According to Deadline, Raya and the Last Dragon grossed just US$8.6 million domestically over its first three days. Compared to Tom and Jerry, which made US$13.7 million on its opening weekend, this is quite a lackluster turnout for a Disney animated film.
Even Universal/Dreamworks Croods: A New Age raked in US$9.7 million last year over Thanksgiving weekend. New York has also reopened its cinemas this past weekend (with limited seating capacity), which should have contributed to better numbers for the Disney flick.
Why the Poor Showing?
Like Mulan last year, Raya and the Last Dragon is released in theatres and on Disney Plus simultaneously, with subscribers needing to top up an additional US$30 dollars to watch the film. This pricing is a little steep, considering subscribers just need to wait until June to get to watch it for free.
Also, distributors like Cinemark and Canada’s Cineplex have declined to screen the film, with Cinemark commenting that this is due to an inability to reach agreeable licensing terms with Disney. Add to all these factors an existing pandemic, and this would explain why Raya and the Last Dragon failed to make a dent financially.
However, this is only the opening weekend – Raya and the Last Dragon might bridge the gap in the weeks to come. Globally, the film has made US$26.2 million thus far.
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