Everything old is new again, especially at the cineplex.
Sequels, reboots and re-imaginings are still all the rage, including a prequel to the “Omen” franchise dropping April 5.
Fathom Events routinely rolls out classic films like “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Big Lebowski” and “Grease.” Some, like the re-release of “Hocus Pocus,” snag a sizable audience all these years later. That film cracked the Top 10 box office list last October, earning $1.5 million in just one weekend on 1,400+ screens.
So it made sense for Disney to re-release some of its recent Pixar films hoping audiences will want to see them on the big screen. Plus, the titles in question got sidelined by the pandemic, meaning U.S. audiences never got the chance to experience them in a theater.
Enter “Soul,” the 2020 film that follows a middle school music teacher (Jamie Foxx) who has a near-death experience right before the biggest night of his career. Team Disney figured it deserved a second chance, especially since international audiences gave it their collective approval – it earned $121 million overseas.
Not so fast, says the far-Left Deadline.com.
Disney’s re-release of Pixar’s Soul at 1,350 theaters, a movie that’s been on Disney+ since December 2020, is yielding empty auditoriums after a $125K Friday and expected 4-day of $516K.
It’s the first of three recent Pixar movies bound for theaters this year following their truncated initial releases. “Luca” (2021) and “Turning Red” (2022) will follow on “Soul’s” heels unless the Mouse House has a change of heart given the sorry “Soul” numbers.
Pixar is already looking at a potentially glum 2024. The studio is expecting “massive” layoffs before year’s end thanks to economic woes.
In other box office news, the “Mean Girls” reboot/remake/musical scored big, snagging some of the “Barbie” crowd to earn $31 million over the four-day weekend (Thursday-Sunday).
“Anyone But You” continues to defy the odds, dropping a mere 23 percent. The rom-com, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, opened weakly but has considerable legs. It rose to the top of the box office charters earlier this week after 18 days of release.
The film’s word-of-mouth power is undeniable, much like “Wonka” continues to over-perform following a modest debut.