The “big tent” movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is out across the world, and it’s underwhelming as it’s coming in under projections, thus once again proving that when you go woke, you go broke. The consensus began with expectations of $81 million to $111 million opening weekend gross with a theatrical run approaching $400 million.

Reality set in with many prognosticators stating $68 – $93 million with an overall run as high as $325 million. What caused this freefall in expectations? Disney’s new reputation for selling, pushing, promoting, and whoring – yes whoring – for the new “woke” mentality.

It’s no secret that because of past releases, this is an objective Disney, as perplexing as it is, is undertaking. Some would say they’re destroying their brand. I agree.

• Who would’ve thought the greatest enemy in the Star Wars, Marvel, and Indiana Jones universes would be a woke, white woman, Kathleen Kennedy?

GREATEST MOVIE VILLAIN EVER: KATHLEEN KENNEDY

The villain in all this is Kathleen Kennedy because of her many failures:

• It didn’t help that social media is in rampage mode to remind fans that Kathleen Kennedy has her hands on another iconic franchise, Indiana Jones, that she is destroying, to bring a “woke” message.

Any other person? Disney would have let them go long ago based on underperformance or flat-out box-office failures. We’re talking about proven winners with her slow destruction of Star Wars, Willow, and now Indiana Jones franchises. She’s killing the goose, rather geese, that lay the golden eggs.

Did Willow Even Need to Exist?

In her defense, Willow was never a big hit in its original theatrical run; thus, why bother bringing it back in any form? We know why:

• Disney took a children’s story and brought homosexuality, queerness, and transsexuality to it. That’s not by chance but by design.

To each their own with parenting, but it is not Disney’s job to raise our kids with values that parents disagree with, especially when a mix of politics is bleeding into the culture and worse, the way progressives are forcing it down our throats.

• Authoritarianism is critical to making this happen, as public schools are indoctrinating and hiding it from parents.

BEING WOKE, KENNEDY FAILS TO LEARN LESSONS: UNDERPERFORMANCE = BOMB

Kennedy has learned no lessons, and some wonder if her arrogance, because she’s a woman and woke, is seeing her have a longer leash than anyone else would have.

Let’s be clear. Many of her movies don’t bomb but underperform. When you have a film with the term “big tent,” it means it’s costing well over what a traditional movie will cost. It expects to gross in the hundreds of millions, because adding marketing and advertising that goes as high as hundreds of millions, they must recoup not just the movie budget.

Kennedy’s destruction of the franchise, Star Wars:

• While “The Rise of Skywalker” made a billion dollars, its expectations were much higher than its predecessor, The Last Jedi, which made $2 billion. This is how some subsequent outings go, make money, but below projections.
• Solo: A Star Wars Story sounds like a hit earning $392 million, but it lost money. A “big tent” movie must make back 2.5 to three times its cost to be considered a box office blockbuster. Only then is it a viable IP (intellectual property)!
  • Thus, using this formula, Solo’s budget of $275 million warrants a return of approximately $688 to $825 million to generate the profit the studios expect. It didn’t.

Is Indiana Jones’ fate going to be the same?

• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny cost $295 million, so Disney is looking at numbers approximating $738 million to $885 million to warrant “big tent” status and future film considerations with a “big tent” budget.
  • A side note: Some believe the movie cost more than the numbers we see.

IGNORING INDIANA JONES FAN BASE: KATHLEEN KENNEDY DISPOSES OF THE MALE STAR FOR FEMALES

Fans are also realizing the central star isn’t Harrison Ford but Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and many see Ford as a supporting character to give her legitimacy. Ford is 80 years old, so there’s a legitimate reason for that, but adding to the lukewarm debut is a significant negative:

• Before the movie is even out, they discuss the future with a woman replacing the iconic Harrison Ford. Right or wrong, people see another “woke” scenario they’re tired of being beaten with.

Focusing on the future and not the movie is an enormous failure in marketing. In the past, when doing the press tour for a film, parameters on what to talk about were always in place to maximize the movie’s potential and avoid creating a controversy that would hurt ticket sales.

That’s no longer the case, as it’s more about pushing a woke agenda. Hey, please don’t hate me for stating what is happening. Watch some press tours, and media articles too, then check out the box office results.

INDIANA JONES: PERCEPTION TRUMPS REALITY

Right or wrong, this creates a perception, and movie ticket sales suffer. In the past few years, Disney has had a long trail of being “woke,” culturally appropriating characters, and promoting homosexuality to young kids.

Hence, when a movie is on the docket for release, questions arise, and the marketing team now has a new strategy and doesn’t disappoint as they proudly talk about the movie’s wokeness. At the same time, condemning the fans as racist or bigots for not accepting it. The result of all this is failure after failure in recent years.

