More than 40 years ago, Harrison Ford first donned a now iconic fedora and introduced viewers to archaeologist Henry “Indiana” Jones. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark also starred Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Alfred Molina as Satipo, Paul Freeman as Dr. Belloq, Jonathan Rhys-Davies as Sallah, and Ronald Lacey as Major Arnold Troht. The film was an immediate hit and spawned two equally successful films — Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. A fourth film — Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — was released in 2008, but was not as successful as its predecessors.
Eight years after the release of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Disney announced that Ford would be taking one final journey as Dr. Jones in a new Indiana Jones movie. Then, at the D23 Expo, Disney revealed the first trailer and the title for the final film — Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. In addition to Ford, the film saw the return of John Rhys-Davies return as Sallah and Karen Allen come back as Marion. Dial of Destiny also starred Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena, Indy’s goddaughter.
Sadly, as much as fans have loved Indy in the past, they were simply not interested in heading to the theater to see Ford play him one last time. Dial of Destiny had an absolutely terrible opening weekend, that included the long weekend and the 4th of July. In its first three days, the film made just over $42 million at the box office. At the end of the July 4th holiday, the film had grossed under $90 million domestically. The 4th of July has always been hit or miss for studios, and for Disney, it was a miss.
According to Deadline Hollywood, Dial of Destiny was expected to cost about $295 million to make, but the cost could have been as high as $329 million. Ford was paid an estimated $20 million to return as Indy. With its opening holiday weekend struggles, it is going to be very difficult for Disney to make the film profitable. Much of the blame has been placed on Lucasfilm President, Kathleen Kennedy, who has struggled to win the favor of fans with the new Star Wars films, and now, Dial of Destiny.
What Do Fans Think Of Indy’s Final Adventure?
Even though Dial of Destiny did not see high box office numbers, fans enjoyed seeing Ford play Jones one last time. Deadpool creator Robert Liefeld said that everyone he knows who saw it absolutely loved it.
At a barbecue yesterday and all my normal “citizen” friends were talking up Indiana Jones 5. Everyone loved it. Folks can’t understand the backlash. SEE IT FOR YOURSELF! It’s a fun romp! Go Indy!
At a barbecue yesterday and all my normal “citizen” friends were talking up Indiana Jones 5. Everyone loved it. Folks can’t understand the backlash. SEE IT FOR YOURSELF! It’s a fun romp! Go Indy! pic.twitter.com/oaZvZIRsgM
— robliefeld (@robertliefeld) July 5, 2023
Twitter user The Sting (@TSting18) said that they smiled all the way through the film.
While we’re all weighing in on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, here’s my review:
I smiled all the way through it. I didn’t ask for any more than that, I didn’t want any more than that. And I won’t lie, I shed a little tear at the end.
#IndianaJones
https://twitter.com/TSting18/status/1676273815154827279
David Weiner (@TikiAmbassador) said that, while some called the film “depressing”, he thought it was “poignant”.
Someone tweeted that the new #IndianaJones is “depressing.” As someone who’s aged along w/Indy over the last 4 decades, I found #DialOfDestiny to be an especially poignant entry. It allows us to go on one final adventure with a very human, aging Indy while still having a blast.?
Someone tweeted that the new #IndianaJones is “depressing.” As someone who’s aged along w/Indy over the last 4 decades, I found #DialOfDestiny to be an especially poignant entry. It allows us to go on one final adventure with a very human, aging Indy while still having a blast.🔥 pic.twitter.com/OVPSoowqfI
— David Weiner 📼🔪🎃🛸 (@TikiAmbassador) July 1, 2023
Disney’s Recent Box Office Struggles
When Bob Iger returned as CEO of Disney, he quickly announced that he would be giving creative film power back to the film creatives. They would take the glory for Disney’s success, but also be held responsible for its failures. Unfortunately, Disney has seen more failures than it would like to in recent months. Disney-owned Pixar has released several films in the past year, and every one that has gone to theaters has been a flop.
Lightyear, Strange World, and Elemental all failed to entice people to go to the theater. Lightyear failed so horribly that most of the executives who worked on it were a part of the massive Disney layoffs. Elemental, on the other hand, has received glowing reviews. But the positive reviews are still not enough to get people to spend money on tickets. They would rather wait for it to become available to stream on Disney+.
However, everything isn’t looking completely dark on the theatrical front. The Little Mermaid hit theaters over Memorial Day weekend and blew audiences away. To date, the film has made nearly $500 million at the box office. There is also a lot of positive talk around Disney’s new animated movie Wish, which is slated to be released this November. Disney is also hoping to see success with its newest live-action film, The Haunted Mansion, which will premiere in theaters on July 28.
