How JOHN CARTER's Failure Changed Hollywood

John Carter was Disney's 2012 box office bomb which was supposed to begin a new franchise, a chance to capitalize on the market that Star Wars once had. Based on A Princess of Mars by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, the film rights would end up in the hands of director Andrew Stanton, the Pixar creator of Wall-E and Finding Nemo, but the film would become a massive failure due to a changing Hollywood, which would further change Disney and the other major studios. The film stars Lynn Collins and Taylor Kitsch, two stars on the upswing who would both become victims of a failing film.
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Modern Mouse is:
Josh Taylor: writer, host, producer
Joe Reinis: writer, script editor

[@ModernMouse]

Would you like to see more films like John Carter given a chance in Hollywood? Check out more videos from '10 Years Later' --- tinyurl.com/5n6wwu36

[@alexandershawn440]

you look like a younger guillermo del toro

[@ModernMouse]

@@alexandershawn440 I'm down with this!

[@anubusx]

As a series.

[@anubusx]

They should've cast Arnie.

[@daniellewillis2767]

This was a terrific movie. I saw and LOVED it in the theatre...

[@Oscar95451]

John Carter deserved a cult following. My mom loved it and i thought that movie was okay.

[@ModernMouse]

I think as it ages people will be kinder to it and the other films I mentioned that came out around that same time at Disney. I don't ever see it getting rebooted or having sequels, but like Tron people will look back at how fun it was.

[@isaiahsmith7123]

​@@ModernMouse But Tron has a sequel, and there is talks of a third film in development (We'll see) , still I think that you're largely correct and that it won't be rebooted, at least not under Disney, not unless they do a time skip where John is the Jeddak of Jeddaks and we see his empire ,which since it is all in the public domain they can pick up and use different elements or add to it and further enrich the lore( though knowing modern writing I think they'd be more apt not to)

[@freakingweiner]

@@isaiahsmith7123you know Dune ‘84 (also like John Carter based on a book) was made by Universal, right? That didn’t go well so WB rebooted it in 2021 and it worked. Maybe John Carter needs to be rebooted by a different studio?

[@isaiahsmith7123]

@@freakingweiner Well it wasn't so much the studio, though they did have a hand in it, but the vision of a creator with solid backing from his team which made Dune 2021, a success. That being said I do agree another studio could do a better job with the right creatives.

[@brebeaa]

I loved this film. It’s a tragedy to me that it didn’t continue in new stories.

[@ModernMouse]

It does stink that it was in and out of theaters so quickly and that advertising basically became non-existent. It was truly a lamb led to slaughter.

[@brebeaa]

@@ModernMouse It’s strange. I always hear that there was no marketing, but I remember seeing it in commercials just before release touting how it inspired Star Wars and Avatar. Maybe it was a regional thing?

[@ModernMouse]

Possibly so but I've never seen a trailer featuring any "the story that inspired..." or "directed by the guy who brought you..." Also the marketing was pulled almost immediately in its theater run.

[@brebeaa]

@@ModernMouse Interesting. I think what I saw were TV spots, so maybe they’re not available anymore.

[@TheBrettMizer]

I did too

[@thatonkgau5221]

John Carter is an underrated gem that deserves another chance, it should get rebooted as maybe a live action Disney plus series.

[@ModernMouse]

Anything is possible!

[@butterflymage5623]

I’d rather it get continued with the same actors and crew. The level of film making, the show don’t tell aspects, the genuine comedy that never felt out of place...I don’t have faith that Disney would be able to do that today.

[@thatonkgau5221]

@@butterflymage5623 I'd like that too but I'm pretty sure the actors at this point are too old to reprise there roles. I think Disney should do a continuation with a new cast.

[@lonniemonroe2714]

Not Disney. Maybe an independent..if such a thing exist. Disney couldn't make a film with just a pencil as the character and not screw it up

[@sunnwukong1941]

i'd love to see a GOOD quality animated series for it. i love the live action movie but see that you can only do so much with the story special effects with the budget it had.

[@victoriaallen9393]

I still found the film quite appealing despite what critics had to say about it, and I didn’t even read the book ❤

[@ModernMouse]

I never read the books either. I do like the film. It's sincere in what it tries to accomplish even if the plot is insane. I think sincerity is something many filmmakers are missing out on. Everything is a wink and nod these days.

[@victoriaallen9393]

@@ModernMouse I totally agree.

[@sheimusafir221]

Those who didn’t read the book,are humbling for the next part of it…the movie was great also..

