Indiana Jones 5?
Don't know if this is true or not but I read that the severe fan backlash to Crystal Skulls was a major factor in both Spielberg and Lucas skipping this one. Curious how different it would have been with Spielberg directing
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One of the biggest movies of the summer recently hit theaters in the form of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." Billed as the last ride for Harrison Ford as the cinematic icon, the film hoped to send Indy out with a bang. Unfortunately, the opening weekend box office came in on the low end of projections at $60 million. For context, "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" opened to $100 million 15 years ago. So this was, to say the very least of it, a disappointment for Disney and Lucasfilm.
But what went wrong, exactly? Why didn't director James Mangold's take on the character resonate as strongly with moviegoers? There is one glaring issue this movie had to face (we'll get to that) but, as is often the case, there are multiple factors at play that lead to a film's failure to deliver against expectations. Let's get into it, shall we?
Steven Spielberg Not Being In The Director's Chair
I'm not going to sit here and argue that the average person cared -- or even knew -- that Steven Spielberg didn't direct the fifth and final "Indiana Jones" movie. But these things are often multifaceted and everything counts. Spielberg is one of the most trusted and celebrated filmmakers in history. He directed every other movie in this franchise, beginning with the
all-time classic "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Not having that "from director Steven Spielberg" card in the trailers and TV spots may have mattered on some level. Am I saying if Spielberg had directed it the movie would have been a smash hit? No. But I think a few moviegoers would have been convinced to get off the couch for a new Spielberg movie.
The Cannes Screening
Disney decided to roll out the red carpet and bring "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" to Cannes, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, for its premiere screening. This proved to be a pretty big miscalculation. Critics who saw the film at the festival were mixed-to-negative on it (
read our review here), with the film debuting in the 50% range on
Rotten Tomatoes. So, the first, highly-publicized reviews a lot of people read were negative, and people who just looked for a consensus were getting mixed signals. Things have improved dramatically since, as the film
currently holds a 69% critical approval rating and an 88% audience rating. While that's not glowing, the general reception is certainly a lot better than that initial wave suggested it would be............
https://www.slashfilm.com/1330513/reasons-indiana-jones-dial-of-destiny-failed-box-office/