Disney Puts 'Wild Hogs 2' Back in the Garage

Disney's Rich Ross can not be described as a yes man in his short tenure as the studio's new chairman. Since taking the reins in October, Ross has already restructured the company's expansive marketing (which might explain why I don't get as many free DVDs, huffed the writer), and he pulled the plug on a major project, McG's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo, favoring instead a remake of the studio's The Black Hole. Last weekend, we wrote that Ross swung the ax at a new Robin Williams-Diane Keaton comedy in the wake of slow performance by Old Dogs. But there's someone else in Old Dogs, and now John Travolta has lost his next PG-rated comedy at the studio. In an unexpected move, Ross has canceled the sequel to one of Disney's most successful start-ups in the past five years, the Travolta buddy pic Wild Hogs. While that movie wasn't good, it wasn't offensively bad, and it made Disney a ton of money. But the opportunity to find another quarter-billion in worldwide receipts was not enough to overcome Ross' doubts about Travolta as a box office draw after Old Dogs has only drawn $42 million in over three weeks. Though it could still build on that number overseas, it's unlikely the film will triple its mid-30s production budget, and it might not even make back its budget plus advertising amount in the US, whatever that is (all studios tend to keep their marketing allowances shrouded in secrecy). I don't think we can evaluate Ross quite yet because he hasn't been in the position long enough to have any films made on his watch arrive in theaters. But Disney has had a long couple of years. Fewer hits, corporate layoffs, huge CEO payouts, and still a lot of money spent on films like Up, which as good as it is, cost more to make than The Dark Knight, and over twice as much as Ice Age 3, a bigger international hit by a mile. However, Ross does seem to be cutting a ton of costs (the Marvel deal precedes his promotion), and it's not a bad idea. For one thing, you make more money. Disney's The Proposal is an example of how well a film can do without a big budget even in the very competitive summer months. More money means happier stockholders. And for another, it' not like he's ditching all the big budget stuff in favor of lower budget quick hits. He seems to be trimming the fat where it's the fattest, at tentpoles that seem to be a bit overblown and at those modestly budgeted family comedies that truly entertain nobody in the family. I don't think that's a bad idea at all.

Comments

[J.Bradley]

It's the direction things will be going in the next few years. Really small budget things like "Paranormal Activity" , that cost less than the price of your average house but make back one or two hunded mil, or really big budget things that cost a hundred mil plus but make back a billion, billion and a half. The mid range stuff will disappear, but for a few exceptions.