LordEntrails
Hero
I don't think the target audience was actually D&D fans. See below.The core audience it WAS appealing to is too niche.
I don't think the success of this movie should be determined by profitability.Combine that with our recent inability to actually determine if a lot of movies turn a profit or not and we're left with a fair amount of guessing and some talking past each other.
I feel Hasbro invested in this movie with one goal in mind and it wasn't turning a profit on this movie. Build the D&D brand so that they can make more money in the coming years not just on movies, but games, merchandise and licensing.
The question I think we should ask, was that ~$50 million they did not recoup on theatre ticket sales worth the investment in the brand? Only time will tell, but I think they are probably happy with the exposure and good will their investment has wrought. i.e. a $50 million brand campaign is not unusual for company like Hasbro. Brand campaigns are not aimed at selling a product, they are aimed at building the consumer awareness of the brand. The movie has done that.