Mars Needs Moms is in a world of trouble. The digitally-animated film from Walt Disney Studios is, according to an article in this week's New York Times "on track to become one of the biggest box-office bombs in movie history." Earning under $7 million while costing an estimated $175 million, Mars needs many, many more moms just to break even... but they just aren't showing up.
Why? You could point to Mars' terrible reviews, but since when have bad reviews gotten between a kid and a hot new movie? The NYT article fingers four possible culprits, some of which have little to do with movie-making and everything to do with you.
#1: Tired of Toons?
Does Mars' mega-flop signal that the whole animated film genre has jumped the shark? If so someone forgot to tell Rango, which opened strong (despite being totally inappropriate for kids). Kung Fu Panda 2 and Cars 2 are also likely hits, but they're sequels. April's Hop and Rio will better reveal a lot about how sick of this stuff we really are.
#2 On the Money
3-D movies are significantly more expensive than their 2-D counterparts -- and you don't even get to keep the glasses. In New York and Los Angeles, tickets for 3-D films cost roughly four dollars more. For a party of five, there goes pizza for dinner.
#3 Family Plot
The New York Times article questions the appeal of a kids' animated movie in which Mom is put in harm's way. (Bambi: "Been there; survived that"). But putting families in danger is a staple of kids' movies, especially when it comes to the threat of divorce.
#4 Going Through the Motions
Mars' director Robert Zemeckis is famous for his motion-capture form of animation in which actors wear sensor-laden suits to record and later digitally animate their movements. But the effect, on display in The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol, makes human expressions seem about as natural as Heidi Montag's body. The big test will come in December, when Steven Spielberg uses motion-capture animation in Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.
My personal theory is that the title is to blame. How many school-age kids want to see a movie about moms? (Probably the same number of moms who want to see movies about kids.) Remember Mom and Dad Save the World, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead? I rest my case.
Had Mars Needs Moms simply been called "Martian Orders" we might not even be having this conversation.
Jennifer Gimenez Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Morrison Jennifer ODell
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