I had a lot of dreams when I was a kid.
I wanted to be a Big League ballplayer.
A brilliant teenager who gets superpowers from a radioactive spider.
Yet here I am.
In this line of “work,” sometimes you have to go where current events take you.
The poison apple became box office poison.
And went to the websites to screengrab the unused seating charts.
Any studio can swing and miss while trying to make a good film.
It happens all the time.
But when your public is actively enjoying your little vanity projects decline?
That’s a tough thing to come back from.
Even the most positive reviews are tepid at best.
And they are in a minority:
IMDb: 2/10.
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
Metacritic: 47%
The Guardian: Toe-Curlingly terrible.
Rolling Stone The Most Controversial Disney Adult- Nightmare Ever.
Vanity Fair: Good enough for TV.
Box Office: $43 million ($3m less than Dumbo.)
By way of comparison, that IMDb rating is among the lowest ever.
Stories with messages, themes, lessons, allegories, social commentaries.
But first and foremost, ones that are entertaining.
Parents don’t owe you their brand loyalty.
It’s a transactional arrangement.
Make movies they want to take their kids to, and they’ll see you there.
The next move is yours, Mouse.
