The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2015–2017
Ghost in the Shell (2017): a $110M live-action adaptation that grossed $169.8M
Paramount and DreamWorks spent $110M on a live-action Ghost in the Shell; it grossed $169.8M and lost money, with the planned sequel abandoned.
Paramount Pictures · DreamWorks Pictures · Arad Productions · 2017-03-31
What happened
Ghost in the Shell, a live-action adaptation of the acclaimed 1995 Japanese animated film, was made on a budget of $110 million by Paramount and DreamWorks. It opened March 31, 2017, starring Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi.
The film grossed $169,846,945 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. That total fell far short of the roughly $250 million a $110M production needed to break even once marketing and distribution were counted.
Variety and industry reporting put the studio's losses in the tens of millions. The film was included on Wikipedia's list of biggest box-office bombs, and its poor reception killed the planned sequel, ending the franchise's live-action run.
Why it happened
- A $110M production aimed at event status, but the worldwide gross of $169.8M was not enough to clear the break-even point for a film sold to a global audience.
- The casting of a white lead in a Japanese property drew a backlash that divided the audience before the film opened, narrowing its appeal.
- Adapting a cult anime faithful enough to satisfy fans while broad enough to draw a mainstream Western audience satisfied neither group fully.
- The studio bet a blockbuster budget on a niche property whose core fanbase was too small to carry the required gross.
The lesson
A faithful remake of a beloved cult property still needs a mainstream audience to earn back a blockbuster budget; the fans who demand fidelity are too few to pay for it.
Sources
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning: a $400M budget against a $598M gross
Pixar's Elio — an original animated film that cost $200M+ and grossed $154M
The Alto Knights: a $50M mob film that grossed $9.6M
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.