If all the experts are correct, it looks like Mars Needs Moms is gonna end up being one of the biggest bombs of the year. The Disney motion-capture animated flick reportedly cost $150 million to make (which, after marketing, probably swells to somewhere around $200 mil) and its first weekend out it only earned a measly $6.9 million at the box office. Not only is that one of the lowest openings ever for a major 3-D pic, Hollywood Reporter noted that it was the “12th worst opening of all time for a movie released in more than 3,000 theaters.”
In this humble reviewer’s opinion, that’s too bad. Not only is it a light-hearted sci-fi adventure that delivers a warm family-boosting message, it’s also a far better weekend popcorn-muncher than any of the other animated fare currently luring in moviegoers. So what happened? Why is it that everyone is avoiding this space adventure pic like it’s a black hole?
There’s probably a number of reasons. A recent Plugged In blog reader offered one clue, opining: “I’m sorry but judging by the previews, Mars Needs Moms looked like one of the worst thought out movies of 2011.” And, frankly, our blogging pal is right. The trailer for the film made the movie look like another silly toss-off bit of fluff. Just goes to show what a lousy preview trailer can do.
Then again, it could be the name. Based loosely on the kids’ story book by Berkley Breathed (creator of Bloom County), the movie adopted the book’s title, but some have said that the use of “mom” in that title caused boys to thumb their noses. Who wants to see a movie about moms and animated Martians when you can sneak into Battle Los Angeles and watch aliens get blasted into puddles of goo?
Some have also frowned over that motion-capture animation—where they film live actors and translate it into a three dimensional cartoon. It’s the same kind of tech they used on The Polar Express and even Avatar. And, admittedly, I’ve generally thought that expensive animation technique does come off as a little creepy looking. But in Mars it really didn’t bother me.
Personally, I think the problem for Mars Needs Moms is a combination of all of the above, mixed with the fact that taking the whole clan to a movie nowadays is such an incredible wallet-wringer. Let’s face it, if you’ve been hitting the theater for other animated family fare that’s come out recently—like Gnomeo & Juliet or Rango—and you’re faced with the prospect of forking over another 50 or 60 bucks for tickets and snacks, well, you just might want to break out a board game for family fun night instead.
Oh, well. I just hope this doesn’t send the wrong message to the Disney bean counters and make them want to drop the really family-friendly stuff in favor of more language- and toilet humor-laden animated fare. Then again, there’s always Pixar … Mars Needs Cars?
Recent Comments