It might have appeared that Dawn Treader was just another 3-D title (repping 58% of its U.S. total) in a crowded PG season, but moviegoers told their friends otherwise. To date, Dawn Treader has made $102 million at the domestic B.O. – a number that Warner Bros.’ pop toon Yogi Bear ($93 million) has yet to hit. Such good news has spurred talks between Fox and Walden Media about bringing the fourth C.S. Lewis book The Silver Chair to the screen. Clearly, audiences burnt by a weak second Narnia entry were brought back to the cinemas by upbeat word-of-mouth. But three Narnia titles are stronger than the rest of the seven-book series: the first, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, the third, The Voyage of the Dawn Trader, and the sixth, The Magician’s Nephew, which is actually an origin story. The other four are far weaker, including Prince Caspian, The Silver Chair, standalone A Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle, which concludes the narrative.
When Dawn Treader broke $100 million domestic, it managed a feat that we can all agree is quite remarkable, considering the opening weekend gross of $24.3 million. It has also topped the global box office of Tron: Legacy: $373 million vs. $363 million. Not only that, but it is about to top Prince Caspian’s foreign total of $278 million. This leads to the good news that “has spurred talks between Fox and Walden Media about bringing the fourth C.S. Lewis book The Silver Chair to the screen.”
“The second [Narnia] film left a less-than-satisfied flavor in the audiences, and Treader marked a return to the spirit of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” observed Fox senior VP of distribution Chris Aronson, about the masses’ desire to climb aboard. “Dawn Treader provided more heart and a whimsical sense of adventure.”
The article goes on to analyze the marketing as well as the box office prospects that the film held. There have been 14 December releases that opened between $20 and $26 million, and five failed to make it past $100 million.
However, Fox knew that the foreign market would be the best patrons to the film. The foreign box office currently stands at $273 million.
“We did a lot of research before releasing this film and learned that audiences didn’t like the second film because it lacked the magic, mystery and adventure of the first film,” says Fox International co-president Paul Hanneman, “When it came to marketing Dawn Treader, it was these qualities that we emphasized.”
The promotion overseas was also different than in America, which may have lead to a larger American box office, had they done a second form of marketing. Personally, I think the film could have used some major merchandising including Happy Meals, Action Figures, Lego sets and video games. Think about it: a Dragon, a Sea Serpent, a Dragon Ship, Dufflepuds… the toys would have been quite unique for this film, when compared to those for Prince Caspian.
Here’s how Fox handled marketing in the foreign markets:
Rather than capitalize on the Narnia brand in a universal campaign, Fox International tailored a country-by-country secular promotion, unlike the U.S.’s Christian focus. Fox tapped the Christian niche where appropriate, hosting screenings for Evangelical Christians in South Africa and conducted grassroots efforts in Latin America. “Voyage” became the central message in Dawn Treader’s ads; a character action collage à la Lord of the Rings repped the key outdoor/print images in many territories over Aslan the Lion, which was the signature U.S. hook.
Clearly, the overseas marketing worked wonders for the film, bringing in people in droves. That, and repeat business and word of mouth has helped Dawn Treader in every country. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has now made FOUR TIMES the opening weekend box office in total. It’s not quite finished its theatrical run, and is just now starting to show up in second run theaters. Though that won’t bring in a lot of box office, as tickets can run between $1 and $4 per ticket, the film is still one of the few around for families to see.
Either way, I’ve made a phone call to see if I can gather some more information about the talks that are apparently happening with regard to The Silver Chair. I will keep you posted! I do hope that it is true!
-via Thompson on Hollywood