Post by PenguinDust (1,639 posts)
"Nooooooo...well, maybe"
I've been seeing a lot of ads on TV for the February 10th re-release of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. The film is not well loved by the Star Wars fan base and so I was wondering how much money will this movie make? Whenever studios re-release movies in 3D that have been available on DVD for sometime, I think it's interesting to see how they fare at the box office. Disney's Beauty and the Beast has earned $41 million in the three weeks it's been out. That places it inside the Top-20 of movies released in late 2011/early2012. The original version came out way back in 1991. Last years Lion King re-release finished just under $100 million at the domestic box office. And, the first two Toy Story films took in around $30 million for the pair. (source)
Now the major difference I can see is that Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Toy Story are all beloved movies. The first two have won Oscars and Beauty was even nominated for Best Picture. Additionally, parents tend to share Disney animated movies with their children. The films become part of the fabric of our childhood. In all honestly, the same can be said of the Star Wars franchise, however the prequels are rather controversial. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that kids who were introduced to Star Wars with the prequels probably liked them more than those who saw the original trilogy first. Since Episode 1 came out in 1999, it might be a little early for those kids to now have kids old enough to appreciate Star Wars. That can't be said of Beauty and the Beast. A 10 year old in 1991 would be about 30 now and could have kids seven or eight years old. Nostalgia plays a large part in getting people back into the theaters when it comes to these 3D re-releases.
So will Star Wars Episode 1 earn more than Disney's Beauty and the Beast? Well, there isn't much competition the week of its release. A mature action film, Safe House opens that Friday, too. The following weekend, The Ghost Rider sequel premieres which might cut into some of its earnings. The most appropriate competition will come from Disney's English dub release of Studio Ghibi's The Secret World of Arrietty. While I would love for it to surprise me, history has shown the American dubs don't do well domestically. Spirited Away had the best return at $10 million back in 2002.
I am going to guess "Yes" it will make more money bringing in around $80 million US domestic. I believe there is a certain curiosity around these 3D adaptions and mainstream America will be interested in seeing how they came out. The pod race alone might be enough for some film goers to pony up the 3D ticket price. Plus, it's Star Wars and for good or bad, Star Wars is a name that earns money.
