Disney is one of the most successful studios in history, and they have been changing the game every step of the way. The studio giant has been releasing classics since the 1930s, and while they have countless hits to their name, even they are not immune from a box office bomb.
Johnny Depp, meanwhile, is one of the most successful actors on the planet. In fact, his work with Disney in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise remains the most successful of his illustrious career. The studio and the actor have done some truly remarkable things together, and there was hope that Depp could anchor the Alice in Wonderland franchise for the studio.
However, things didn’t go quite as smoothly as people were hoping for with the budding franchise. Let’s take a closer look at the Johnny Depp project that lost up to $70 million.
‘Alice In Wonderland’ Was A Huge Hit
Disney has been doing a lot of live-action films in recent years, which has certainly drawn the ire of some fans. It’s a polarizing topic, to be sure, but there is a reason why the studio keeps pumping these things out: they tend to make the big bucks. Alice in Wonderland, for instance, was a massive hit for Disney when it hit theaters,
The film was another partnership between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, and while their work together grew old after a while, there was still a lot of hope for this project. After all, they seemed like the perfect pair to tackle a place as kooky and unpredictable as Wonderland, and the fans showed up in droves to see the movie when it was finally released into theaters.
Released back in 2010, Alice in Wonderland was a monster hit for Disney, grossing over $1 billion at the box office. The studio rolled the dice by giving the film a huge budget, but the risk wound up being worth it. The film was a bizarre spectacle that many fans simply could not get enough of.
After the success of the film, a sequel was announced. This certainly piqued the curiosity of fans, and the film had a lot of potential to make bank like its predecessor did.
‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’ Should Have Been Huge
After a movie blows up at the box office and a sequel is put into production, conventional wisdom would suggest that the sequel has a great chance of being a success, as well. However, there have been plenty of sequels that have fallen flat and flopped, and this was exactly what took place with Alice Through the Looking Glass.
The primary cast was all set to return to the film, which helped keep the continuity in place. A few new additions like Sacha Baron Cohen also helped boost the appeal of the sequel, which already boasted an incredible cast. One huge difference with Through the Looking Glass, however, was that Tim Burton was not going to be directing.
Instead of Burton returning to direct, the studio tabbed James Bobin to make the flick. Burton still served as a producer of the project, but seeing someone else in the director’s chair could have been a turn-off for some fans. Nevertheless, the film was still poised to have a successful box office run.
It Lost Millions
Released in 2016, Alice Through the Looking Glass failed to meet any of the expectations that were placed on it. It had every chance in the world to be a huge hit, but instead, this movie fell right on its face and lost up to $70 million.
As we mentioned before, Alice in Wonderland made over $1 billion at the box office, but Through the Looking Glass came nowhere close to matching that. The sequel only made $299 million worldwide, which is a shockingly large drop in box office revenue. It seemed like virtually no one actually went out to see this movie, causing it to turn into one of the biggest flops of all time.
Despite swinging and missing with the project, Disney has still continued to do live-action adaptations of their biggest hits. There has been a mixed degree of success, with movies like The Lion King making bank, while movies like Dumbo have not fared so well. It has been confirmed that Aladdin will be getting a live-action sequel, and if it performs like Through the Looking Glass did, then Disney might become a little hesitant to do live-action sequels for some time.
Alice Through the Looking Glass had all the making of a successful film, but it wound up turning into a disaster at the box office.