[@timhenley3602]

​@@ModernMouse The thing is, the books inspired so much we now have; Star Wars, Superman, Dune, Avatar. All these are copies of the John Carter stories, not the other way around.

[@Mike-jv8bv]

it was an absolutely solid movie that should of never failed. Which doesn't make any sense to me.

[@ModernMouse]

Some movies just don't succeed and there are a variety of reasons. For John Carter it boils down to corporate suits not being invested in it and the advertising campaign not being what it could have been.

[@Mike-jv8bv]

@@ModernMouse it's a damn shame. but maybe it's a good thing now that there are no sequels seeing how badly disney has handled phase 4 of the MCU. Better to leave it to rest than to have some incompetent director and writers take it and "deconstruct it"

[@Mike-jv8bv]

@@ModernMouse for "modern audiences" lmao

[@zerog5580]

This movie does not represent the feel of the books at all...its more of a comedy for kids (which is what Disney does) than the deeply mysterious sci-fi story of the books

[@Theonetrueerenyeager]

John Carter is a masterpiece, just like Avatar. But the marketing and the critics weren’t so good.

[@ModernMouse]

It's a pretty good film despite some of the CGI not aging as well as Avatar, but regardless it really did fail due to it's marketing. It could have had a great chance at success had it not been seen as an outcast even before it premiered.

[@Theonetrueerenyeager]

@@ModernMouse I agree that it was untapped potential, but the cgi doesn't seem to have aged badly. It's just not as vibrant as avatar's.

[@sunnwukong1941]

@@ModernMouse according to the story i heard they named it JOHN CARTER and didn't add the PRINCESS OF MARS part because another MARS movie MARS NEEDS MOMS bombed so much more than J.C. did and they didn't want people thinking it was related to the MOMS movie.

[@gregholmes6083]

I loved this movie and I still believe in a sequel. We are in a day and age that as bad as the loss was, if the fans demand it, it can be made. Great film, terrible marketing.

[@ModernMouse]

I think we see a reboot sometime down the line. Disney or not, I think it's a story with characters worth exploring.

[@Incredible_Mister_J]

There was some good things to this movie. I didn't see it in theaters at the time. I guess our family was focused on other things. I did feel the magic of the film. But I do hope there will be a second chance for John Carter to return again.

[@ModernMouse]

I don't know when but I'd love to see a more drawn out tv show for John Carter. i think that would significantly help in the world building and character development.

[@eldergeeks7301]

Seen it, own it on Bluray. Loved it.

[@ModernMouse]

I had never seen this movie until a few weeks back when I knew I was going to make this video. It made me want to go back and read some of the novels. I love movies like this that might come off a little cheesy. Thats part of the charm. I love the original Stargate film for the same reason.

[@KarlElvis]

I think you’re vastly under-emphasizing the fact that the movie was just really poor. It managed to lose everything that works about ERB (the old-fashioned swashbuckling romanticism and sense of adventure), without providing anything in exchange. It also just looks terrible; poor character design for all the cgi characters, that horrifying sameness of texture for everything on screen, and an alien world that never looks or feels alien. I could go on, the two lead actors lack of - well, acting - and complete lack of chemistry, and a script that didn’t add anything. But the point is, yes, Disney was complicit in not marketing it, but can’t we blame that on the creativity vacuum in the film itself? I keep hoping somebody goes back and approaches Burroughs two big planetary romance series (Mars and Venus) with a full embrace of the innocent Buck Rogers retro feel, instead of misguided attempts to modernize like this. The books are too (wonderfully) outdated and absurd to make sense done like this film.

[@rap3208]

I liked it very much. Except for you, all I ever read in reviews was they didn't know a thing about it so didn't watch it in the theaters, then much much later happen to watch it on tv or with friends, they enjoyed it...a lot, that they watch it over again.

[@kolonarulez5222]

It blew my mind to learn the original author also wrote Tarzan. The night and day of how Disney treated these stories is astounding.

[@ModernMouse]

Honestly, it is a wild statistic, but to be fair, Tarzan and John Carter were made under two different regimes of Disney and the animated division and live action division don't really work with each other often. It might as well have been a separate studio.

[@timbo1863]

John Carter was an awesome film ….the failure of American audiences to see it or Disney to market it effectively says volumes about them !

[@davekelly9657]

People have no patience nowadays. If it's not instant gratification,no one is interested. Ten seconds is about all the time spent watching something.

[@workingstudentera]

It was the first movie I've watched my very own computer. But the movie is extremely nice and it deserves its own cult status.

[@ModernMouse]

I honestly thought more people would be talking about it this year since it has been 10 years but it still seems forgotten. We'll see if it can get to cult status!

