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Hollywood is in a tizzy over the early tracking which just came online this morning for Walt Disney Studios‘ John Carter opening March 9th. “Not good. 2 unaided, 53 aware, 27 definitely interested, 3 first choice,” a senior exec at a rival studio emails me. Another writes me, ”It just came out. Women of all ages have flat out rejected the film. The tracking for John Carter is shocking for a film that cost over $250 million. This could be the biggest writeoff of all time.” I’m hearing figures in the neighborhood of $100 million. And the studio isn’t even trying to spin reports of the 3D pic’s bloated budget any more.
Now, to be fair, this very soft tracking has been expected. The studios’ private reports have shown for some time very soft awareness and very little wannasee. So what’s Disney’s explanation? “It’s the last leftover from the previous regime of Dick Cook,” an executive who works for successor Rich Ross reminds me. “We’re not running away from the movie. Our job is to sell it.” Then again, Cook also left Ross Alice In Wonderland to sell, too, along with other hits and a few misses.
Disney is nervous, really nervous, but trying to hold out some hope. ”We know that we have a long way to go. It’s still four weeks out, and the bulk of the media hasn’t hit yet. Our Super Bowl ad did what we intended it to do: have a pop of awareness. On Sunday we launch a full campaign with 90+% of all of our media ready to go.” Problem is, John Carter (formerly titled John Carter Of Mars) only has a two-week window before Lionsgate’s hotly anticipated The Hunger Games opens March 23rd.
Disney is still planning a gigantic worldwide day-and-date push for John Carter with all the frills no matter how dismal its prospects look. ”After all the movie has Andrew Stanton of Finding Nemo and Wall-E,” an insider explains to me.
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Maybe the original title would have done a better job of alerting genre fans to this movie. As it is (and I’m a lover of sci-fi and fantasy so possibly their target audience) I’ve seen the trailer and have no idea what this film is about and therefore don’t care. Action shots of some guy fighting monsters with no suggestion of a plot is not going to draw an audience. Maybe if they had advertised, I don’t know, more of an actual story? Whatever.
Suuure, it’s entirely possible to turn the tide on a mediocre product that’s already being over-marketed to the point of making people fed up with its omnipresence. In 3 weeks.
So now we know, folks – next year Disney will not only sweep the Oscars but also the Oscar equivalent of the advertising sector. Hell if I know what it is, but if there isn’t one, it shall be invented. And Disney will win it.
Also, Kitsch, seriously, stop with this alien insanity, cover up those weird-ass looking nipples and go back to playing Riggins in indies, kay? Grateful audience.
Hear, hear! Nothing is for free! If you downloaded it for “free”, it’s actually coming out of someone else’s pay. Someone who worked hard all their life to become adept at playing the music, singing well, or making a story come to life on the screen.
Why does every one have it out for this film? This is based on a classic piece of pulp literature that inspired everyone from George R.R. Martin to George Lucas. It’s directed by an Oscar winner, and it has a terrific premise. Has it been marketed well? No. They’re trying to market the sizzle, when they should be marketing the steak – it’s a cool story, bro.
Really someone honestly thinks this is Dick Cooks error ? Are you for real ? This film is plagued with everything that makes for a non commercial film. Andrew I knew you when what happened to you ? Let people who do marketing market it just might work and really 250 million ? In today’s economy shame on all of you that could have fed millions of people or sustained thousands for years. Perspective people
. Who had their eyes on that budget I assure you it wasn’t Dick Cook
Guess what but early buzz is really positive, and the latest TV spots and promos have definitely raised interest, movie went from top 500 to n°61 on IMDB in a week. Plus, those early trackings are just laughable, you can predict everything you want, it’s just hokum, how many times have trackings been wrong, practically everyone thought that Avatar was going to crash and burn.
Plus, if the movie is good, as it seems it is, it will have word of mouth, and good legs. John Carter won’t bomb, this is all ridiculous.
Oh and by the way, who had planned that movies such as The Vow or Safe House coming out of nowhere would make 40 M OW?! If these movies can make that kind of money, it’s only logical that JC should do more.
So far the so-called early positive buzz comprises two reviewers, neither of whom sounds particularly objective and Harry Knowles, completely not objective. Against also a fair number of as of yet shy voices saying it wasn’t all “it”.
Don’t get me wrong, I wish the movie well, in fact, I’m going to be there opening day, so they have my money. If it’s any good, I’ll even buy the DVD and write Kitsch’s nipples a letter of apology. But at the moment it just is not looking good. Neither visually, nor marketing-wise. And people who keep talking about positive buzz mostly sound like wishful thinking fans of the books.