Sports Grumblings Spotlight

Del Pilar’s Diatribe – The Blue Beetle: is Xolo Mariduena an Ignorant Fool?

No, Xolo, it’s not racism or bigotry. It’s an ignorant young man who doesn’t know his #hispanic history. Let’s educate an ignorant child on his heritage.

Grumblings Media was founded by fantasy sports pioneers. Now, as one of the few conservative sports companies fighting "woke" media, please consider following and supporting us!

You Still Have the Power to Decide Where You Spend Your Money!

Despite this, it’s up to you to decide, as every family and individual chooses where to spend their hard-earned dollars. Going to a movie is a high-priced affair for a family, between the tickets, concession stands, and in some places, driving and parking.

The tickets, where I live in California, are $60 for two adults and two children, not counting the concession stand. I’m talking about an area outside a big city. In cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, a ticket can cost much more. To enjoy a couple of hours of family time, you’re looking at a minimum of about $100 to $120. Again, we’re not talking about big urban cities where it’s much more expensive.

So why give people an excuse not to go versus making it a big family event with nothing but the magic of movies and a feel-good experience versus pushing the “woke” belief system? Politics, but that’s a different Diatribe!

KATHLEEN KENNEDY, DISNEY, AND OTHER STUDIOS ARE LOSING THE WOKE BATTLE

What’s becoming clear? Most don’t approve, and it’s destroying Disney Studios and Disney Plus as they continue on the road to perdition, being led by a Kathleen Kennedy, who views women as superior to men in every facet. What a sad, potentially pathetic ending for the great Indiana Jones!

Clueless Warner Bros, not Recognizing a Woke Ezra Miller Would Bust the Flash.

It’s not just Disney, but other studios too. The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has a trail of bombs, with its last one being the Flash. Worse, Warner Bros. never saw the bomb it would become, despite all the signs in star Ezra Miller with a rap sheet as creepy as it comes. There’s evidence that he’s a groomer and a potential pedophile. It became a massive public relations nightmare, and they ignored it completely.

• There was also anger because of the cancellation of “Batgirl” by people of color. The lead was a woman of color while allowing a movie with a white star with so many off-screen issues dominating the news to move forward as a “big tent” production.

Is Warner Bros. the Blue Beetle Next as Star Xolo Mariduena Goes Woke

Warner Bros. needs to learn lessons from previous bombs. The Blue Beetle movie may be next with its “woke” agenda. However, a budget of $125 million costs much less than the typical “big tent” production, but we have yet to determine the marketing and advertising costs. Not counting advertising and marketing costs to recoup, the starting projections to be successful is $313 million to $375 million, but likely higher.

With a woke message, a woke star, and an anti-American bigot directing, early guesses would say the Blue Beetle has a big shot of failing.

• You can learn more about its star and his ignorance of culture in a previous diatribe. The Blue Beetle: is Xolo Mariduena an Ignorant Fool?

Will James Bond Studios, MGM, and EON Productions Go Woke: Jane Bond Anyone?

Created as a male based on a male spy, James Bond is an anti-hero who was always a bona fide box office hit until its last venture when it went woke. Hence, he’s not immune to the “woke” either, and taking wokeness further, some women are saying and demanding a female James Bond.

• What should we call her? Jane Bond? Jan Bond? Jamie Bond? One sailor stated, BJ Bond. OUCH!

We now see every successful movie, book, comic book, folk legend, etc., is now a potential gender change or, as my cohorts on the other side would say, open to “cultural appropriation.”

To the Culture Minister of the UK, Lucy Frazer, and other women demanding a “Jane Bond,” we say:

• We honor and support strong women, but you think women can do anything superior to men, specifically physicality and brute strength. Only in Hollywood can you find a 90-pound dripping wet woman taking on and taking out a physically fit man 250-plus pounds. It’s old and unrealistic, so we say no to Jane Bond! See here the reality of what would happen.

INDIANA JONES ISN’T A GREAT MOVIE: STUDIOS AND THE WOKE LISTEN UP!

No. We don’t hate female leads or leads that are not white; we just believe you shouldn’t shove every “woke” belief down our throats.

• Why steal a creator’s work to fashion it in your image? Away from what the creator did? Because you can’t create your own.

Realize that a great movie is based on something other than how a character looks. The Black Panther, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, Enter the Dragon, Kill Bill, and Rogue One are just a few of the many phenomenal movies because of their exceptional storylines, acting, and writing. That’s what creates popularity and a blockbuster. Not skin color or gender.

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