[@workingstudentera]

@@ModernMouse I do hope so. Only time will tell. I dont know but I've heard that the format of the film would have been similar or at least it would have been directed by Captain of Tomorrow something. Lol. I forgot the name of the movie, but it had Angelina Jolie.

[@Rockstar-bq5fm]

Everyone I speak to about this film says it’s good if a bit long. Nobody actually gets why it failed. Thanks for elaborating on it all

[@ModernMouse]

Thanks for watching! I love doing this series where I look at movies a decade later. I think a lot of people get caught up in the moment when these films come out so it's nice to reflect back on them and see what really happened.

[@vatsalyadwivedi1761]

I don't understand why John Carter failed? It is such a good movie

[@ModernMouse]

More or less it feels like it's wrong place, wrong time.

[@Ixiah27]

This was a year with so many high budget bombs, i dont think Disney or anyone else learned anything.

[@ModernMouse]

This is a cycle that Hollywood goes through every few decades. It happened at the end of the 1960s and at the end of the 1980s. Cultural tastes change as well as things beyond the control of the studios. I do think that they should stop promoting films years out, especially when they don't have a script at all. 2023 felt like a year of real change cinematically. Lots of auteur directors getting some big hits and small studios like A24 and Neon are continuing to get buzz behind them. I think that transition continues. I'll be interested to see how the big studios pivot.

[@michealcormier2555]

Sorry I missed this video when it first came out. I have a lot going on. I really love this movie. It's sad to see that the marketing wasn't what it should have been to help it out the gate. That, and just learning that the studio had given up on it is disappointing to learn as well. I feel sorry for Taylor Kitch. I really like him as an actor, but he never seemed to catch those breaks to put him in the spotlight along with the more successful actors.

[@ModernMouse]

No need to apologize. I never expect anyone to watch my videos the second they go live. I appreciate you getting to it on your own time. Glad you found this educational and I'm sorry its a bit depressing.

[@technicolordreamer]

Even though this movie was not successful, I do hope that in the future they can eventually return to original works, not just sequels of existing series. I wonder if John Carter would have fared better as a TV series. Though I haven't seen this movie yet, though I plan to as well as Prince of Persia, I really enjoyed the movie Tomorrowland, which I felt was a perfect embodiment of Disney's spirit, or at least what it used to be. Would you consider doing videos about Tomorrowland and/or any of the other live action movies from around this era?

[@ModernMouse]

Possibly so. When the 10 Years Later series moves into 2023 The Lone Ranger becomes a film to talk about. As I talk about the live action film eras I'll also be going in depth more on those films as a whole.

[@athansky25]

John Carter movie is a victim of Change. Original movies no longer matter as the House Mouse would like surefire bets and proven franchises that rake in lot of money than take their chances over a 100-year old book series that's virtually obscure (Gen Z & Millennials don't even know who ERB author is).

[@jerrelljones9991]

I never saw John Carter back in 2012, but I definitely remember seeing the TV advertisements for it, it looked OK at the time. I will have to check it out for myself soon

[@robertrains7029]

It's amazing

[@robertrains7029]

I love John Carter

[@altonlynch5464]

John Carter was a good movie just with bad advertising, Bad advertising was the reason it didn't do well at the box office.

[@blakeschreckenbach679]

This is a very underrated movie. It is clean and family friendly. All of the cast have said that they are proud of it and would very much participate in a sequel. This is the kind of movie Disney would have released to rehabilitate its reputation after this DEI fiasco.

[@raycrossley5398]

love the books called Princess of mars. The movie Jhon Carter is only what happends in the first chapter of Princess of mars.

[@noneya85]

I thought this movie was fantastic. Other than lacking star power, it seemed to have all the makings of a hit. I never understood why it flopped. Thanks for giving me more clarity on that. I hoped it would get a second chance and gain a cult following on Disney plus, but there seems to be no signs of that happening.

[@ModernMouse]

The actors they had were on a trajectory to become big stars. This was going to be a major stepping stone for them. That's one of the crazy parts about it.

[@mitchellminer9597]

Disney should have called it "A Princess of Mars" - everybody knows Disney princesses. They could have featured more Dejah and less backstory. And, please the gods, no jumping.

[@merdoc89]

John Carter was a Fun movie in my opinion... Disney dropped the ball on this... So much like they did on the Black Hole....

