Disney has another dud on their hands — this time, it’s “The Haunted Mansion.”
Haunted Mansion was spooked in its debut in another big-budget summer miss for Disney. The live-action family pic opened to an estimated $24.2 million, one of the lowest starts ever among Disney’s live-action reimaginings of theme park attractions or classic animated films. Heading into the weekend, tracking suggested an already-subdued $30 million launch.
In addition to going up against Barbenheimer, Haunted Mansion was also challenged by mediocre reviews and the struggling family marketplace. The star-packed cast was also unable to do publicity and press in the final two weeks before the film’s launch because of the actors strike, including staying away from the movie’s Disneyland premiere on July 15.
Disney is hopeful that good audience exit scores on PostTrak and a B+ CinemaScore will make up for any deficits and provide the film with long legs, just as Pixar’s summer film Elemental has enjoyed an enviable multiple after a soft start. The problem: both films were pricey to make, putting increased pressure on their box office performance. Haunted Mansion cost at least $150 million to produce before marketing. Elemental was $200 million.
Director Justin Simien’s Haunted Mansion, which turns Disneyland’s iconic attraction into a supernatural horror-comedy, stars Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Chase W. Dillon, Daniel Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto and Danny DeVito.
Overseas, Haunted Mansion grossed $9.1 million from 53 territories representing about 50 percent of the marketplace for a global bow of $33.3 million.
