Why Didn’t Disney Release ‘Haunted Mansion’ Around Halloween?
With Disney’s Haunted Mansion bombing at the box office this weekend, observers are second-guessing when Disney chose to release the film.
Although the primary deterrent to Haunted Mansion may have been the double-barreled monster that was “Barbenheimer,” releasing a family-friendly horror movie in late July was also a controversial decision.
While no one could have foreseen Barbie and Oppenheimer setting box-office records, the fact that Haunted Mansion may have been better suited for a Halloween release had been talked about prior to the film’s release.
Why Disney Chose July
Faced with tough competition and audiences who were perhaps looking more forward to summer fun than fall festivities, the $150 million-budget Haunted Mansion was only able to bring in $24 million during its opening weekend.
Disney had positioned Haunted Mansion in late July to take advantage of kids being off for school. Despite this, audiences didn’t turn out.
“Disney definitely missed the memo trying to launch their spooky pic in the middle of summer,” says Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “Horror can certainly succeed at any time on the release calendar. This family-friendly product would have been much better served in the fall and sheltering clear of all the summer popcorn pics.”
Interestingly, Disney seemed to ignore the success that the original Haunted Mansion had in 2003. The Eddie Murphy vehicle was released in November and managed to bring in $180 million on a $90 million budget.
Was Streaming The End Goal?
Outside of their desire to catch kids before they went back to school, Disney likely had an ulterior motive for releasing the film in July.
Following the company’s standard practice of releasing films on streaming 45-90 days after opening in theaters, Haunted Mansion will likely land on Disney+ just as Halloween is starting to ramp up.
Horror movies have long proven to be television hits, even if their theater prospects were not as strong.
“Horror-themed movies often live to haunt small screens down the road,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst. “With Halloween just around the corner, Disney+ will provide a great revenue-enhancing opportunity for this mansion.”
After its tough opening, Disney will likely turn its hopes to streaming. If the film can be a hit on Disney+, the studio’s investment could still pay off.
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