[@popcornpreachers]

Strange how some of the Better Disney movies like John Carter had bad marketing, also strange how they don’t push it and try to re-market it on a Blu-Ray special edition? Disney’s John Carter reminds me of what happened to Warcraft, it deserved a better trailer, better marketing and deserved a follow up film. This film is like Tron Legacy, The Black Cauldron, Escape, from Witch Mountain, Something Wicked this way Comes and Return to Oz.. They deserve more recognition and Disney pushes them aside for vending machine junk films and other movies with so much less substance 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@ModernMouse]

On the flip side, I think you can put the blame on audiences as well. It's not like John Carter has been sought out by a large enough audience to demand a blu-ray special edition, or a majority of the films you named for that matter. I know people often complain about how many franchise films there are or how many remakes Disney does but the box office numbers don't lie and those films continue to do great. I don't blame Disney for putting their eggs in that basket since it makes financial sense. I'd love for them to risk something and take a chance on a film like John Carter and go 100% in on the marketing and other aspects, but nobody in Hollywood is doing that with big budget films right now outside of A24 and Neon but the amount of money that is sunk into those films is pennies in comparison to what Disney, Universal, and Sony are doing.

[@popcornpreachers]

@@ModernMouse very true points. Also I feel when some of the audience stumbles upon JC, only then there is an appreciation.

[@visionaerie]

Here's some irony I first read the Marvel Comics adaptations of "John Carter Warlord of Mars".... Ironically I think they could have adapted it quite well and actually made it a part of Marvel 616. Wouldn't that be funny if John Carter of Mars was somehow adapted to fit inside the Marvel Universe.... although not necessarily in the same timeline. John Carter could have been transported to Mars 200 or so years ago... since he was originally a civil war soldier. It was a wonderful film.. the reason it failed mostly is because Disney switched the marketing from that movie to Iron Man, The Avengers and the upcoming rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

[@legoking6165]

"I'm just going to assume you haven't actually seen John Carter." Actually I have. Saw it for the first time a few weeks ago.

[@ModernMouse]

Welcome to our little club! I'm sorry I jumped to such conclusions about you

[@legoking6165]

@@ModernMouse Don't sweat it man.

[@altonlynch5464]

Why was there never a cartoon made of John Carter of mars?

[@waltsapartment-105]

I haven’t even watched this video yet and I know it’s going to be epic. Lol

[@ModernMouse]

I hope it lives up to the hype you've created for yourself. I feel like Rex from Toy Story when I say the phrase, "I don't like this kind of pressure!"

[@waltsapartment-105]

@@ModernMouse Awesome video essay as always! I love that you tie in what happened in the wake of John Carter in the wake of the box office bomb… I was surprised that James Stewart ignored the episode altogether in “Disney War”.

[@backto-il9ne]

I saw it, loved it and still remember it.

[@garyperkovac1002]

Before me, Tiffany wrote to Modern Mouse: " Would you consider doing videos about Tomorrowland and/or any of the other live action movies from around this era? " ...I agree, the film, "Tomorrowland" is great. It's also directed by a PIXAR filmmaker. This one's Brad Bird, the one who did "The Incredibles"....

[@ModernMouse]

The only difference is that Brad Bird also did Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and it did well both critically and commercially. Obviously different since it was a film within an established franchise, but maybe that gives hope that Stanton can have another shot at a live action film down the line if he wants it.

[@kylestateler]

This is truly a strange story. To me, the road to success was so simple yet somehow they managed to ruin it. I wonder, considering the long and challenging history of this property in Hollywood, do you think that John Carter is even a viable brand now? Can a studio, whether Disney or another, reboot without the stigma of failure from this on top of the inability to make it for 50+ years before? Tarzan has had success in the past, so a flop wouldn’t necessarily be a brand killer. But John Carter has no other history.

[@ModernMouse]

Never say never, but I think if John Carter were to get made I think a different medium would be something to look into. I could see an animated show in the style of Samurai Jack working for the property long before another live action film gets made. I don't think you can call it "John Carter" though. It would need to be called "The Gods of Mars" or something in order for an audience to buy in. That's just my educated guess so take it for what it's worth, but I personally would love to see someone take another stab at it.

[@kylestateler]

@@ModernMouse I would too. I liked the Disney film and I think the name was a major player in its financial failure.

[@tHawk9699]

A Princess OF Mars 🤦‍♂

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Was a case of bad timing sadly. Coz' superhero movies were out with epic power and epic battler, people found John's powers lame. God bless.

[@davidbrown2571]

Great film,loved it,cant understand why it was a flop.

[@hangmann747tinmann8]

Sorry I so loved this movie, as I loved the books, and so wanted a second movie. Oh, the movie is of the first book, but has elements from the second. Again, GREAT movie!

