'Tomorrowland' is a flop, though Disney has Ant-Man, Inside-Out and Star Wars: A Force Awakens to come.
Disney will lose between $120-140 million on Brad Bird's big-budget fantasy adventure Tomorrowland, according to sources. It represents the studio's biggest financial misfire since The Lone Ranger prompted a $190 million write down and raises serious questions about the quality of the script and effectiveness of the marketing.
Tomorrowland was a major disappoinment for Disney
Tomorrowland is also the third big-budget bomb of 2015, with Jupiter Ascending and Seventh Son suffering similar fates. Meanwhile, low-budget hits such as Spy and Pitch Perfect 2 are thriving.
Tomorrowland, written by Bird and the respected Damon Lindelof, followed a genius inventor played by George Clooney to embarks on a mission to unearth the secrets of a hidden place with the help of a teen bursting with scientific curiosity. It cost $180 million to produce, plus $150 million in worldwide marketing, though took just $42.7 million during the long Memorial Day weekend. As of June 8, the film had made $169.9 million globally - not even recouping its production budget.
More: Did Disney bring the magic in Tomorrowland?
Though a severe disappointment for Disney, any loss on Tomorrowland will be covered by the likely hits it has ready for this year.
Not even Clooney could make Tomorrowland a commercial hit
"Yes, they took a miss with Tomorrowland, but there are so many things working for Disney," said analyst Eric Handler of MKM Partners, "And coming up, there's Inside Out (June 19), Ant-Man(July 17) and Star Wars (Dec. 18). Disney will do just fine this year."
"There's a reason you're seeing more sequels, prequels and known properties because you never know how films like Tomorrowland or Jupiter Ascending are going to turn out."
"When a guy like that comes to you with an original idea, and Clooney is part of the package, you'll take the swing," said a rival executive.
More: George Clooney hits Comic-Con touting impressive looking Tomorrowland
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