Yeah, ‘The Vow’ was marketed as a total chick flick and came out just before Valentine’s Day. Total surprise that it’d score big.
Three big problems:
Anonymous title. The original title was better.
Taylor Kitsch. Most people are still “Who?” And people who know him are “Why?”
Too many Star Wars reject beasts in the trailer.
Thus far the marketing has been horrible. Contemporary-sounding title + other-planetary CGI = public confusion – in other words: the public cannot figure out what it is supposed to be. They still have time to fix this misperception, and if it is actually a good film (I am not optimistic) they may have a shot. But so far this is a PR debacle that is baffling. They would have been better of giving it a more action-oriented title, at least. “John Carter” just sounds dumb – even if it makes sense given the source material. A name like that needs serious marketing to turn something so quirky, confusing and off-putting into a hit film. Especially if it is not expected to be a good film. What were they thinking?
Well i’m a woman 27 and I can not wait for this movie I opted no Valentines date night to have the money to see this one looks good can’t wait!!!
I was interested at first then they dropped the “Mars” from the title and I was like, “what a total b@&ch move”!
As much as I liked the books, the premise is completely out-dated now. I’ll see it because I like Burroughs, but based on the trailers I don’t have high expectations for it. It’s a bit disappointing because it looks like everyone worked really hard on it.
Here’s the funny thing… the movie is GREAT.
I was shocked. Horrible marketing..
Our modern day waterworld?
Waterworld did ok. It was just a media-created disaster. JC on the other hand may be a debacle of epic proportions
yeah right, you spend the big $ on superbowl ads to have a “pop” of awareness. look, if you’re gonna spin it, spin it right.
sad.
I work in the business and I have absolutely no idea what this movie is about. And there’s nothing in that poster or that title telling me why I should leave my house, much less cough up my cash, to see it. And yes, I’m a woman.
Problem 1: “John Carter” is a terrible name for a movie. It tells you nothing about the movie, and invokes no interest. Problem 2: I’ve seen a commerical or two, and I have no idea what the movie is about. Or who it is aimed at. Disney needs to let consumers know what the movie is about and why they should see it. They need some major press beyond commercials to drum up interest.
“Our job is to sell it.” Well then you’re not doing your job very well. The marketing campaign for this has been terrible every which way. And I mean TERRIBLE. It’s not shocking at all that the tracking is low. Even the fanboys aren’t sold on it. The sad thing is that Stanton is a real talent and some early buzz suggests the movie may actually be good. But no one is going to go see it. I mean I really can’t overstate how badly Disney has handled this one. For a company that stands and falls on franchises this could be one huge blown opportunity.
The trailer makes it look like they should have titled it “Bad Avatar.”
I’m sure the book is better.
The trailer is unwatchable. Yet another piece of junk from the Mouse House. No surprise.
As for the budget spend 10M and make 100M in the BO; or spend 100M and make 10M in the BO. The studios need to get over themselves and ask the general public first; would you see this. It would sure save a lot in heartache. But what do I know, they’ll probably break even when you factor in foreign, DVDs and downloads.
Love me some Tim Riggins, but Taylor is miscast in this, this movie needed a bigger name above the title.
The commercials look awful, nothing there to grab an audience.
Bring on Hunger Games!
Sad thing is the film is getting VERY GOOD early buzz. All of the early word I’ve heard has been positive, no negativity whatsoever as of yet. If it is good, word of mouth should be strong. There is still hope, but Disney have done everything in their power to make sure it has the most gruelling uphill struggle of any film ever. Idiots.
I saw the film at a sneak screening, and can honestly say it’s a turkey. The opening is fine, but it falls apart quickly and remains a confused mess to the end. The acting is wooden, with no chemistry between the leads. Time/space travel jumps are jarring, held together by weak and boring narration delivered in monotone. And the cg work is video game good (circa 1999). In particular, the fight scenes are poorly staged and executed, and show signs of severe editing to make as much sense as it can. The worst thing about the film is the difficulty in telling one thark from another, and the red men from the blue people and the other thark like things from the other thark like things. What I gathered from the buzz after the screening, no one cared about what happened to the characters. It’s just tiresome.
Next.
I’m sorry, but I see the title and think it’s a movie about Dr. John Carter from “ER.” And that would probably be a better movie than what’s happening with this.
poor Riggins..
First this and then Battleship. could he star in the two biggest studio sinking movies of all time?
Perhaps… I plan on watching neither.