Disney's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Multiplex Doom

Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) needed a box office hit to get back on track over the weekend. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny failed to woo summer audiences back to the movie theater. The fifth installment of the iconic franchise starring Harrison Ford as the trouble-digging archaeologist generated just $60 million in domestic ticket sales in its debut weekend. It collected another $70 million internationally. 

With an estimated $250 million to $300 million production budget, it's now possible that the film will fail to turn a profit. It's bad news for Disney, of course. It's also unwelcome news for multiplex operators as well as competing movie studios. Let's do what Dr. Jones would do in a situation like this: dig a little deeper to find answers. 

Disney was having a good run in recent months. From November of last year to the end of May it had five of the six highest-grossing domestic theatrical releases. Its winning streak ran out in June with Pixar's Elemental slumping at the box office and the new Indiana Jones film failing to fill seats.

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Source Fool.com