[@toadsmoothy]

I love this movie. Dearly. It came and went at the theater without notice. I found it later and have watch it every now and then. I think it's beautiful. I would love to see a second and third movie.

[@TheJonboix]

I am watching this video because john Carter is one of my all-time favorite movies. I really can't figure out why it wasn't a box office hit.

[@zincChameleon]

John Carter started off on the wrong foot, with the narrative voice-over, and that would have been easy to fix. "You do not know Mars!" should have been "You do not know *this* Mars". That would have allowed Barsoom to exist in a parallel universe, and the Therns capable of moving in space/time. Barsoom could have been set in a parallel universe set in the age of Fishes, or the Ordovician. The Therns move species around as they see fit. So...Red Indians for Barsoom humans. A great idea was The Voice of Barsoom, but the writers never connected it to the Therns. But now we have AI tools to create a feature film, and UE 5 to finish.

[@ModernMouse]

I do think there is a disjointed feeling.

[@zincChameleon]

@@ModernMouse And Andrew Stanton must have never watched a Hong Kong martial arts movie. The White Apes should have just been a warm-up; the big battle should have been with Tal Hajus, not killing the biggest baddest Thark with a single stroke of his sword.

[@alarin612]

I enjoyed this movie, but I understand why it failed. It starts with the title. The novel is, at its heart, a romance story. I think they lost the point, there.

[@jamesbroughton7870]

I loved it and I love the books and I think Disney did a huge disservice by treating it the way they did they need to continue with a second John Carter movie

[@patinho5589]

It was a good movie.. no woke weird stuff.. just a great fantasy sci fi story.

[@ModernMouse]

I'd disagree. The film features colonialism and conversations about the relationships between natives to a place and newcomers. I'd guarantee more people would it out these days. I think why things are different is that people make a big deal out of those themes more so than anything else.

[@ajose223w3]

I like the movie a lot and it’s own thing not just stolen from some other story

[@jacqueline.9799]

I loved that movie so much.. i was heartbroken at the end of it

[@ronaldrobrahn8862]

John Carter of Mars Was an Excellent Movie! Worthy of a sequel! Its failure was not itsself..But everyone around it.. Disney getting Star Wars, It being a "Disney" product during that time, and other factorsI am definately privy to..... But.. it was a really good movie! Was it Blackballed? I dont know.. But iut it does seem likeit, and it does deserve a second chance...

[@SalParascand]

Really enjoyed this movie, over the past number of years have read all of Edger Rice Burroughs science fiction fantasy books. From John Carter to his books on Venus and others👍👍👍👍👍

[@steverayward]

Rewatched this recently such a great movie. Loved the world building.

[@Joe-j2p3o]

So, John Carter lost more $$$ the The Marvels? I Call B S!

[@ModernMouse]

This video was made long before The Marvels release.

[@darkerthanblue9]

I love this film. Watched it about 5 times❤❤❤

[@cheezy2455]

its a shame , its a very very good old fasion movie

[@khalidhenry3857]

And that's why animators should stick to animation only.

[@ModernMouse]

I don't fault Stanton at all. I actually think several people have jumped from animation to live action directing successfully. Brad Bird's Mission Impossible film was great and, on a bigger scale, Tim Burton's career as a director speaks for itself, especially his earlier films.

[@bvrsqzr3569]

I thought the movie was good. It is exceptionally better than most of the crap being vomited out today.

[@jackcartou]

i love this movie too, i remember everything

[@sheimusafir221]

will never the second part of it be out?

[@ModernMouse]

I don't think there will be a sequel with this cast and directed by Andrew Stanton. Never say never but I'd guess that if it were brought back it would be rebooted and maybe they'd do a tv series on Disney+.

[@mrjlee4294]

My favorite movie!

[@ModernMouse]

It's not my favorite movie, but I really appreciate it and it definitely is way too underrated!

[@Kamikaze.Hamster]

Dude, it’s “A Princess OF Mars” - a pretty basic fact to get right when making a video about this.

[@timhenley3602]

Heh. I can't believe Disney gave us no Dejah Thoris action figures but we still have Rose Tico figures sitting on shelves. Great job there, Disney🙄

[@darrenmcmackin330]

Great flic

[@WildlifeWarrior-yd1fq]

It was not a failure who care what people think

[@JZBaltazar]

Virginia, suk!

