Investors Worry That Pixar’s Up Isn’t Commercial Enough
Not too long ago we addressed the rumours that Pixar might be working on a sequel to Monsters, Inc., which, if true, would become the fourth Pixar sequel to be developed to date (after Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, and Cars 2). This is a studio that has always prided themselves on original ideas and a commitment to story above all else, so it might seem strange that they would consider rehashing previous successes when there is probably no shortage of inspiration for new films. A recent article in The New York Times, however, would seem to reveal some of the truth behind these plans.
The bean counters over at Disney are a little concerned that Pixar’s next film Up, due out this summer, may have the least commercial potential of all their productions to date. Retailers are not particularly hopeful about selling Up-related merchandise, and there are also concerns about the limited appeal of an older protagonist and the lack of a female lead, not to mention more scenes that are light on dialogue and some even rendered in black-and-white. It is interesting to note that as Pixar has become increasingly concerned with creating quote/unquote “art”, their films have started to drop in box office revenue. Wall-E and Ratatouille have been their least successful movies to date, although $224 million and $216 million can hardly be considered a disappointment. However, with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 coming up in 2010 and 2011, it looks like they are doing their best to keep investors happy. What do you think, is there a possibility that Up might underperform at the box office? And if Pixar bows to commercial pressures, will the quality of the work suffer?
