Amid worries that Disney is no longer a reliable name at the box office due to films like Elemental doing poorly with critics and fans, the House of Mouse continues to allay those fears while keeping on top of its existing IP and upcoming entertainment projects.
Of course, doing well commercially is no insurance against trouble; one popular Disney franchise worth billions is facing a previously won lawsuit revived in light of recent changes in the interpretation of trademark law. Meanwhile, two actors in popular Disney/Marvel projects speak up about audiences’ growing concerns over the usage of AI amid controversy surrounding Marvel Studios’ use of AI art. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Mouse, as a recently released film finds love from fans in the Southeast Asian market despite initial concerns.
Despite struggling in South Korea and China, The Little Mermaid finds its footing in the U.S. and the Philippines
The latest in a series of live-action remakes of classic animated Disney films, The Little Mermaid has shaped up to become one of the biggest films of this year, much like its live-action predecessors. While it’s usually a given that these remakes do well in theaters, there were fears that The Little Mermaid would do poorly due to racist backlash against the casting of Halle Bailey as Princess Ariel, both domestically and abroad.
Before its release, the film fell victim to review bombing and trolling on review aggregation sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes and performed poorly in South Korea and China, earning $5 million and $3.6 million, respectively, a far cry from the $91 million and $53.5 million the live-action Aladdin made in those markets. While racism isn’t necessarily to blame for the poor performance, it’s hard to argue it wasn’t a factor in the audience’s poor response.
Fortunately, The Little Mermaid fared better in other parts of the world, notably the United States and the Philippines. In the latter, the film has surpassed other Hollywood blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($2.2 million) and The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($4.7 million) to make $5.8 million in the box office. Disney’s senior VP of studio business in Asia Pacific, John Hsu, responded to the news by saying, “the Philippines, obviously, is a standout market for us.” Despite racist comments about Bailey’s (let’s be honest, excellent by any measure) portrayal of Ariel, the film is also doing fantastic in the U.S., grossing $250 million since its release.
After Secret Invasion controversially used AI in its opening credits, Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent D’Onofrio express their thoughts
Marvel Studio’s newest project Secret Invasion was recently released, and while the show itself is receiving praise for its masterful use of tension and its darker tone (some fans believe it to be a successor to more solemn films within the MCU like Captain America: The Winter Soldier), one facet of the show is generating controversy. Secret Invasion’s opening credits were revealed to use AI-generated art, inciting discussions about the place of AI in art — or even whether there is one — and about the potential loss of jobs when studios turn to AI. Marvel Studios released a statement regarding the controversy, claiming “AI is just one tool” and that no artist jobs were lost due to its usage.
Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays Kingpin in several MCU series, posted a thoughtful take on the growing use of AI on his personal Twitter account. The post (which you can read in its entirety here) ultimately decries the usage of AI as a replacement for authentic art created by humans, believing art entirely created by AI to be devoid of heart and soul; that being said, he agreed with Marvel that AI could be beneficial if used as a tool, rather than a threat to people’s livelihoods.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Secret Invasion star and executive producer Samuel L. Jackson was asked his opinions on AI. He expressed disbelief that people were only now starting to worry about this, saying he’s been skeptical since he first filmed The Phantom Menace over twenty years ago. He warned future actors to follow his lead and scan their contracts carefully before signing to avoid unwanted use of their likeness, though he did admit it seems Marvel Studios can get away with a lot when it comes to his image.
“Ever since I’ve been in the Marvel Universe, every time you change costumes in a Marvel movie, they scan you. Ever since I did Captain Marvel, and they did the Lola project where they de-aged me and everything else, it’s like, ‘Well, I guess they can do this anytime they want to do it if they really want to!’ It could be something to worry about.”
The Supreme Court revives an old lawsuit regarding Toy Story 3 that could affect the whole franchise
As readers of this roundup would know, Disney has been in the news the past few months because of a series of lawsuits regarding Florida governor Ron DeSantis and his vendetta against the entertainment company, but that’s not the only notable legal trouble the company is facing. A recent reinterpretation of trademark law and free speech has led to the U.S. Supreme Court reopening a 2012 case against Disney, per Reuters.
In 2012, Randice-Lisa Altschul, a toy creator based in New Jersey, filed a lawsuit accusing the company of violating her company, Diece-Lisa Industries’ trademark rights with the usage of the Toy Story 3 character Lotso. In 1994, Alschul’s company created a stuffed animal named Lots of Hugs, and Altschul believes Disney infringed on her company’s own trademark with the similarly named Lotso (short for Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear), which she alleges resembles the toy she created.
Disney previously won an earlier court ruling, but the Supreme Court justices have now thrown out that case after a June 8 case ruling regarding Jack Daniels and a dog chew toy (“Bad Spaniels”) parodying the company’s recognizable whiskey bottles caused the court to reexamine the intersection of trademark laws and first amendment rights. In the initial court case, the court ruled in Disney’s favor, citing protections under the first amendment, as Lotso could not be proven to be directly copying Altschul’s toy. Still, the new ruling in Jack Daniels’ favor puts Toy Story and the usage of Lotso at risk.