Promotional campaigns for “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were largely complete by the time the actors walked out on July 13. In contrast, the buzz machine for “Haunted Mansion” had been scheduled to start on July 15, with stars from the movie — Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Owen Wilson, LaKeith Stanfield, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto — giving interviews and walking a red carpet at the premiere. Such events can generate tens of millions of mentions on social media.
A dozen appearances by “Haunted Mansion” cast members on TV shows like “Good Morning America” had to be canceled. Planned promotional appearances in London, Toronto, Atlanta, Miami and San Diego were also called off, leaving the movie’s director, Justin Simien, (“Dear White People”) to proselytize alone. But many of the resulting headlines were about the strike and not the movie.
“Not having the cast available definitely had an impact, especially with ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ attracting so much attention — they’re just behemoths,” Tony Chambers, Disney’s executive vice president of theatrical distribution, said in a telephone interview on Sunday.
Ticket buyers had a positive reaction to the film (85 percent positive, as recorded by Rotten Tomatoes), Mr. Chambers noted, adding that “Haunted Mansion” could still find its footing. Few family films are scheduled for release during the remainder of the summer school holiday. “We’ve got a relatively clear runway for the next four weeks,” he said.
“Haunted Mansion” collected an additional $9 million in partial release overseas.
Disney is Hollywood’s largest movie company. Its holdings include Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Animation, Searchlight, 20th Century Pictures and a division that brings classic Disney content — “intellectual property” — to big screens in new ways. “Haunted Mansion” came from that assembly line. The movie is based on a 54-year-old Disneyland ride.
Brooks Barnes
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