[@tiplady44]

Dodgy film about a great story (read them all plus ERB other stories )

[@Aenarion28]

I enjoyed the movie. It was.for.thr most.part faithful to the source material, no woke bs like making Dejah Thoris obese and Lesbian. They did modernize Dejah a little but not in the current year box office killer formula that is common in Disney

[@ModernMouse]

I'm going to be honest with you, I really hate the term "woke" as it's currently being used. It's meaning, which was once about enlightenment, specifically for the African American community, is now being used for anything that doesn't fit what you desire. It's a red flag for "I hate everything that doesn't appeal to me." To be honest, this film was never going to make Dejah obese or a lesbian, even if it were made today, but I also don't think there is anything wrong with people in films that are overweight or that aren't just the desire of men. I agree that sometimes filmmakers pander to people, but I also don't think it's every film/TV show all the time.

[@Aenarion28]

@@ModernMouse of course not, because the movie was made in 2012...not now. The thing is, entertainment has to capture the attention and imagination of their audience. Insulting and attacking the audience is a bad move. Perfect example, my wife and I watched BFG with our son. My wife hated it because she felt it was scary. My son watched it at school because of a book they had to read. I was indifferent. Towards the end though, it really won my wife over. My son liked the movie very much, despite the protagonist being a girl.

[@roronoadzoro7264]

this was one of my favourite movie

[@dennis300cr]

I did know John Carter (Princess Of Mars) was written before the success of Tarzan years ago and was waiting for release! I really enjoyed the film too and its great look and effects! Recently read Wiki on John Carter film and it stating all you said about it! There also was early 1936 animation effort for Princess Of Mars thought lost until recently found and on You Tube! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKOclXailriqbbM

[@rebloodhounds6310]

I watched John Carter 15 times...watching it again tonight. Make the sequels.

[@gandalfgreyhame3425]

I loved this movie. It always seemed to me that this movie was the unfair victim of an internal Civil War within Disney, with a dominant faction determined to strangle this movie in its crib. The marketing, the trailers, the media messaging from Disney was from the beginning just incoherent and horribly negative. It seemed that insiders at Disney were encouraging the media message early on that the movie was a hugely expensive bomb before it ever had a chance to find its audience - yes that does happen with relatively unknown sci-fi/fantasy stories, that positive word of mouth will slowly grow the popularity of the movie. The insiders at Disney NEVER gave this movie that chance and all we ever heard was that this was a hugely expensive bomb, a bomb, a bomb. It seemed that these negative bean counters were super eager to just write this movie off as a loss on their books for tax deduction purposes. No, this was a really good movie, and I loved it and I got the Blu-ray, and have watched it many times again. We see now how Disney works and how detrimental it has been for the Marvel and Star Wars properties. "John Carter" was actually the first victim of the Disney bean counter mentality.

[@lonniemonroe2714]

Agree. I liked it. Thought it was a good movie. Heard about reviews from the "expert critics ". People who couldn't tell a spoon from a fork. Disney didn't help it either. I also liked Green Lantern. But it was supposedly a bomb too. Guess actors weren't woke enough.

[@thumper8684]

@@lonniemonroe2714 It is not about "woke". The movie the dominant faction were pushing was the Lone Ranger with the dumbass depiction of Tonto that ruined Johny Depp's credibility.

[@patinho5589]

@@lonniemonroe2714I agree. I liked both movies too. Though green lantern suffered for one sub plot about the scientist getting infected by a shard of yellow.

[@chheinrich8486]

And now disney took like 5 john carter level failures within one year😅

[@ghostknight1865]

I've never read the source material although I knew what it was. I quite like John Carter, never knew about these issues behind the scenes. Both Collins and Kitsch were good in their roles, the movie looks great, it's a shame what happened to it and how we're never getting the rest of the books adapted.

[@garyperkovac1002]

A lot of talent and resources went into "John Carter" ...NOW.... It may not have been a golden arrow. However, it didn't just simply stumble. It absolutely sank at the box office. Why? The misplaced promotion for this film was arguably a key component for this bust.... The full title "John Carter" by itself was not a familiar enough name to carry the film.... Even the typeface was stupidly vague... Where was a hint of the rich source material..., " 'A Princess of Mars' ...by Edgar Rice Burroughs " ? Geee. ...That was strike one.... And then the story of production infighting spilled out, just after release. Oh, Man ...Strike Two.... Finally, Disney pulled the plug on promotion. Yikes ....Strike Three.... A PERFECT STORM

[@sunnwukong1941]

funny thing is i knew the movie was coming out but NEVER saw a single ad for it.

[@izenguarr5236]

That movie was * NOT * a "failure"..... It accomplished exactly what it was intended to accomplish. (The masses being reinforced with the notion that none of the other so called "planets" are inhabited). This has been an on-going theme for well over 100 years!

