'Cinderella' Full Movie Updates 2015: Disney's Latest Adaptation Follows 'Maleficent,' 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Oz'
This weekend Disney will release the third live action adaptation of one of their classic animated films, "Cinderella," and the fourth in a set of live action fantasy films.
The latest adaptation is slated to open with $64 million, according to boxoffice.com. The opening weekend would be solid for a tentpole film, but it would technically be the smallest opening for a live-action adaptation.
Disney launched its live-action adaptations in 2010 with "Alice in Wonderland." That film, directed by Tim Burton, was released in March and opened to an outstanding $116 million. That film would go on to make $334 million domestically, but it would be a big international hit, making $694 million. In total, the film went on to gross more than $1 billion and become the second highest-grossing film of the year behind "Toy Story 2." The film also went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It was also nominated for Best Visual Effects.
Disney is currently developing a sequel to the movie, which is slated for release in 2016. The movie is slated to reunite Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter.
Three years later, Disney would do something a bit different. Rather than adapt one of their animated films, the studio decided to create a back story to the classic film "The Wizard of Oz." The film was "Oz The Great and Powerful," and it was released in March at the same time of "Alice in Wonderland." The film was directed by Sam Raimi and starred James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. However, the film paled in comparison to "Alice." "Oz" opened with an outstanding $79 million but only went on to gross $234 million. Internationally, it was also not as successful as it only made $258 million. In total, the movie brought in $493 million, a total that was not impressive for a $215 million budget. The lack of excitement was in part due to the fact the stars in the movie do not have the same fan base "Alice in Wonderland" had, and reviews were mixed. Additionally Disney failed to show anything recognizable in the marketing campaign.
In 2014, Disney attempted a new strategy as it released "Maleficent," a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty," in May as opposed to March. The film, starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning and Sharlto Copley, was marketed as a dark tale as it told the backstory to the title character. At first, Disney confused audiences with its message, and as a result it scored the worst opening of the three films opening with $69 million. However, once the film was actually seen, it obtained strong word-of-mouth and became extremely popular with female audiences. The movie landed in the top ten for eight weekends and it reached $241 million. Internationally the movie made $517 million, and in total "Maleficent" went on to gross $758 million. "Maleficent" also scored an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design at the end of the year.
With the success of the three first live-action films, "Cinderella" is likely to be as successful especially given the popularity of the classic film. Additionally, reviews are stronger than the past three films, and it boasts a cast that includes Oscar winner Cate Blanchett.
The studio is also developing "Beauty and the Beast" with Emma Watson, Luke Evans and Dan Stevens. The movie is set to be directed by Oscar nominee Bill Condon. Disney will also develop "Dumbo" with Burton, and next year the studio will also release a new version of "The Jungle Book."