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Jack Reacher as a stuffed animal

Image: Disney

Anybody who tells you that they were a huge fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy prior to 2014 is lying. Okay, maybe not EVERYONE, but it’s like 99.99 percent of people. This convoluted story of an Earthling somehow befriending malcontents from alien species rarely sold well as a comic book. Marvel rebooted it on countless occasions, constantly trying to find the right kind of alchemy. They hoped to turn what they believed was a solid marketing opportunity into a hot-selling title. It just never happened.

With the benefit of hindsight, you can see Marvel’s point, though. With the Guardians of the Galaxy, they believed that they had a Firefly-ish crew of morally ambiguous but largely well intended “heroes.” They also knew that Star Wars sells in all formats, including comics. Their take on the same premise should do well, at least in theory.

When Disney took over Marvel Entertainment, an unlikely possibility unfolded. Disney execs carefully evaluated all of their new intellectual properties. They weren’t grading their new titles the same way that Marvel had when it acted alone. Instead, they had very different goals, ones that oddly aligned with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Disney likes toy sales. They prioritize merchandising. While Guardians of the Galaxy was a strange title with only a cult following, it had two characters of great importance. One was a sentient tree with the universe’s most limited vocabulary (even Hodor knows three words). The other is a gun fan with a surly disposition who happens to be adorably fuzzy, something he knows and resents. Where everyone else had seen an island of misfit toys, Disney saw a character like Rocket Raccoon as a marketing opportunity. What’s better than a stuffed animal? A stuffed animal with a gun. He’s Jack Reacher as a nocturnal mammal with a natural facial mask. Kids want to hug him, and adults can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the premise. 

Hooked on a Feeling

Image: Disney

Disney’s movie execs got left holding the bag on this one. Their corporate overlords handed down a forceful edict. There WOULD be a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and it needed to hit big enough that kids would demand Rocket Raccoon dolls and Dancing Groots for Christmas.

A talented writer named Nicole Perlman began work on this screenplay soon after Disney acquired Marvel. In 2010, Marvel execs swore that this movie could become a reality, something few people believed at the time because, well, it’s a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. To comic book fans, it’s the equivalent of a Doom Patrol or Inhumans movie. It sounds great until the numbers crunchers get involved. Then, reality strikes quickly.

When Comic Con 2012 rolled around, a different reality set in. The new Disney-fied Marvel announced that they WERE making Guardians of the Galaxy, and in early 2014, a trailer debuted. It offered a distinctly strange comedic take, and the odd musical accompaniment of Hooked on a Feeling, a long forgotten hit from the 1960s. The clip broke the internet as people vehemently argued over the quality of what they’d watched. What was most important to the conversation was that sales of Hooked on a Feeling increased 700 percent the day after the trailer’s release. Guardians of the Galaxy was provoking a reaction in people. In the movie industry, heightened awareness is almost always good.

Galaxy Successfully Guarded

Image: Disney

By the time the release date approached, Disney execs felt some level of discomfort with Guardians of the Galaxy. They’d spent a terrifying $200 million on the project, so they needed to see some results, even allowing for later toy sales. The tracking indicated that the film would do well, but what happened next was stunning.

Guardians of the Galaxy opened to $94.3 million and went on to earn over $333 million domestically plus roughly $440 million internationally. The staggering global take of almost $775 million was good enough for third place for the entire year. Equally critical from Disney’s perspective was that Guardians of the Galaxy bested Maleficent to stand as their biggest blockbuster of the year. This was not too long after The Motley Fool had stated unequivocally that the film would flop.

Only five years after having comic book fans, the most loyal potential viewing audience, scoff at the idea of a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Disney hit the motherlode. This film outperformed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a de facto sequel to their most successful movie ever, The Avengers. And Christmas toy sales of Rocket Raccoon and the gang were amazing. Disney couldn’t keep Dancing Groots in stock.

Frozen all over again

Image: Disney

Over a period of a few months, Guardians of the Galaxy ascended from its prior status as a potential flop into one of the strongest Marvel properties. And what does Disney do when a movie excels at the box office and in merchandise sales, class? Come on, you know this one. You watched as Walt Disney World suffered from an outbreak of Frozen Fever. They slapped Elsa and Anna on anything they could license and sell.

The same is true of Guardians of the Galaxy, and that’s where this story takes a harsh, sad turn. Disney now has an intellectual property that they feel still has tremendous growth potential. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is the studio’s anchor title for the first week of May of 2017. That’s the same spot where they previously released The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War. It’s one of the biggest movie weekends of the year. They wouldn’t give it to Guardians 2 unless they had great expectations.

Disney views their outer space comic book title as a backup Star Wars. They think that it covers all the same demographics while adding a heapin’ helpin’ of Chris Pratt charm. Disney once purchased the entirety of Marvel for $4 billion, money that The Avengers alone has earned back for them. They see Guardians of the Galaxy as a second multi-billion property. They want to elevate its candidacy and maximize its earning potential wherever possible.

Yes, I mean Disney parks.

 
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Comments

In reply to by TK (not verified)

I had the same thought. What I'd wish they do is for once ADD something to EPCOT instead of replacing something.

"Instead, they’ll have a Frozen IP sustaining foot traffic at the back of the park and a Marvel comic superhero group at the front. I suspect Walt Disney would roll in his grave at the thought of any of this, but that’s the reality we may soon live in."

Epcot is barely a shadow of Walt's original vision of the "experimental prototype community of tomorrow" anyway. Further, he was not involved in the creation of what we've known as Epcot. So I don't think he'd "roll in his grave."

I know many of us hate to admit it, but Disney is a corporation with stockholders wanting a return on their investment. So, consider this next time you complain when admission prices go up. If Disney can save some money by using their own IP, and drive park attendance in the process, maybe (just maybe) that $10 hamburger won't increase to $15.

I for one am looking forward to seeing both attractions if the rumor of Epcot holds true. I'm assuming one of the reasons for re-theming is that today's youth hasn't heard of show's like The Twilight Zone. They want to see current movies or tv shows. Who's to say that Guardians of the Galaxy won't have an energy theme? Maybe it will only be a temporary theming for The Tower of Terror like they do for Space Mountain during Halloween.

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