D&D Movie/TV D&D Movie Hit or Flop?

[bedir than]

Variety is breaking down the summer movies as follows now:

Hits:
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
John Wick: Chapter 4
Creed III
Jesus Revolution

Blah (might be break-even after streaming?):
Fast X
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
The Little Mermaid
Air
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Ugly Flop:
The Flash
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Shazam: Fury of the Gods
Book Club: The Next Chapter
Renfield
Beau Is Afraid

Linky: From ‘Mario’ to ‘The Flash’: The Good, the Bad and the Meh of the 2023 Box Office (So Far)

Also, of note. Paramount Global did list their ad spend for Honor Among Thieves in their last quarterly report. It was 62 million at most. I can say for certain that they had the vast majority of the movie spend. Hasbro did note that they had a spend, but it wasn't listed as a specific number, but there wasn't a huge ad spend difference from Winter '22.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Even if the movie had enjoyed a good box office Paramount is not in its best moment. Two series of Paramount+ have been cancelled. That is not a good sign.

And this year to be a hit is harder than before. There are too many titles in the cinema.

The movie was not bad, but there were other circustances.

 

[mamba]

This might also mean that a sequel in some form is still somewhere in the realm of possibility.

Yes, there could be one, Not sure I want an actual sequel though, I'd rather have a different story with different characters

 

[nevin]

It's interesting to see this still being discussed. I have seen a lot of comments about the movie on social media and they are all saying "flop" at this point. It definitely didn't make what the positive expectations were thinking. That's really sad because I genuinely enjoyed it and saw it twice (something I never do anymore).

I think it was a victim of what was going on at the time as far as WotC and lack of marketing to the general audience. I also think that it had "MCU" written all over it and there is a general fatigue for that type of movie.

It's really unfortunate because I wanted it to succeed.

The movie has a couple of things going for it. It exceeded expectations which had been set so low by previous movies.
2. hasbro is using it as a marketing thing for young teens. If it increases the number of DND players enough win.
3. hasbro is not hollywood and we don't know their line for a success. a small 20 million dollar profit might be a big deal to them where a big studio would cry.
4. Just getting a DND movie that wasn't mocked by fans and critics is a huge bump up from history.

 

[Oofta]

Yes, there could be one, Not sure I want an actual sequel though, I'd rather have a different story with different characters

I know this is kind of counter-intuitive, but I'd actually rather have a "smaller" story with less CGI. People throwing around time stop and having access to legendary items is cool and all, but I kind of want to see lower level characters dealing with things that aren't earth shattering. Have them use things that we're actually familiar with, like a wizard that uses fire bolt or magic missile. There are just so many stories you could tell with a much lower budget.

Or just go animated like the Spider-man into the multiverse movie.

 

[mamba]

The movie has a couple of things going for it. It exceeded expectations which had been set so low by previous movies.

the expectations are not based on the previous movie, otherwise they would not have bothered making one. It fell below projections, in other words it did not meet expectations.

2. hasbro is using it as a marketing thing for young teens. If it increases the number of DND players enough win.

I doubt they manage to get $100M worth of D&D players out of it...

3. hasbro is not hollywood and we don't know their line for a success. a small 20 million dollar profit might be a big deal to them where a big studio would cry.

If you invest a certain amount of money, you expect a certain return for your risk and effort, otherwise you are better off putting that money in the bank to gain a safe interest. That is irrespective of which business you are in

You cannot invest 200M and be happy with 10M profit, not that we even reached any yet

4. Just getting a DND movie that wasn't mocked by fans and critics is a huge bump up from history.

if the best you can say is 'we made a movie that did not suck', you achieved very little. That is not really something to brag about, nor a reason to make a movie (granted, no one would make a movie, expecting it would suck )

 

[bedir than]

I know this is kind of counter-intuitive, but I'd actually rather have a "smaller" story with less CGI.

I believe this is the Kolstad show, which is supposed to be in the underdark

 

[bedir than]

It fell below projections, in other words it did not meet expectations.

Except that the only projections that were publicly stated were exceeded -- on opening weekend. Every other statement is based on pre-pandemic box office math.

I doubt they manage to get $100M worth of D&D players out of it...

Hasbro saw a more than doubling of interest in D&D over the past six months. This is known. We'll find out if the Q2 numbers went up when those numbers came in.

You cannot invest 200M

Hasbro didn't invest 200 million. They did 75, reportedly, and significantly less advertising than the 62 that Paramount did.
Neither side invested 200, so their various revenues don't have to match that 200 number. Each side of the shared deal is expecting different things. Just like GI Joe, Transformers, and other movies that are doing well enough that the sale of eOne doesn't include them.

 

[mamba]

Hasbro saw a more than doubling of interest in D&D over the past six months. This is known. We'll find out if the Q2 numbers went up when those numbers came in.

would be interesting to see what sales increase a doubling of searches actual boils down to. In the end the number of searches is meaningless if the sales stay essentially flat. So let's see

Hasbro didn't invest 200 million. They did 75, reportedly, and significantly less advertising than the 62 that Paramount did.

fine, so Hasbro can maybe turn a profit on this but Paramount cannot then, not sure how that improves things.

Neither side invested 200, so their various revenues don't have to match that 200 number.

Didn't we just see movie cost of 150M and marketing of 62M a few posts up? Tell me how that is less than 200.... I did not say either side did, I was talking about the total. As to both sides expecting different things from the movie, no, they both expect a profit, how they get there might be different however.

So far I am not seeing how Paramount is getting there at all, Hasbro might have a way.

 

[bedir than]

Didn't we just see movie cost of 150M and marketing of 62M a few posts up? Tell me how that is less than 200

Yes, that would be the combined total.

Neither side spent 200 million.
Paramount needs their take of box office distro (everywhere but Canada and UK) and streaming (USA only so far) and share of digital downloads (there's been no public statement about split there) to beat their 75+62 AND be more profitable than their other similar properties.