Disney’s ‘Strange World’ a box office flop, overshadowed by ‘Wakanda Forever’

Disney’s newest animated theatrical release, Strange World, proved to be Disney’s biggest animated flop in the box office in its opening week, bringing in less than $20 million in ticket sales worldwide.

The new animated feature, which tells the story of a family of explorers who go on an adventure in a land filled with strange creatures, raked in only $18.6 million over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend worldwide, a trivial amount compared to the film’s big screen budget of $180 million.

The film was also the first Disney animated movie in 31 years to score lower than an A- from CinemaScore, a prominent Hollywood research company. Strange World only scored a B. 

The film went up against Wakanda Forever, which stood strong in its third week in theaters with $64 million in ticket sales over the five-day weekend, dropping only 31 percent since its release.

The film features voiceovers by Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Gabrielle Union, and is widely expected to lose about $100 million after its disappointing release.

The film’s Rotten Tomatoes score is not as bad as its box office stats, with a 64 percent score from audiences and a 74 percent from critics.

Strange World joins Fantasia, Alice in Wonderland, and Bambi in the top ten biggest theatrical animated Disney flops. Many of them went on to be beloved classics after their poor box office showings, including Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio.