USA TODAY International Edition
Disney sees dollar signs in ‘ Alice,’ live- action remakes
Built- in merchandise, theme parks and fans give films a head start
As Disney readies to go back down the rabbit hole with Alice
Through the Looking Glass, its box- office prospects get curiouser and curiouser.
Based on a Lewis Carroll novel, the live- action sequel ( in theaters Friday) reunites Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Mia Wasikowska from Tim Burton’s CGI- heavy Alice in
Wonderland, which stunned with $ 334.2 million domestically and just over $ 1 billion globally in 2010. Since then, the Mouse House has churned out a string of successful remakes of some of its most enduring animated classics, including Cinderella ($ 201.2 million), this spring’s The Jungle Book ($ 327.4 million)
and Sleeping Beauty spinoff Maleficent ($ 241.4 million), starring Angelina Jolie.
But experts say Looking could be the first hiccup in Disney’s live- action frenzy. Despite its family appeal and tactical Memorial Day weekend opening, the PG- rated adventure has just 48% positive reviews from critics on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Box Office editorial director Daniel Loria predicts a $ 54 million start on its way to $ 170 million total — about half of what
Wonderland pulled in domestically. “I don’t think it’s going to have the same magic so many years later, with a follow- up property that may not be immediately familiar,” Loria says.
Adds Erik Davis, managing edi- tor for Fandango. com and Movies. com: “If it doesn’t do as well, the star power of Johnny Depp could play into it, being not as powerful as he once was.” A sequel that comes long after the original “can work for a film if the anticipation was there and people are waiting to see how the story continues,” he says. “But in this case, I don’t get the sense that the audience was hankering for a follow- up.”
If Looking underperforms, don’t expect it to slow the studio’s roll. Disney already has announced second installments for both Jungle and Maleficent, with many more live- action remakes in the pipeline. Those include Tim Burton’s Dumbo; a Mary
Poppins sequel with Emily Blunt and Hamilton’s Lin- Manuel Miranda; Cruella, a 101 Dalmatians spinoff starring Emma Stone; and a Reese Witherspoon- led Tinker Bell film. More immediately, there’s fantasy adventure Pete’s Dragon ( in theaters Aug. 12), which Loria projects will bring in $ 100 million total. That precedes the highly anticipated Beauty and the Beast ( March 17, 2017), whose teaser trailer was released this week. Boasting a star- studded cast of Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Ewan McGregor, and incorporating songs from the 1991 animated original, it could be Disney’s biggest live- action remake yet.
“If they can tap into the ‘ wow’ factor that The Jungle Book had with its motion- capture performances, while at the same time tap a bit into the Frozen phenomenon” with the music, “it could be an easy billion- dollar gross worldwide,” Davis says.
With name recognition, and built- in merchandise and themepark opportunities, it’s no wonder Disney continues to reopen its animated vault — whether these remakes spawn franchises or not.
“These films don’t come with the need to become billion- dollar global films, but they all have built- in breakaway potential,” Loria says. “Unlike ( Disney’s) Star
Wars or Marvel movies, which are meant to open the doors to two or three sequels in the next five years, these movies can exist as potentially lucrative one- offs.”