It’s generally a tradition here on The Secret Sun to look at movies long after they’ve been in the theaters, usually because I like to take the time to analyze them on my computer screen.I also like to be able to post screenshots with captions, since what’s being said is often as important as what’s being shown.
The takeaway with John Carter was what a bust it was for Disney, who took a 200 million dollar writeoff on the film. But the film grossed almost $300 million worldwide, hardly a flop, especially for a March release. The problem was the budget, but the real problem was the promotion.
The film’s writer/director Andrew Stanton is responsible for some of the biggest box office hits of our time, including the Toy Story films, Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and A Bug’s Life. But as Richard C. Hoagland pointed out, his name was nowhere to be seen in the promotion or advertising of the film. Very strange.