Disney’s “Dumbo” fell short in its debut at the box office.
The live-action re-imagining from director Tim Burton opened to an estimated $45 million domestically over the weekend. With another $71 million overseas, the roughly $119 million weekend total didn’t meet the $179 million budget the movie had, not including marketing to bring the CGI baby elephant to life.
Here’s what went wrong with “Dumbo’s” debut:
The story is also not a joyful one. Dumbo is bullied by humans for his big ears and the circus animals are treated poorly. The movie deals with animal abuse, war, and death. Some of the material may be too heavy for children.
“Dumbo” is currently sitting at a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics of the movie say the film lacks heart and is weighed down by additions to the plot, including an added focus on the humans in the movie.
Though the trailers showed the baby elephant whose big ears gave him the ability to fly, they didn’t explain the new characters who fans of the original won’t recognize or what new plot points would be. The film’s marketing was unable to fully feature the magic of the flying pachyderm.
The weekend wasn’t a particularly special one to drop a movie. Disney may find more success with “Dumbo” come Easter weekend.