The last outing for Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones is an expensive endeavor for the Walt Disney Company. The summer blockbuster has been placed among the most expensive movies ever made, but its box office showing has fallen short. Lucasfilm is facing another disaster, with the film failing to do anything impressive in its opening weekend. Furthermore, it turns out the budget for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny might be much worse than originally reported. Fans are obviously baffled by the Indiana Jones budget, leaving many to once again question the future of Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Disney as a whole.
Indiana Jones’ Insane Budget
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is said to have cost around $295 million to make. However, Deadline reports that the budget might have been much higher than originally thought. The actual price of the film could be as high as $329 million! This would put the Indiana Jones budget around the price of Avengers: Infinity War. Fans are absolutely stunned by this revelation, as the Indiana Jones franchise isn’t filled with as many big-name actors, nor does it feature quite as much action or special effects. Several factors come into play when reaching this insane budget.
Deadline reports that a source claims Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny cost $329M to produce, plus $100M in marketing. Harrison Ford was paid $20M.
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Harrison Ford was paid a whopping $20 million to return to his iconic role. Direct James Mangold also received a large sum for his involvement, but these aren’t the only reasons the budget skyrocketed. Apparently, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of chaos during production. The film was halted several times over filming, leading to cycles of starts and stops that racked up costs. Marketing also played a major role in inflating the budget.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny finished the weekend out with $130.6 million globally on opening weekend. The film brought in $60.4 million domestically and $70.2 from international viewings. This is slightly higher than predicted but not nearly enough to make the project profitable. Indiana Jones 5 has a large mountain to climb to do anything worse than a total disaster for the Walt Disney Company. Many fans on social media have once again put the blame on Lucasfilm’s president, Kathleen Kennedy, saying her decisions have run the Disney subsidiary through the dirt for too long. Whether or not this final blunder will shake up leadership is unclear, but it can’t be a good look.
The Reality of the Situation
2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the previous installment featuring Harrison Ford’s iconic character. Although it received mixed reviews from fans, the film earned over $100 million during its opening weekend. Ultimately, it grossed $790 million—a milestone that Disney’s sequel is highly unlikely to achieve based on the figures from Friday.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny marks the first release of the franchise under Lucasfilm’s ownership by Disney. Unfortunately, Disney’s cherished classics and studios have struggled to generate significant profits in the past year, resulting in projected losses of up to $900 million. Recently, Pixar’s film Elemental faced a disappointing fate, and Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid also failed to become a breakout success. Some critics have seized upon these failures as evidence that the company’s financial troubles result from its “woke” social agenda.
The End of an Era
As confirmed by lead actor Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the concluding chapter of the beloved Indiana Jones film series. This time, the adventure unfolds in 1969, as Indiana Jones teams up with his goddaughter to thwart the nefarious plans of a former Nazi seeking to alter history. Notably, this film marks a departure from the creative involvement of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, as it is the first installment in the franchise not written by them.
The journey to bring this title to fruition has undergone several transformations before reaching its current state. Alongside Harrison Ford, esteemed actors such as John Rhys-Davies and Karen Allen will reprise their iconic roles. Additionally, fresh talent is introduced, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge taking on the character of Helena Shaw.
Although the film’s release falls on an extended holiday weekend, offering a chance for Disney to recoup some losses, it is highly unlikely to achieve significant box office success. With such a ridiculously large budget, Indiana Jones is just another sad story of the troubles the Walt Disney Company faces. However, it has a few more chances to turn it around this year, so don’t write it off yet.
