Apparently Institutional Shareholder Services's objections to Diz Co.'s exec wage compensation package had a bit of an effect:
... 56.6% of Disney‘s shares were cast in favor of its controversial executive compensation plan while 42.8% opposed — down from last year when 76.8% supported and 22.7% opposed – according to the preliminary results announced today at the annual meeting in Kansas City. ...
It's a hard push to get shareholders to vote contrary to corporate wishes, but sometimes it happens. (The last time, of course, was when Roy Disney brought his issues to a shareholder meeting and made things hot for Michael Eisner.)
More reports of the Kansas City shareholder conclave here and here. Wish we could have been in Kansas City. Just too long a commute.
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Stockholders were plenty pissed at Rich Ross for green lighting John Carter with a novice director.
And not happy with the returns of the Muppet movie, either, since basically, there aren't any.
Damn. I was too late to leave the cliche Anti-Muppet post...
Muppets didn't scream at the box office, and I thought it was only so-so. But the WW gross now stands at $158,342,491. With a budget of $50 million or so, plus another few million in advertising, it seems to be making it's way to a small profit.
Not a big fan of Rich Ross, but to be fair, John Carter was greenlit by his predecessor, Dick Cook.
And anyway, John Carter and Muppets were both better than AstroBoy.
The Muppets at the very least broke even at the box office. Then you factor in DVD sales (yet to come in), and merchandising sales, which the film undoubtedly increased, and I would imagine that the film and its ancillaries (sp?) will make Disney about $50 million or more. Not a blockbuster, but a good profit, especially for an almost moribund character line. Disney wouldn't have announced a sequel if the first hadn't made them a profit. So, like the film or not (I liked it), it was clearly a success for Disney.
^Merch sales for the Muppets have not been good, beyond a short-lived burst for the Green Album. Profits overall will be slim to none. Disney is milking the good reviews and presenting an illusion to stockholders because its movie division is in the dumps. Any brightness is being magnified to a glare. Don't believe everything you read.
And speaking of reading, I headed over to Amazon to take a look at the Muppets DVD (didn't see the move, but was considering buying the Blu-ray for the kids). And after reading the customer reviews...well. Many good ones, to be sure, from raving Muppet devotees, but the thing that bugged me is, the people who posted a less-than-glowing review got ripped to shreds by the other reviewers. Insults, name-calling, threats of violence, all this from the people whose daily prayer is apparently "the lovers, the dreamers and me". I've never seen more immature fanaticism in my life.
No, I didn't buy the DVD. The movie can't be that good if it attracts fans like that.
Try bad-mouthing Pixar.
Yipes.
"Not a big fan of Rich Ross, but to be fair, John Carter was greenlit by his predecessor, Dick Cook."
So what. Ross killed other projects put in play by Dick Cook. He didn't kill John Carter, so it's all his, baby, all his!
--> Ross killed other projects put in play by Dick Cook. He didn't kill John Carter, so it's all his, baby, all his!
Actually, Ross wriggles free on this one by pointing his finger at JL and AS and saying: "What?, you want me to tell THEM no, they can't do the movie that THEY want to do?!?"
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