Disney’s ‘Strange World’ Stands to Lose $147 Million

UPDATE: Deadline’s Anthony D'Alessandro is estimating that “Strange World” stands to bestow Disney with losses ranging at around $147 million. Yikes. D’Alessandro gives a whole bunch of excuses as to why “Strange World” failed miserably, but refuses to mention the obvious elephant in the room …

EARLIER: Disney’s animated movies generally fare very well with audiences, but their latest offering is turning into somewhat of a fascinating enigma.

“Strange World” has received a CinemaScore rating of B, the lowest rating ever for a Disney animated feature, or at least since the rating was measured a few decades ago. Every single Disney animated film since “Beauty and the Beast” has received some form of an A, from A+ to A-.

Even worse, it’s bombing at the box-office, grossing a disappointing $4.2 million on Wednesday as it eyes a five-day total of under $24 million. Those are concerning numbers for a film with a budget of $180 million. It won’t make its money back, not even close.

I’m thinking “Strange World” might have peeved off some of the more conservative moviegoing parents … You see, it’s an animated adventure featuring the studio’s first openly gay teen character. Ethan, who is voiced by openly gay comedian and actor Jaboukie Young-White, is one of the main leads in the film.

“Strange World” will be dragged by many on the right for this very reason and these same folks will most likely blame the tepid box-office on the LGBT content. Unlike some of the more recent Disney/Pixar releases, where you just had hints and brief gay-themed moments, the main character’s queerness in “Strange World” is not merely implied but made clear from beginning to end.

Of course, some circles can blame Strange World’s failure on its queer content (and terrible marketing), but it also doesn’t seem to be a very good movie. Critics seem split on it — it has a 65 on Metacritic and 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. Nothing to write home about.