[@theshadowboxer]

An excellent video! I enjoyed this movie after seeing it on DVD. What a missed opportunity!

[@ModernMouse]

Not every film can be a winner. I love talking about these kinds of movies though because I want to bring attention to them. I thought it was a fine film. Not amazing, but fine. Not deserving of the reputation it has with both Hollywood and audiences.

[@theshadowboxer]

@@ModernMouse you nailed it. Now, I must check out your other content. Thanks for the great reply.

[@ModernMouse]

I'd recommend the "10 Years Later" or "Disney Live Action Eras" playlists. I go through a lot of the behind the scenes stuff with those series. Thanks for checking stuff out!

[@ireviewdopesht7216]

No way as bad as morbius. I actually liked it, it had its flaws but it wasn't that bad

[@ModernMouse]

It was less a one-to-one critique and more of a way to say it was seen as a bad film culturally. When people talk about John Carter it's usually because it was a flop and had lots of potential. The same can be said for Morbius.

[@MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou]

Surprised to hear no mention of how the film was received by those who actually saw it. Did they consider it good? Word of mouth might have saved it if it were actually a great film.

[@ModernMouse]

I did mention that the film was well received in early screenings. I tried not to detour far from the thesis of my essay so I didn't talk about how word of mouth, technology, or economics and how those have changed over the last 10 years, but critical response was bad which for many people means more than word of mouth from early test screenings, especially as people become much more picky with how they spent their money. Even if it was made today, I don't think it would do well. People would wait for it to be on Disney+ due to finances and a lack of actors or characters they knew, even if it had early praise. You can see that in a movie like Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. It had both critical and audience praise yet nobody went to a theater to see it.

[@MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou]

@@ModernMouse It pains me that that's EEAAO's legacy. That was easily one of the greatest cinema experiences of my life. The lesson seems to be that well-known IP and stars are more important than making a great, original film.

[@ModernMouse]

@@MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou In our current cultural state you're correct. Lots of socio-political issues led to that but there will come a time when it'll change again. A film (or several) will break through and change the industry.

[@ntchigginbotham]

I just watch John Carter for the first time last night. If the part of him on Earth in the begining had been cut the movie would have been 100 times better. This would be an EPIC 8 to 10 episode series. The film seemed so rushed and missing important backstories.

[@sunnwukong1941]

@@ntchigginbotham they combined the first 2 books, maybe 1 1/2, together for the film. take the THERNS...they didn't appear until the 2nd book.

[@Serif77-uf5pr]

John Carter or the Princess of Mars was the most awesometacular of experiences.

[@kevinwheesysouthward9295]

I don’t get it. I like this movie. I watch it about once a year. There are plenty of worse movies that make tons of $.

[@morganthus6323]

A Princess OF Mars.

[@ModernMouse]

My apologies.

[@stratsurvivor]

John Carter of Barsoom. The incomparable Dejah Thoris. The source material, Edgar Rice Burroughs books, are great, for those who read sci Fi. There is no way to portray the images one gets by reading the books. Disney missed the point, Carter has nothing to live for on earth, his character developed through his growing devotion to Dejah Thoris and her native land--see Avatar, Pocahontas, Princess Leia--completely over shadowed by the block buster approach, Your analysis of Disney's pathetic release is spot on. It takes reading the books to understand the material. Wonderful sci Fi action awaits those who read. Long live Barsoom!

[@thighmaster5791]

Underrated comment right here. 😉

[@jeffcarlin5866]

I'm going to buy the Blu-ray!

[@tronam]

I liked John Carter, but I can't deny how poor the film's story is structured and how bland Taylor Kitsch was as a protagonist. An audience surrogate character doesn't have to be deep or complex, but unlike Jake (Avatar) or Luke (Star Wars) he was such a distant, insufferably selfish reluctant hero making him difficult to empathize with or relate to. Lynn Collins was fantastic, but she had zero chemistry with Kitsch and may as well have been acting against a cardboard cutout.

[@ModernMouse]

Taylor Kitsch is definitely one of those actors Hollywood tried to make but he just never fit.

[@margarethisbeloved4018]

Thank you for explaining

[@Bored_Barbarian]

I liked Mortal Engines, and Waterworld was “fine”. Just saw John Carter last night. I knew it was a flop but expected something horrible. It just seemed poorly marketed with so much focus on the arena. After watching, I went back and watched the official trailers. 0 reference to Tarzan or like “a story 100 years in the making” or ANYTHING like that. Sigh

[@King_ofNight]

I was very good movie 🍿🎥 I loved this.

