The relative success of The Peanuts Movie

Yes, box office receipts is kind of a stinky way to talk about movies… but I’m a math person at heart and by training, and when I see numbers, I cannot help but to process them. So I think about The Peanuts Movie and the $129 million in domestic ticket sales it’s gotten so far, and I reflect on the fact that Peanuts was really not a big name brand in theatrical animation going in. Sure, there were movies over a third of a century ago, but even those saw very modest results. You know what is a name brand in modern animation. Pixar. Pixar is the name brand. Their new film was going to be the thing that shoved The Peanuts Movie out of people’s minds. And yet… that new film, The Good Dinosaur, has done only $115 million, and is unlikely to eclipse The Peanuts Movie. In the foreign market, Dinosaur has done a lot more than Peanuts ($129 million versus $77 million), but Peanuts is catching up, having taken in (in the territories thus far reported, some have not yet been reported) $16.7 million this weekend to Dinosaur‘s $9.5 million. All in all, Dinosaur may take in a wee bit more worldwide… but given that it cost twice as much to make, it’s clear that Peanuts was at least playing in big-league terms here.

Meanwhile, if you want a copy of the movie for your own home, you can now preorder it on DVD, on Blu-ray, and on 3D Blu-ray for release in the spring. That 3D one is listed as a Collectors’ Edition, so it seems likely (although no guarantee from me) that it will come with a 2D format and digital access. I can’t find any word yet on what the special features will be.

 

Animated Peanuts
RIP Willie Mays

Willie Mays has died. The baseball great lived until the age of 1993. “Why is that relevant to a Peanuts blog?” I hear of a few of you cry (though many of you know better.) Before Lee Mendelson had any connection to Peanuts, he made a documentary about Mays… and …

Animated Peanuts
New Peanuts feature film on the way

Apple, who have been producing Peanuts series and specials in plentitude, have announced that they, Wildbrain, and Peanuts Worldwide are working together on a new Peanuts feature-length film, the Hollywood Reporter notes. If you liked the last feature film, then this should be very good news. They’re using a story …

Animated Peanuts
Beagle Scout missions

Those of you who have never been to the San Diego Comic-Con (or who haven’t been in a the past couple decades) may not realize that the event goes well beyond the convention center. For blocks around, there are pop-up shops in unused storefronts, studios creating fan “experiences” in parking …