‘Strange World’ CinemaScore Might Be the Lowest Ever For a Walt Disney Animation Studio Film

The film, which opened in theaters Wednesday, received a ‘B’ rating from the market research firm

Strange World
Strange World (Disney)

Walt Disney Animation’s “Strange World” has received a ‘B’ from CinemaScore following its theatrical release on Wednesday.

According to one Twitter user, the grade marks the lowest ever for a Disney Animation title since 1991 when CinemaScore started polling audience reaction to the studio’s films.

Below is a list of CinemaScore grades of Walt Disney Animation Studios titles dating back to 1991 (Note: Fantasia 2000 did not receive a CinemaScore):

  • Beauty and the Beast (1991): A+
  • Aladdin (1992): A+ 
  • The Lion King (1994): A+ 
  • Pocahontas (1995): A-
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996): A
  • Hercules (1997): A
  • Mulan (1998): A+ 
  • Tarzan (1999): A
  • Dinosaur (2000): A
  • The Emperor’s New Groove (2000): A
  • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001): A
  • Lilo & Stitch (2002): A
  • Treasure Planet (2002): A-
  • Brother Bear (2003): A
  • Home on the Range (2004): A-
  • Chicken Little (2005): A-
  • Meet the Robinsons (2007): A-
  • Bolt (2008): A-
  • The Princess and The Frog (2009): A
  • Tangled (2010): A+
  • Winnie the Pooh (2011): A-
  • Wreck It Ralph (2012): A
  • Frozen (2013): A+
  • Big Hero 6 (2014): A
  • Zootopia (2016): A
  • Moana (2016): A
  • Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018): A-
  • Frozen 2 (2019): A-
  • Raya and The Last Dragon (2021): A
  • Encanto (2021): A

A representative for CinemaScore did not immediately return The Wrap’s request for comment.

CinemaScore’s grades for major movie releases in the U.S. and Canada, which range from A+ to F, are calculated by polling a “regionally-balanced and statistically robust sample of opening night moviegoers,” according to its website.

Pollsters provide audience members a ballot with six questions — including the grade scale, purchase and rental interest and demographic data — which are answered by bending back the ballot’s tabs. After a movie ends, audiences return the ballots to the pollsters, who tabulate the data and send the results to CinemaScore.

CinemaScore does not automatically poll or report on social media about movies that open in less than 1,500 screens. In that instance, the film studio or producers can privately contract CinemaScore to conduct a survey, which uses the same methodology as its public survey. However, CinemaScore will not disclose the score publicly without permission from the contracting party.

While CinemaScore’s polling measures a movie’s appeal among theater audiences, it does not definitively indicate whether a film will be successful or not at the box office.

It is also worth noting that “Strange World” features an openly LGBTQ main character, and films and TV shows with diverse and/or representative characters, themes and cast members have frequently fallen prey to bad faith downvoting.

“Strange World” grossed $4.2 million in its opening day on Wednesday from 4,174 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

In addition to its B rating from CinemaScore, the film stands at a 75% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from critics at press time.

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