Why Disney's Strange World Is Lowering Its Box Office Expectations
Disney is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to raking in the box office revenue from its many franchises. From Marvel and "Star Wars" to the popular efforts of Pixar and Disney's own in-house suite of animated and live-action movies, the house that Mickey built has never been a slouch when it comes to getting butts in seats at the local multiplex.
Naturally, Disney is hoping to continue this success with their new animated film "Strange World." The movie follows Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he and his family reunite to set out on a grand adventure to the planet of Avalonia on a grandiose expedition. Of course, the crew runs into a big surprise when Searcher's missing dad, Jaeger (Dennis Quaid), turns up on the dangerous planet. Unfortunately for Disney, the company is preparing to take a loss on "Strange World" due to some aspects of the movie that they expect to be contentious in the foreign market.
Disney is ready for the movie to be banned in several countries
Though many Disney properties perform incredibly well in their opening stretches, they aren't expecting a big box office take home for the opening of "Strange World" in certain overseas areas (via Deadline). This is because the company is expecting the movie to either be censored or banned outright in many regions due to the central nature of LGBTQ+ elements in the film.
Ethan Clade (Jaboukie Young-White) is a main character in "Strange World" who happens to be gay, and his crush on a fellow boy along for the expedition is a key part of the film's plot. Since Disney is unwilling to make edits that cut this storyline from the film, the company is anticipating that "Strange World" could suffer in more conservative foreign markets, including China, West Africa, Vietnam, and Nepal, among others.
While Disney hasn't been afraid to edit down their films to garner releases in these massive markets before (via Harvard International Review), it seems that the company is making a bold new stance in terms of this strategy. This could be due to the increased scrutiny that fell on the company following the revelation of its support for the Don't Say Gay bill (via The Guardian). While this decision will no doubt affect the box office revenue for "Strange World," Disney might think that the loss is worth it if it helps to redeem their image and brand for their legions of fans.