‘Dumbo’ Opens as No. 1 Film, But Liftoff Is Bumpy for Remake

Written by
Hailey Waller
Written by

Hailey Waller

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(Bloomberg) -- “Dumbo,” the live-action remake of the 1941 animated classic, opened as the top film in North American theaters, but fell short of analysts' estimates in a disappointing debut for the Walt Disney Co. film.

The film about a flying baby elephant brought in $46 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, researcher Comscore Inc. said Monday in an email, missing projections of $52 million to $60 million. Still, that was enough to topple last week's leader, “Us.” Two other new releases -- the controversial abortion-themed movie “Unplanned” from Pure Flix and “The Beach Bum” from Neon -- opened in fifth and 10th places, respectively.

Key Insights

“Dumbo” was hobbled by a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 52 percent -- meaning just over half of critics recommend it. Remaking classic films is a key part of Disney's strategy, which also includes “Star Wars,” “Marvel” and Pixar movies. But the company has been less successful reviving beloved characters, with pictures like “Alice Through the Looking Glass” and “Pete's Dragon” coming up short of past efforts.
Still, overall results were strong for theater owners, with ticket sales for the top 10 movies coming in about 12 percent higher than a year ago, Comscore said. Box Office Pro was forecasting a 25 percent increase. Sales for the year to date are down more than 16 percent.
Disney has another big picture due out in the next few weeks. “Avengers: Endgame” opens April 26 and is expected to generate opening-weekend sales of $265 million, according to Box Office Pro.