I don’t see how either of those are considered underperforming

CG isn’t really that much cheaper. Arguably, at the bottom line, it isn’t cheaper at all, it just lets the scope be bigger, safer.

The movie features a 10 minute parkour chase involving a construction crane, destroying an Aston Martin by rolling it over a dozen times, shooting in multiple countries, etc... and it’s about in line with budgets for comparable action films of the time. Batman Begins had the same budget, for example.

The franchise’s defining characteristic is being complicated?

I don’t understand what people find so hard to understand.

“Disappointing” doesn’t need to mean “wasn’t profitable”. It just means it didn’t do as well projected.

Critics acted like its a sequel to Captain Marvel that also heavily features the lead from Ms. Marvel and a key character from WandaVision. Sorry if you don’t think 10+ hours (at a minimum) of backstory is a big commitment, but that doesn’t make the opinion dishonest.

The problem is more that they are spending WAY too much on making the movies.  And since movies have a 2-3 year lead time, it’s tough to course correct based on these results.

I don’t think it was anyone who had seen the movie saying it was too complicated. I think it was people watching trailers and making the general observation on the MCU overall.

Which, I don’t really understand why there’s such a stringent group that refuses to believe people who say the MCU feels like homework now.…

Am I the only one that hates how this is shot? It’s almost impossible to believe this is the same pair of guys that brought us the gritty realism of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. This is so glossy it looks like outtakes from Pearl Harbor.

I grew up on Wile E. Coyote cartoons, and I refuse to drive across the Southwest for similar reasons.

I saw someone suggest Daniel Radcliffe a while back, and while I’m not sure it works, the idea intrigues me.

You can explain Ving Rhames’ role in M:I in four words: “He’s the tech guy.”

Try doing that with any backstory in the MCU.

Because there’s a massive gulf between “someone that went out of their way to not watch or absorb anything from any of the previous ones” and the average moviegoer who doesn’t watch everything the MCU puts out.

Surprise, they’re not going to drive up those subscriptions either way.

Lightyear and Elemental both cost 200M. The point is, its not that much cheaper to make an animated movie than a live action one.

I agree the 1B number is insane, but it’s the benchmark for a reason, and beyond just Twitter.

15% isn’t significant now?

That last title is far too accurate.  (Or at least would have been at peak Pixar.)

PJ, go back to making movies. More Hobbit movies, if you have to.  No good will come from the road you’re on now.