The Walt Disney Co. looks like it has another woke box office bomb on its hands.
Strange World, the environmentally themed animated adventure featuring the studio’s first openly gay teen character in a cartoon feature, grossed a mere $800,000 in previews on Tuesday, signaling weak moviegoer interest headed into the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The movie was expected to gross $30 million to $40 million during the five-day weekend.
But the dismal preview figure means Strange World will have trouble reaching that goal, with some reports estimating an opening weekend as low as $23 million.
Since the movie cost a reported $180 million to make, Disney will have a tough time recouping its costs during its theatrical run.
Strange World follows the adventures of the Clade family of explorers, who set out to save their civilization’s primary source of energy — a plant called the Pando — which has become endangered.
Watch below:
In a recent interview, co-directors Don Hall and Qui Nguyen explained why they put an overt environmental message in the movie’s plot.
“The environment is something that we think about every day,” Nguyen told Yahoo Entertainment. “As parents, we want our kids to have a future — it’s as simple as that. So we have to realize the choices we make today will affect that future. As people who care about our kids, it’s a conversation that is worth having in every family.”
Strange World also features Disney’s first gay teen character in an animated feature movie — Clade family son Ethan, who is voiced by openly gay comedian and actor Jaboukie Young-White.
“This isn’t a coming out story, and it’s not him looking for acceptance of his identity,” Young-White told Yahoo Entertainment. “That’s just who he is, and it’s not underlined or made to be a big deal. It’s an aspect of Ethan and one of the many things that makes him who he is. I thought that was amazing.”
Disney has struck out at the box office with its woke movies for families, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the Toy Story spin-off Lightyear, which featured a lesbian kiss.
Under former CEO Bob Chapek, Disney pledged to devote itself to radical LGBTQ activism. The studio has introduced transgender and gender “non-binary” characters into its entertainment for children, including a trans “man” who menstruates in the Disney+ series Baymax.
As Breitbart News reported, Disney’s Pixar recently released a casting call for the role of a “14-year-old transgender girl” in an upcoming animated project. The studio is looking for minors age 12 to 17 who “can authentically portray” the character “Jess,” who is described as “compassionate, funny, and always has your back.”
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