Disney Heading for Disaster, New Indiana Jones Movie Opens to Empty Theaters

After what seemed like an eternity of marketing and previews from The Walt Disney Company, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has finally released in theaters. The film has received mixed reviews from critics. Diehard fans were excited to see the famed explorer for his last outing, but many opinions say that the film didn’t justify its existence. Disney has been clamoring for a box office hit this year, but early previews hint that they might just be heading for another box office disaster as Indiana Jones opens to empty theaters.

 Indiana Jones Fever

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the fifth movie in the series. It is also notably the last one, according to its star, Harrison Ford. Set in 1969, the film’s plot revolves around Indiana Jones teaming up with his goddaughter to stop a former Nazi from changing the past. Interestingly, it is the first movie in the franchise not written by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and the first one released under a Disney-owned Lucasfilm.

The title has been in development for a while now and exchanged hands several times before finally getting underway. Many other famous actors are reprising their roles, including John Rhy-Davies and Karen Allen. Several newcomers are also involved, most notably Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw.

Disney has a lot riding on this movie and hopes to see box office success because of Harrison Ford’s star power and franchise loyalty. However, analysts have been skeptical about whether or not it can fulfill this bet. With a $295 million budget, some experts anticipate Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny failing to churn out a profit. Disney has suffered almost $900 million in box office losses in the past year alone, including a recent disaster in Pixar’s latest movie release, Elemental. Many of the company’s critics expect another failure, and plenty even hope for it.

Indiana Jones and the Empty Theaters

Some fans heading to the movie theater for opening day noticed something peculiar with the crowd – mainly that there wasn’t one. Social media is full of moviegoers expressing disappointment and confusion over it. One patron purchased tickets expecting a full venue only to have abundant seat choices.

I really don't like to post stuff that feeds into already negative talk but I can't help share my sadness. Looking towards #IndianaJones I prepared to expect a fairly busy opening weekend. To my shock I found EMPTY screens everywhere. A TripleA title that should do so well 1/3 pic.twitter.com/h6AC7gZU7M

— Mark Button Design (@MarkBDesign) June 18, 2023

Another sarcastically commented on the IMAX screening they were attending being disturbingly empty. Whether or not it filled up before showtime is unknown, but the image didn’t paint a good picture of what to expect from the film’s audience numbers.

Survived the stampede, and got into the first local IMAX screening of #IndianaJones pic.twitter.com/197TQP8RlW

— Andre (@AndreEinherjar) June 28, 2023

Many of these photos are popping up on social media, specifically Twitter and Facebook. Most of these posters are bewildered that the franchise didn’t draw large crowds on opening day.

Seeing Indiana Jones in an otherwise completely empty theater. pic.twitter.com/OFEUXEJxiB

— Open Source Stupidity (OSSTU) Starfish (@IRHotTakes) June 30, 2023

It is important to note that Thursday night screenings are not always the most profitable part of opening weekends. More people will likely be heading to cinemas on Friday and Saturday, which is when there will be a better understanding of how Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will fare at the box office. Among the many empty theater social media posts were plenty of fans eager to see the film, some even sporting Indiana Jones’ signature look. This fanbase is passionate, but can they work a miracle for Disney?