Editorials > "Prince Caspian" Comes Out on Top, But Below Expectations

Another weekend of disappointment at the box office for a studio not called Marvel. Walt Disney Co. and Walden Media's "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" made $56.6 million, coming in well below $80 million-range expectations. Perhaps most discouraging for Disney, is the fact that "Caspian" made $9 million less than prequel "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." That said, it's fairly easy to account for the missing money.

First of all, "Caspian" got less enthusiastic reviews than its predecessor in the "Narnia" series. This doesn't always make a significant difference, but it can reduce audience size. Secondly, "Iron Man" is still the movie that everyone is talking about. It made $31 million this weekend, which is an incredible showing for a film in its third weekend. Compare this with the "Wardrobe" premiere back in December 2005. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was in its 4th weekend, "Syriana" had just been bumped up to wide release and made less than $12 million. That was the perfect time for a family-friendly Christian-themed fantasy to strike (keep in mind Christmas was only two weeks away). My guess is that to adjust for this set-back, Disney will move the release of their next "Narnia" film ("The Dawn Treader") to December, trying to get that Christian dollar again in a marketplace that doesn't have as many blockbusters to compete with.

Next weekend "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" lands on the chopping block. What do you think? Will it reverse this downhill trend or become just another disappointment in a soon-to-be infamous summer? My personal guess is the former, but nothing is a sure thing in this business.

(The Hollywood Reporter/Box Office Mojo) 

-David Morgan