, is blockbuster season. However, the main family films that succeed in summer are animated ones. Plus, there was a large gap of time between the two films' release dates.