Robert Zemeckis’ remake of The Beatles 1968 Yellow Submarine movie was scuttled by Disney today in response to the Zemeckis-produced Mars Needs Moms bombing in its box office debut.
Mars Needs Moms was the latest in a string of films utilizing Zemeckis’ motion-capture technology following The Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol. A sub-par theatrical performance of A Christmas Carol led to Disney shutting down Zemeckis’ ImageMovers studio early last summer but Mars Needs Moms production continued at Disney.
It was the horrifically low $6.9 million opening weekend for Mars Needs Moms that ultimately did Yellow Submarine in. Mars Needs Moms was estimated to have a combined production and marketing budget north of $200 million. Now it will be lucky to crack $25 million at the domestic box office, not exactly a ringing endorsement for Yellow Submarine which would utilize the same often-called “creepy” animation style Zemeckis has molded into his signature creative stroke.
Dean Lennox Kelly, Cary Elwes, Peter Serafinowicz and Adam Campbell had been tapped to play The Beatles in the Yellow Submarine remake. Zemeckis was expected to pitch a rescheduled presentation to Disney from December in the coming weeks that would have either green lit or halted the project.
Zemeckis will now have to take a step back and determine whether he wants to shop his Yellow Submarine remake presentation at another studio or toss it in the trash. Fans of Zemeckis’ earlier works – myself included – are hoping he returns to a live-action arena and leaves the “creepy” animation behind.
Source: THR