[@ModernMouse]

It's a fun watch! Thanks for watching my video.

[@tarzan8575]

The difference between Waterworld, Mortal Engines, Morbeus and John Carter is that those first three movies are decently entertaining to watch. John Carter on the other hand is an absolutely abysmal film in every way. As an adaption it is horrendous. As a Science Fiction, fantasy film in the sword and planet vein it is equally terrible. I think it's important to understand that not all Edgar Rice Burroughs fans think this film is great. There are quite a lot of us who absolutely hate this movie. The director Andrew Stanton had a huge ego and thought he was the best thing since sliced bread and that he was making a masterpiece when in fact he made garbage. He talked about how much he loved the source material and proceeded to butcher said source material because he thought he could tell Burroughs's story better than Burroughs did. Honest;y it deserved to flop because of how awful it is. I am actually quite happy that it flopped and did not get a sequel. Because that would have probably been an even worse movie.

[@stevendelavega9957]

Your video is strange. You know about the abysmal marketing that doomed the movie, but you spend most of the video pretending the movie wasn't well received or ballooned over budget; false narratives that people who don't know better assume are true. Read "The Gods of Hollywood" by Michael D. Sellers. It does a great job getting into the many details of what really made this masterpiece flop.

[@wayando]

Maybe the content of the movie would have triggered uncomfortable discussions had the film been too successful. It has a very interesting story that can be translated into the real world, with very interesting implications.

[@kbritu]

"John Carter is the Morbius of 2012" That good?!

[@sunnwukong1941]

haven't seen MORBIUS but i can tell you JOHN CARTER is definitely worth watching. i bought a used copy for $5 and can honestly said best $5 investment i ever made.

[@kchishol1970]

I was disappointed Disney was doing it at all: that meant that the John Carter books' sexy action would be subdued completely. In truth, the closest adaptation in that spirit was the "Den" story in the 1981 animated film, Heavy Metal. That property is essentially John Carter originally produced with a 1970s sensibility.

[@ModernMouse]

There's definitely influence that came from the Burrough novels there. I totally understand why you wouldn't want Disney to create a film based on the John Carter stories, but I also think, especially in current times, you couldn't have a true-to-book adaptation and still make it a big blockbuster film. The sensuality within the books can't really exist on the screen and still be a billion dollar film IMO. No major studio would want to do it.

[@robertmcnamara129]

I really liked the movie and can't understand why it got so much hate.

[@thoughtfuldevil6069]

Good news: John Carter is officially coming back.

[@nv_spartan1771]

I've read all the books. Some more than once. Can't get through the movie. It isn't that good.

[@louisjamesreeves]

john carter is my favorite movie of disney

[@keremgo3d]

1:27 this is the hottest moment I've ever seen in entire history of cinema

[@Brellowcrop]

I liked Battleship and John Carter

[@anafox421]

I honestly think they just made the mistake of sending John back to earth just to have him return to mars in the last small portion of the movie . Really unattractive to build the audience up for such a huge triumph just to take it away and try to tie it all together with everything scene at the very beginning that we already forgot about lol It was disheartening and confusing . If they’d ended the movie after the wedding , it would have been wildly more successful

[@sunnwukong1941]

even though the story was changed quite a bit that WAS how the 1st book ended. if they had followed the original story in the books it would have made more sense.

[@elusiveDEVIANT]

I love this movie, much better than anything disney has released in 8yrs.

[@ModernMouse]

I'd say their live action releases have been off and on. There have been some fun films in recent years, but overall I prefer the animated films over live action.

[@elusiveDEVIANT]

@ModernMouse I'm not sure about that. The animated films are far superior. The only one I do like, despite not liking the actress, is Beauty and the Beast. After that, they kept rewriting the movies to be woman empowering films, but ultimately ruined the messages of each story. They made Mulan a chi powered super hero from birth, and ironically now the message is, better be born with it. The new little mermaid movie removes the whole reason why trigon sees humans as not evil, and the live action fish...horrifying. same with the lion king. Very freaky to watch. Old disney is great, but this agenda driven movie making is destroying disney. It greatly annoys me because of how they depict these women in films. Ray is another example. Just super-powered and can do everything. I liked Rippley and Laura Ctoft, Kim Possible, even totally spies was great.Id rather have more Angelina as Croft than see Ray in star wars.

[@Prettygirlcn5]

17:24 Soon what?? 😄

[@ModernMouse]

I have no idea what you are talking about. 😉