WSJ: "Mars Needs Moms" a MASSIVE dud

[LoriABil]

I think that the movie looks interesting. I might rent it, when there is nothing else... lol
BUT I would NEVER let my kids watch it! Well maybe in a few years.... But I have heard of kids having nightmares! Scared that thier moms were going to be kidnapped and thier brains sucked out!!!! THIS IS AWFUL!!!
What age is their target demographic?? This can't be for kids Under 10!!!

Some one please fill me in, What age group is this appropriate for?

The survey said the target audience was children under 12. I agree that younger kids might have nightmares, or at least fears of Mommy being taken away. My friends and I went to see it (alone) to decide if we should take the kids to see it over Spring Break (something we have NEVER had to do with a Disney movie). Our kids (well, the ones we were going to bring) are 5, 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14 (all boys except the 14 year old). The conscensus was the kids 12 and up would be bored. It might be appropriate for the 7 and 8 year old - but we definitely would not bring the 5 year old! Plus, I thought mine (DS7) was a little too emotionally immature to handle it. He is very sensitive, but most other 7 year olds I think would be fine.

But regardless of the appropriate ages, we all decided it wasn't worth sitting through again. For one thing, the kids aren't that excited about it. We ended up watching Indiana Jones on video (well, the 5 year old was at the grandparents' house) and had a much better, and cheaper, time!

 

[Donut23]

As an interesting aside (and with this circling around to the situation in Japan), I read an analysts report yesterday (unfortunately I can't find the link now), that the situation in Japan will likely hurt the company a LOT more than <i>Moms</i> did...even though WDC only gets a licensing fee for the Tokyo parks. The analyst said that that fee amounts to 18% of the total operating income of DisneyParks.

Almost 1/5th of their operating income comes from 1/5th of their currently operating parks - except they don't even own the parks.

Checked today. The notice on the Toyko Disneyland website still has no date for reopening. With everything going on, I just can't see many rushing to visit with Mickey for a while.

Also consider the impact on DVC sales in Hawaii. The Japanese market was a big target for Disney - even as far as opening a sales office in Toyko.

quote from the govenor of Hawaii....

Gov. Neil Abercrombie predicted the economic consequences will be severe for this tourism-dependent state that is already dealing with a projected shortfall of nearly $1 billion over the next two years.

"It's going to be terrible. It's going to be rough," he said earlier this week. "It's something that we have to come to grips with."


Cannot be good for DVC either.

 

[Donut23]

The problem with movies today on the edge of being ...... stinky? Email, Twitter, Facebook, Text.

Bad news travels fast and the word goes around quickly. If people exit the movie on Friday afternoon and start Tweeting and Texting that it's bad.....it's all over by the end of the first weekend.

Didn't this movie drop 50% to $5 m in one week?

 

[SmilingGrump]

I think that the movie looks interesting. I might rent it, when there is nothing else... lol
BUT I would NEVER let my kids watch it! Well maybe in a few years.... But I have heard of kids having nightmares! Scared that thier moms were going to be kidnapped and thier brains sucked out!!!! THIS IS AWFUL!!!
What age is their target demographic?? This can't be for kids Under 10!!!

Some one please fill me in, What age group is this appropriate for?

Ummm ... I don't wish to offence, but there's kind of a trend in Disney movies ...

Snow White - no parents
Pinocchio - no mom
Bambi - mom gets whacked
Cinderella - mom's dead enter evil stepmom
The Jungle Book - no parents
The Rescuers - mom's dead, evil stepmom
The Little Mermaid - mom's dead
Beauty and the Beast - mom's dead
Aladdin - mom's dead
The Lion King - dad dies ... wait ... what? DAD dies?!!
A Bug's Life mom nearly gets whacked ... wait ... what? mom LIVES?!!!
Lilo & Stich - parents dead
Brother Bear - mom gets whacked onscreen
Finding Nemo - mom dies (at least it's offscreen)
Ratatouille - mom's dead (both rat and human)
Princess and the Frog - Tiana's dad dies but Charlotte's mom is already dead
Up - okay, mom and dad are alive but divorced ... but Ellie dies

I'm sure there's more and that doesn't include the ones like Sleeping Beauty and Tangled where the kid is stolen.


Our daughter had issues for a little while where she wanted to be with her mom ALL the time and I'm pretty sure the above list had something to do with that. Not that we're blaming Disney, far from it. We hope that she'll continue to cling to mom right through her teenage years (yeah, fat chance of that lol)

At least in Mars they rescue the moms ... or some of them.

Now that I know it's based on a book by Berke Breathed, I'll be taking my oldest to see it

 

[doconeill]

The problem with movies today on the edge of being ...... stinky? Email, Twitter, Facebook, Text.

Bad news travels fast and the word goes around quickly. If people exit the movie on Friday afternoon and start Tweeting and Texting that it's bad.....it's all over by the end of the first weekend.

Didn't this movie drop 50% to $5 m in one week?

Actually, I believe it only dropped around 25-28% - far better than the #1, which dropped over 50%...

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Lots of trashing of this movie here but has anyone trashing it actually seen it?

I don't think I would want to waste my money to find out.

 

[cpthook623]

Defiantly a marketing problem. I went and saw the movie and thought it was good. A lot of good hold your breath action sequences as well as some tearfull moments. I don't know what happened with this one ,but a very entertaining film.

 

[VagueFury]

Ummm ... I don't wish to offence, but there's kind of a trend in Disney movies ...

Snow White - no parents
Pinocchio - no mom
Bambi - mom gets whacked
Cinderella - mom's dead enter evil stepmom
The Jungle Book - no parents
The Rescuers - mom's dead, evil stepmom
The Little Mermaid - mom's dead
Beauty and the Beast - mom's dead
Aladdin - mom's dead
The Lion King - dad dies ... wait ... what? DAD dies?!!
A Bug's Life mom nearly gets whacked ... wait ... what? mom LIVES?!!!
Lilo & Stich - parents dead
Brother Bear - mom gets whacked onscreen
Finding Nemo - mom dies (at least it's offscreen)
Ratatouille - mom's dead (both rat and human)
Princess and the Frog - Tiana's dad dies but Charlotte's mom is already dead
Up - okay, mom and dad are alive but divorced ... but Ellie dies

I'm sure there's more and that doesn't include the ones like Sleeping Beauty and Tangled where the kid is stolen.


Our daughter had issues for a little while where she wanted to be with her mom ALL the time and I'm pretty sure the above list had something to do with that. Not that we're blaming Disney, far from it. We hope that she'll continue to cling to mom right through her teenage years (yeah, fat chance of that lol)

At least in Mars they rescue the moms ... or some of them.

Now that I know it's based on a book by Berke Breathed, I'll be taking my oldest to see it

Not to be overly picky, but Penny in the Rescuers is an orphan and the evil woman kidnaps her, threatens her with two crocs, and forces her to go into a deep, dark hole in the ground, in which she nearly drowns. It is the only Disney movie that ever gave me nightmares.

On another note, I hate the style used in Mars. It was the one thing I didn't like about Polar Express and I think it is time to stop trying to force in on us.