This is something that just came to me just last night......well, myself and a few other relatives while discussing the new trailer for "Dawn Treader". Now, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", made tons of money, the first time around back in winter of 2005, and in fact, beat Harry Potter's Goblet of Fire, in the US box office by less than 2 million dollars, in which Narnia, came on top with $291.7 million to Potter's $290, though in the total world box office, Harry Potter, overshadowed the first installment of The Chronicles of Narnia. So Disney made it big that year. So......fast forward to May 2008, the sequel, Prince Caspian was dropped and hung out to dry in a box office battle between 3 Hollywood Blockbusters in Iron Man, Indiana Jones, and Sex and the City. Now, Prince Caspian, had a much darker theme, than the original movie, but it was flung out there to get summarily slaughtered by the big boys. That summer year, Iron Man was a surprise hit, Indiana Jones had been anticipated for 18 years, and Sex and the City.....well, the women flocked to see that movie like wildfire in the savanna. So where was Prince Caspian? stuck in limbo, and Aslan's huge roar nothing more than a meow in comparison to not only the first one, but against the big boys. Disney, fucked up, BIG TIME!!!! Prince Caspian, ended up with a world total of $419.6 million dollar out of a $225 million dollar budget, not including what was spent on the little promo it got.
Later that same year, right on December 24, 2008.....the bombshell, the Narnia series was dropped and thrown out like a red-headed, mulberry stained, diseased, step-child. Disney....discarded them. But it wouldn't be til, early February, in which 20th Century Fox, picked up the series from extinction. And now have invested on a yet unannounced amount of money to save it. Because they figure that, they themselves, can make a good profit on it, on a much smaller budget-definitely lower than the $225 million spent of Prince Caspian. Hopefully, this year, will be the year that Narnia fans will rejoice, and hopefully, "The Dawn Treader" will save the series from becoming the last sailing that the series has.
Now, let's move on ahead to the present, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is set to sail on December 10, 2010, and besides Harry Potter's penultimate flick, Deathly Hallows pt.1......guess who wants some of the box office action??? That's right, Disney, with a sequel to its cult classic: TRON, set for December 17, 2010. Now isn't that special??? Disney, trying to muck things up for the Narnia Chronicles again. Disney's spearheading the charge with their Winter Juggernaut in Tron: Legacy. If Fox plays their cards right, they can, overcome this threat, so the series can continue. I think many people are getting pretty much fed up with remakes, and re-do's of classic hits, and cheapening the real movie experience that all people deserve. Not some cheap Hollywood ploy to make a quick buck. In fact, the Narnia series are a breath of fresh air, to this remake style that Hollywood has adopted. The originality is gone, the magic is gone....but this series, both magic and originality can live. If and when this series makes a comeback......maybe Narnia can give a big slap to the face of Disney executive screwballs, and a big "I told you so". So in all, it's only the fans, the true fans, that can keep this from being the last time Narnia, gives us a few hours of fun, fantasy, and imagination.
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