Financial documents out of the United Kingdom have revealed that "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" lost Disney over $130 million due to an explosive budget that included nearly $80 million in postproduction efforts.
Disney's latest "Indiana Jones" franchise installment saw much of its production take place in the United Kingdom in order to capitalize on an incentive for film companies that shoot in the region.
The 25.5% cash reimbursement incentive means that many studios create companies in the U.K. for this purpose, but it also has meant increased transparency. These companies must file financial statements that indicate staffing, salaries, costs, and reimbursement they receive, according to Forbes.
Such documents revealed that Disney lost approximately $134.2 million after adjusting for budget, theater takings, and postproduction costs.
The aftereffects, which predominantly required a drastic de-aging of star Harrison Ford for a dramatic train chase scene, cost Disney approximately $79 million. This reportedly brought the budget to a monstrous total of $387.2 million.
Though the movie grossed about $384 million worldwide, the studio receives approximately half of theater earnings, which landed Disney at approximately $192 million.
What is seemingly a massive total is actually half of the movie's prequel, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The 2023 adventure seemingly took in a similar dollar figure to the first three Indiana Jones movies from the 1980s but clearly loses when adjusted for inflation.
The film was plagued from the start with rumors, reshoots, and secret scenes shrouded in mystery, as fans raged online about the possibility that Harrison Ford's lead character would be replaced in the film.
In June 2021, a movie insider revealed that there could be two endings considered for the movie. "In one of the rumored endings, young Indiana Jones dies alongside old Indiana Jones, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge swoops in like a vulture, picks the hat up, and takes his place moving forward,” the insider claimed.
Once these rumors leaked, fans were not pleased at the idea of the iconic character getting the Disney treatment from studio head Kathleen Kennedy.
Reports that the studio got the message from fans were seemingly confirmed in 2023. The same insider claimed at the time that an on-set leaker told him that filmmakers seemed to have cut any of the scenes that would have the female character taking over the lead role.
In the end, Ford hung onto his role and his trademark hat.
Disney had an abysmal 2023 and went into 2024 with ongoing wars over board seats, production, and the overall direction of the movie studio. Despite Disney's parks and recreation sector having a strong post-COVID bounce-back, losses generated by streaming platform Disney+ have seen share prices fall by around 40% compared to a peak price of over $200 in March 2021.
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Actress Gina Carano is teaming up with Elon Musk and X to sue Disney and Lucasfilm after they trashed her name and fired her from "The Mandalorian."
Carano was fired after likening the treatment of American conservatives to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. The lawsuit alleges that she was fired for daring to voice her own opinions against an “online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.”
Carano reveals to Glenn Beck that the lawsuit came to be soon after she gave it up to God, when she received an email from a lawyer hired by Elon Musk to inquire about her case.
“I was just so excited, and I emailed him back immediately,” Carano tells Glenn, adding that “they were kind of dumbfounded about how this happened.”
While Carano’s co-star had tweeted a similar metaphor comparing conservatives to Nazis, the co-star faced no repercussions.
“You had to have gone, ‘Guys, wait a minute, hold it,’” Glenn says regarding her co-star, but Carano didn’t have the chance to say anything.
“They didn’t even contact me to let me know they were letting me go,” she says. “They didn’t contact me to let me know that there was about to be paparazzi, stalkers, and people flooding outside my house.”
“I found all of that out just like everybody else did, over the internet,” she continues. “I couldn’t leave my house for seven days. I was being stalked; I was being harassed.”
“They definitely put my life in danger at that moment,” she adds.
To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
The Star Wars Celebration fan convention in London this week brought several announcements from franchise leadership, including three new feature films, four upcoming television series, and more, Variety reported.
"She was out of her mind excited," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told the outlet about actor Daisy Ridley's response to returning as character Rey for a new film.
"It’s just exciting," "The Mandalorian" creator Jon Favreau told the outlet of Ridley's return.
"I always find it really satisfying, encouraging when you have people who come through Star Wars, come back to Star Wars. It shows you how strong that community is and how big of a bond you develop. For Daisy to come back and be part of where this is going, I’m excited to see where all at what happens there."
Though fans will get to see Rey again, a second season of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is "not in active development," Kennedy revealed.
"But I never say never, because there’s always the possibility. That show was so well-received and [director] Deborah Chow did such a spectacular job. Ewan McGregor really wants to do another. Everybody’s all hands on deck with what we’re doing right now, as you can see by what we showed everybody [at the Celebration]. We’ll turn our attention to that again maybe down the road."
Fans of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" can drown their sorrows by immersing themselves in a new Disney+ spin-off of the hit series "The Mandalorian" called "Ahsoka." The first trailer was revealed at the convention Friday, Deadline reported. It will be released in August.
Rosario Dawson will star in the namesake role as Ahsoka Tano, a character from the alien species Togruta co-created by George Lucas and Dave Filoni.
Though plot details are scarce, some cast information is already available. As revealed on stage at the Celebration, cast members will include Ray Stevenson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera. David Tennant will play a droid character called Huyang.
“You have to have him. He makes it work,” Lucasfilm executive director Dave Filoni reportedly said of Tennant.
The Star Wars Celebration fan convention began April 7. It is slated to conclude Monday.
The "Ahsoka" teaser trailer from Disney+ garnered 7.9 million views as of Saturday evening since it appeared on YouTube Friday. Watch the trailer for the highly-anticipated "The Mandalorian" spin-off below.
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‘I was being hunted down from everything I posted to every post I liked because I was not in line with the acceptable narrative of the time.’
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