MovieChat Forums > Black Widow (2021) Discussion > Is Disney buying tickets to hide the fac...

Is Disney buying tickets to hide the fact this movie bombed?

posted 3 years ago by TearofLys (2400)
35 replies | jump to latest

From opening friday to the next friday, sales dropped 80%. After that, the average week-to-week drop was in the 50s. Why? Why such a huge percentage drop on the first day there was week-over-week data, then all of a sudden the numbers stabilize in a region that doesn't suggest complete bomb? Studio spend hundreds of millions on marketing, and it doesn't seem unreasonable they are spending a few million buying tickets for BW to save face. Studios have done it before, and Disney is probably doing it now.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2122089985/?ref_=bo_da_table_1

[–] fc31 (4662) 3 years ago

It is possible, but if they did it they would have done it for the first Saturday and Sunday as well to make numbers look good.

I think the first Friday number should contain Thursday numbers as well, but the drop during the first weekend (from Friday to Saturday and Sunday) still looked quite bad, probably the worst for all Marvel movies.

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

First weekend was pretty good (although there was a pretty precipitous drop from Friday to Sunday) and probably why they thought second weekend would be okay, but after that second Friday with an 80%drop, they went into panic mode and started buying tickets to save face.

I mean, how else can you explain the available data? Possible that second Friday was a fluke, but not likely. Keep in mind this sort of thing isn't out of character for big studios. They are perfectly willing to spend millions to keep a bomb off their record.

[–] fc31 (4662) 3 years ago

It could be the case, but that is hard to tell. Dropping 50% on second weekend is quite normal and Saturday is usually the best day of the weekend.

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

You are dancing around the subject. Why would the first day where there was week-over-week data atrocious, but then a sudden recovery? So, is the 50% drop legit, or was it much worse, and Disney made it look like it wasn't catastrophic? The only way we could prove it is if we had data on how many people actually filled the seats versus how many tickets were bought.

[–] fc31 (4662) 3 years ago

I think more likely the first Friday was an anomaly. It was the hardcore fanboys with high expectations.

Other people read or watched internet reviews and probably passed it over and decided to wait for it to be free on streaming.

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

Plausible, I guess, but can't rule out the Disney spending money to save face explanation

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

Buying tickets to save face? are you deluded? how on earth do you think disney, a public company that must account for all its expenditure, would buy tickets for there own property ? why didnt they buy so that it didnt drop 80%

[–] FilmBuff (6736) 3 years ago

We've heard the same nonsense from the same morons in the past. Everything is a conspiracy theory. Ignore the fact that Disney gains nothing from doing this, while losing significant amounts of cash.

[–] kwestmo (4166) 3 years ago

Probably didn't happen, but marketing budget could account for that type of expenditure.

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

Keep in mind they are getting Disney plus money now - about 800 million plus a month - so production budget is meaningless. Of course they will spend a tiny fraction of that nearly billion dollars a month to prop up their image. IMO, it is the most logical explanation for what we are seeing

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

Take the tinfoil hat off

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

I'm a professional researcher with a PhD from one of the world's most prestigious research universities. I don't engage in baseless conspiracy theories. For me, the truth is the end-all be-all.

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

Haha , fuck off , and what is the truth then numb nuts , and please bring receipts and evidence, lol , phd , pcp more like

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

Are you some paid to scour these boards and schill for the studios?

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

Not at all , i just find it hilarious people believe a studio would buy tickets to boost sales , haha

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

Why is that so unbelievable to you? Over the years, Disney has literally spent billions on marketing their products and promoting their image. Why do you think they wouldn't spend a few million to keep the black mark of a big budget flop off their record?

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

a few millions isn't going to make a massive difference is it now, and is it a flop 316 million box office and I'm sure they made millions from Disney +

[–] fc31 (4662) 3 years ago

These days they are called "troll farms" or "social media consultants", it is a booming industry, used by both governments, political parties and corporations. They even show up in government budgets, Japanese government was found using them before.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Clearly you have no understanding of business or how corporations act. Disney has movies opening all the time, the person that was being his turd would be the only one that would try to cover up the movie's failure and he would never be able to do it by trying to do what you suggest. It would in fact be noted within Disney in a heartbeat and the person doing it would be fired very quickly. Disney doesn't try to hide box office bombs and would certainly never piss away millions of dollars trying to do just that.

The standard movie release would only have Disney getting 70% of the money the spent on tickets going back to Disney. They would lose 30% to the theaters, that's not good business at all... Then you get into the fact that it would open them up to an SEC investigation because it would be considered fraud and an attempt to manipulate their stock price. Disney isn't going to do what you suggest. And even if they were going to ignore the laws and do it they wouldn't do it after the movie tanked.

[–] kukuxu (5409) 3 years ago

I mean, how else can you explain the available data?

Perhaps they bought tickets during the opening weekend. That's what caused the big drop during the second Friday.

If you're gonna buy tickets to boost the numbers, the sooner the better. If you're not sure the movie will do well during the opening weekend, boost the numbers then. That way you create the sensation the movie is being successful and prevent the 'flop' label during the opening weekend, which is a box office killer.

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

If your theory was correct, the drop would have been consistent for every day after the first weekend. As it stands, the data does not jibe with your theory

[–] Satan2016 (23652) 3 years ago

Opening friday included thursday. Only a fucking retard believes studios spend millions on tickets and throw them in the garbage!

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

Tell me about it , why didnt they buy them when it dropped 80%

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

They did buy tickets **after** it dropped 80%. That is the whole fucking point of my of my post. What I challenge you do it is provide a plausible alternative hypothesis to the one I laid out. I can't think of one.

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

Because people went to watch it the week after the drop, were in a pandemic , so stupid to suggest Disney bought tickets for there own Movie.

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

Nothing you just said makes any sense.

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

Because you're stupid , hence why you think disney paid for tickets

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

I am a genius in the most literal sense of of the word.

[–] TearofLys (2400) 3 years ago

How does including Thursday change anything? The point I am making is the change occurred *after* the initial week-over-week numbers were publicly released. The irony of you throwing around the term "retard"

[–] kuatorises (7467) 3 years ago

"Only a fucking retard believes studios spend millions on tickets and throw them in the garbage!"

The level of anti-ANYTHING big in our society has reached paranoid levels.

[–] mcqueen (1150) 3 years ago

that's the word on the street, yes

[–] Bekhele (53) 3 years ago

from a business point of view that would be the dumbest thing ever to do.
theatres are getting a % cut from ticketsales, so why would a studio donate their own money to them?

[–] FilmBuff (6736) 3 years ago

There's always a moron or two who is convinced that Disney must be buying tickets to their own movies... just ignore them.

[–] furiousstyles (4361) 3 years ago

it does make me laugh

[–] bond998 (1206) 3 years ago

Don't you love people who think everything is a conspiracy.