Disney flops, Netflix shocks

And the problem with Avatar 2's China release

What to know

• Disney set to lose $100M on Strange World in historic flop… Were you aware a new Walt Disney Animation movie came out this weekend? My guess is no, because it seemed to be barely marketed. The movie is called Strange World and it took in just $18.6M over the weekend, but cost $180M to make and market. Worse yet, it received a B CinemaScore, the worst-ever for a Disney Animation pic, so it likely won’t have legs in theaters. This has got to sting for the Mouse — though it can’t be too upset as Wakanda Forever did just fine this weekend. Deadline has an interesting piece about why Strange World went to theaters rather than streaming when Disney knew it would tank, and the general calculations of releasing movies in our own strange world. Oh and The Fabelmans and Devotion also flopped; it’s feast or famine these days. 🚀

• Glass Onion is a box office darling for Netflix… Meanwhile, Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery over-performed in its one-week release with $15M on about 700 screens. (Doing $13,505 per screen, compared to Strange World’s $2,850.) Netflix definitely left money on the table here. Imagine how well it would have done if it was on 4,000 screens (the math says as much as $54M)! Netflix is getting the buzz it bought ahead of the movie’s streaming release next month, but one has to wonder if its theatrical success will factor in to future exhibition decisions for the company. 🧅

• China box office hits 6-month low, movie fans protest lockdowns… Just last week we were saying how Disney scored a big win by getting Avatar: The Way of Water into China — but what’s the China market going to look like when the movie comes out in 2.5 weeks? Variety reports that COVID cases are rising and the government’s zero-COVID policy makes doing things like going to the movies difficult. Will it be the win Disney wants? Add this to the list of headaches Bob Iger is inheriting. 🇨🇳

• Nicole Kidman paid $100,000 for the hat Hugh Jackman wore in Saturday’s performance of The Music Man… The money went to Broadway Cares and is the largest-ever donation from a single auction item in the charity’s history. When asked for comment, Ms. Kidman said, “donating feels good in a place like this.” 🎭

• Bambi is getting the R-rated “parody” treatment… First it was Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Money, now it’s Bambi: The Reckoning. This is what happens when classic stories hit public domain, but I can understand Bambi’s rage after what happened to his mother. 🦌

• TikTok will now connect you to movie tickets… Movie marketers will now be able to link users directly to showtimes and ticketing options. This is good news for the movie biz, as Gen Z apparently loves going to the cinema. 🎟

• James Gunn: “Some” DC projects will exist outside connected universe… Ah, that explains it. So things like Joker Folie a Deux will just remain their own thing. That’s good, though I can see this being confusing for casual viewers. 🃏

• Will Smith would “completely understand” people not wanting to see Emancipation after The Slap… Points for self awareness? 🤔

• Fred Armisen shaved his head to play Uncle Fester in one episode of Wednesday… Committing as only a sketch comedian can. 👏

• Legendary leaves WB for Sony… The fallout from WB’s 2021 decision to release its movies day-and-date continues. 🎞

• Bob Iger calls notion of Apple buying Disney “pure speculation”… Everything is hypothetical until it’s not. 🍎

• The Cocaine Bear poster gets right to the point… What did you expect? 🐻

• Squid Game’s O Yeong-su indicted on sexual misconduct charges… Yikes. 🦑

• Bros hits Peacock this Friday Dec 2… Now you really have no excuse. 🦚

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What’s new

• Willow - Nov 30 | Disney+ fantasy series | 🍅

• Slow Horses s2 - Dec 2 | Apple TV+ drama series | 🍅

• Firefly Lane s2 - Dec 2 | Netflix drama series | 🍅

• Violent Night - Dec 2 | Holiday action movie in theaters | 🍅

• Emancipation - Dec 2 theaters, Dec 9 Apple TV+ | Drama film | 🍅

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What to watch

No, 1899 isn’t a Yellowstone spinoff. What with 1883 and 1923, two actual Yellowstone spinoffs, I can see how you’d be confused. 1899 is a new international Netflix series from Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, the couple who created Dark — and like Dark, it’s a moody, ensemble science fiction show with mind-bending twists and page-turning cliffhangers. Set in, um, the year 1899, the show tells the story of a doomed transatlantic voyage where nothing is as it seems. Friese and bo Odar once again layer in the sky-high sci-fi concepts and mystery box puzzles, but keep the character work grounded. The easiest comp here is Lost, but 1899 takes the character flashback formula a step further by making the ensemble’s pasts more literal and tangible to what’s going on in the present (it’s hard to describe without spoiling). As with Dark, Friese and bo Odar are again exploring themes of choice versus destiny, but have added redemption and human misconnection to the mix. Many of the main characters come from different European countries and speak different languages, so when shit hits the fan, language barriers increase the drama and add thematically to the show’s message. But mostly 1899 is just a fun and trippy puzzle box show that moves faster than Dark and will have you smashing that “Next Episode” button. At 8 episodes, with 2 more seasons planned, it’s the perfect watch if you’re looking to scratch that Lost, Squid Game, Severance itch.

For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!