Lacklustre debut for Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon

Los Angeles

WALT Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon brought in lower-than-expected box office sales of US$8.6 million in North America during its opening weekend, failing to draw audiences back to theatres in large numbers as many still prefer to stream movies at home.

The animated film about a young warrior girl, featuring the voices of Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina, was simultaneously launched on the new Disney+ streaming platform for an extra US$30 and will become free to subscribers on June 4. The film had been projected to generate about US$12 million in ticket sales, according to an estimate from Boxoffice Pro.

Internationally, Raya debuted to an estimated US$26.2 million last weekend, with China its second-largest market. Disney did not disclose sales of the movie on the streaming platform. Warner Bros' Tom & Jerry, also simultaneously released on HBO Max, came in second over the weekend, making US$6.6 million, according to industry researcher Comscore.

At least one major US cinema chain, Cinemark Holdings, said it will not show Raya amid disputes between theatres and studios over when and how releases can be made available on streaming platforms during the pandemic.

Disney's chief executive officer Bob Chapek said at a conference last week that theatres need to get used to movies being released in different ways, since customers have grown accustomed to having more viewing options.

In New York City, where movie theatres were finally allowed to reopen last Friday after a year-long hiatus, 27 cinemas were open over the weekend, representing 44 per cent of the number of theatres in 2019, according to Comscore.

About 45 per cent of all North American theatres are now currently open, up from 42 per cent last weekend.

Disney said that Raya will have extended play through spring-break periods in March and April as more markets and theatres re-open then. BLOOMBERG