Profitability looks like Neverland for Warner Bros.’ big-budget family film “Pan,” which bombed domestically with just over $15 million in its debut this weekend, roughly one-tenth of its $150 million production budget.
Compounding the bad news Sunday were soft overseas numbers for “Pan” — $20 million from 52 markets, or 40 percent of its foreign run. That makes it clear the film’s overseas haul is not going to offset the domestic shortfall and over-sized budget of the PG-rated origin tale directed by Joe Wright and starring Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund and Amanda Seyfried.
“Pan” was originally conceived as a tentpole with franchise potential by the studio and its backers RatPac-Dune Entertainment and Berlanti Productions. But the fact that the studio in April shifted it from a July release date to the fall was not a sign of confidence.
Their assessment was correct, but “Pan” wasn’t able to compete much better in the fall than it would have in summer and here are five reasons why:
Low-Wattage Starpower
Jackman might be star-enough to drive an established Marvel franchise like “X-Men” at the box office, but “Pan” was a tougher sell. Neither Jackman, nor Hedlund, Seyfried or newcomer Levi Miller could get fans excited enough to see this latest movie about the boy who wouldn’t grow up.
Whacked by Drac Pack
Even in its third week, Sony Animation’s “Hotel Transylvania 2” was significant competition and took second place at the box office with $20 million, after “The Martian’s” $37 million win. Sony timed its release cleverly, so its Halloween theme would play well as the holiday grew closer.
The $15 million that “Pan” took in wasn’t far from the $18 million that another fall family film — Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” — did last year, but that one cost $28 million.
Bad Buzz Blitz
The reviews weren’t good. The film has a dismal 23 positive on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also besieged with bad buzz after it rolled out Thursday night. This was an illustration of how buzz that formerly took days to be felt at the box office is now having an effect within hours thanks to social media. When the media piled on, including the New York Post which said, “Joyless ‘Pan’ Should Walk the Plank,” and TheWrap’s Alonso Duralde described it as “shrill,” the negativity snowballed and Saturday’s hoped-for family bump never materialized.
Casting Controversy
All publicity is not necessarily good publicity. Many moviegoers first got wind of “Pan” last year when the casting of Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily drew fire. The character had been depicted as Native American in both the original J.M. Barrie novel and the classic 1953 Disney cartoon. At least the casting of Cara Delevingne as a mermaid flew under the radar.
We’re Not Talking “Power Rangers”
The concept may have been flawed from the outset. The classic J.M. Barrie’s tale doesn’t resonate like it once did with youngsters, and it’s not like the world was clamoring for another Peter Pan movie. To make it a prequel, and to up the ante with a massive budget, in hindsight, seems ill-advised. “Pan” has been granted a China release later this month, but how high can hopes go, since the character is largely unknown behind the Great Wall. Disney faced a similar challenge with “Oz The Great and Powerful,” which topped out at $25 million there.
See the 10 Most Cringe-Worthy ‘Pan’ Reviews Here:
23 White Actors Miscast in Nonwhite Roles, From Mickey Rooney to Emma Stone (Photos)
Hollywood just doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes as it continues to cast white actors in nonwhite roles again and again. And again.
Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Roger Ebert, Beatrice Aguirre Zuniga
More caricature than character, Rooney starred as the buck-toothed, Japanese Mr. Yunioshi in the 1961 film, which has faced volumes of criticism since.
The "Jailhouse Rock" singer played a Native American rodeo rider in the 1968 comedy Western. Along with this miscasting, many also criticized the film's use of stereotypes and offensive humor.
Movieclips Classic Trailers
Peter Sellers in "The Party" (1968)
The English actor wore brown face for his role as Hrundi V. Bakshi, an Indian actor, in the comedy film. "The Party" was also called out for its racist humor and perpetuating South Asian stereotypes.
Schneider seems to play a different ethnicity in every Adam Sandler movie. In "The Waterboy" he was the "You can do it!" guy, in "Big Daddy," he was a Middle-Eastern deliveryman, and in "50 First Dates," he plays a native Hawaiian. Badly.
In the 2007 drama film, Jolie plays Mariane Pearl, a real-life journalist of Afro-Chinese-Cuban descent, though the actress herself is of mixed-European descent.
The movie follows a group of math students who come up with a card-counting strategy to win big in Vegas. While the movie had a predominantly white cast, the real-life MIT students were Asian American.
Sony
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010) Gyllenhaal plays a Middle Eastern prince in the film, which many called "insulting" and "the perfect example of whitewashing."
Johnny Depp played a Native American in Disney's film, which sparked outrage among fans and critics despite the actor's claims that his great-grandmother had mostly Cherokee blood.
Scarlett Johansson, who consistently takes on roles for nonwhite actors, plays the Japanese lead in this lackluster film. Nevertheless, this miscasting sparked a larger conversation on Hollywood's whitewashing of Asian roles.
Paramount Pictures
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Rooney as Japanese? Stone as Chinese/Swedish/Hawaiian? TheWrap looks at history of racially misguided castings
Hollywood just doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes as it continues to cast white actors in nonwhite roles again and again. And again.