Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) moved higher after reporting quarterly results recently. While investors and fans of the company should be celebrating and getting ready for one of the biggest catalysts for the company in years, a call to boycott the company could overshadow box office success.
Star Wars Force Strong Or Weak?
For the first time since 2019, Disney is releasing a Star Wars film in movie theaters. The movie comes as the franchise has been a staple for the company’s streaming efforts on Disney+.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” hits theaters on May 22, but some Americans may opt to boycott the film. Not due to the subject matter or fans getting tired of the franchise.
Instead, it’s franchise star Mark Hamill, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in multiple Star Wars films, who has caused an uproar with Republican voters and supporters of President Donald Trump. While Hamill is not scheduled to appear in the latest Star Wars film, his presence could be felt at the box office.
Hamill is no stranger to disagreeing with the president, but some believe his latest AI image, which showed Trump in a grave, was distasteful, Variety reports.
Hamill deleted the image and later clarified that his post said “should live long enough” and was wishing that Trump lives long enough to be held accountable for his crimes.
The White House called Hamill a “sick individual,” while Trump supporter and billionaire Elon Musk used a Star Wars reference to say that “hate has made Hamill join the dark side.”
Some conservative influencers on social media called for a boycott of the film.
There are plenty of Star Wars fans who will see the film in theaters because of their support for the franchise and the long gap between theatrical releases. The big question is whether the call to boycott could hurt the film’s box office returns and cause people who weren’t sure about going to the movie theater to stay home.
Why It’s Important
Disney is no stranger to facing calls for boycotts with its ABC network the subject of multiple calls over “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The media company has also been accused of having too much woke content and saw its Florida theme park battle Governor Ron DeSantis over support of LGBTQ+ legislation.
Disney was able to fend off those boycotts, and Disney investors will be bracing for the company to do the same later this month.
Star Wars films have grossed over $5 billion domestically and are one of the top film franchises of all time. The franchise consists of several trilogies and some stand-alone films. The new film will be a stand-alone and comes with characters previously used in movies and “The Mandalorian” series on Disney+.
The last Disney theatrical film was “The Rise of Skywalker,” which grossed $515.2 million domestically and $1.07 billion worldwide. From 2015 through 2019, Disney released a Star Wars film each year. Here’s a look at the box office success of those films:
- “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” (2015): $936.7 million domestic, $2.02 billion worldwide
- “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016): $532.2 million domestic, $1.06 billion worldwide
- “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017): $620.2 million domestically, $1.33 billion worldwide
- “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018): $213.8 million domestic, $392.9 million worldwide
- “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” (2019): $515.2 million domestic, $1.07 billion worldwide
While it has been years since a Star Wars film hit theaters, the most recent history shows strong success. The lone exception was the standalone “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which underperformed.
Box office expectations for “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will come out in the coming weeks ahead of the release. It will be interesting to see whether calls for boycotts lead to estimates coming down at all, or whether the story becomes a non-issue by the time the film hits theaters.
Photo: Shutterstock
Recent Comments