‘Dumbo’ Reviews Suggest Live-Action Remakes Don’t Always Fly

(Bloomberg) -- “Dumbo,” a live-action remake of Walt Disney Co.’s 1941 animated classic, hits theaters Friday, but many reviewers have already declared the film a snoozer.

The picture, about a lovable elephant whose oversize ears allow him to fly, is “abysmally scripted and hamily acted,” according to the Globe and Mail. It’s “ostentatious and overworked,” said Time magazine. “Painfully de-tusked,” the Guardian offered. Overall, just 54 percent of critics recommend the film, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

The reviews suggest remaking classic animated films using real-life actors and computer-generated characters is far from a sure thing. Some have done spectacularly well, such as 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast,” which took in $1.26 billion worldwide. “Christopher Robin” brought in a disappointing $198 million last year. Three more are due out soon: “Aladdin” in May, “The Lion King” in July and “Mulan” in March 2020.

Disney didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Box Office Pro, a researcher, lowered its opening-weekend forecast for “Dumbo” to as little as $50 million, from $60 million, and now sees the full domestic run topping $150 million, down from $179 million. That puts it at the low end of such films, which routinely cost $100 million or more to make and tens of millions more to market.

Not all reviewers were down on “Dumbo,” which was directed by Tim Burton, a stylist whose work includes “Edward Scissorhands.” The Atlantic and Vulture both praised the director’s take on the film, particularly the flight scenes.

Burton gets credit in part for inspiring Disney’s recent live-action remakes. His 2010 “Alice in Wonderland,” a reimagining of the 1951 classic, grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.

There are many reasons for Disney to pursue the remake strategy, besides just box-office performance. The Burbank, California-based entertainment giant needs to keep characters such as Cinderella and Snow White fresh in children minds’ because of the roles they play in the company’s theme parks and merchandising business.

To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Palmeri in Los Angeles at cpalmeri1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum

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