Geeks + Gamers › Forums › Entertainment › Star Wars › Proof that Disney Star Wars profit claims are a lie
This news has been going around for a few days now and it is annoying the hell out of me because the second I read/heard it I knew it was a lie for one simple reason. They are not mentioning the budget of all the movies and tv shows which also goes against that claimed profit.
Here is an article for reference in the Disney claims that they made an 8 billion profit off Star Wars so far. It is a LIE!
https://www.cbr.com/disneys-huge-star-wars-profits-revealed/
Lucasfilm was purchased for $4.05 billion. Disney actually says it was a 12 million profit, but the $4.05 billion cost to purchase Lucasfilm is removed to make it 8 billion profit. So, let’s use that that logic shall we? They are failing to mention the budget of each movie and tv show, and how much that is combined to be removed from that profit margin.
So, here are the (sometimes estimated) budget costs of each tv show and movie so far:
Movies
The Force Awakens – $447 million budget
The Last Jedi – $300 million budget
The Rise of Palpatine – $416 million budget
Rogue One – $232 million budget
Solo: A Unwanted Star Wars Story – $271 million
TV Shows
Obi Wan – $90 million budget
Ahsoka – $100 million budget
The Book of Boba Fett – $105 million budget
Andor – $250 million budget
The Clone Wars Seasons 7 – Unknown
Tales of the Jedi – Unknown
Star Wars Visions Season 1 and 2 – Unknown
The Mandalorian – $360 million budget (all 3 seasons combined)
(Upcoming shows that are already filmed and nearly done so count towards this)
The Acolyte – $170 million budget
Skeleton Crew – $136 million budget
Andor Season Two – Unknown
But wait, there is more. One thing people forget is that Indiana Jones is ALSO Lucasfilm. And we had Dial of Destiny didn’t we?
Indian Jones and the Dial of Destiny – $295 million budget
Ohh, but there is one more. Willow. Yes, the Willow tv series that you can’t even watch anymore. That is also a Lucasfilm production.
Willow tv show – $105.9 budget.
Add all this up and you have 3.4 billion estimated budget costs across all productions. We don’t know the budget of four of these and there is also other fee’s and advertisement, etc. So, I am going to be very generous and say 3.4 billion in budget for everything. That means the claimed 8 billion in profit goes down to 4.6 billion in profit. And, again, that is being generous. It’s realistically probably closer to 4. Disney spent 4.05 billion to buy Lucasfilm and has only made less than 4.6 billion in profit from it after all budgets and everything said and done.
Disney is lying. As are all the articles and news about it.
End of Line.
And the money spent on the Star Worst theme parks and the failure that was the galactic starcruiser.
Scrapping the infamous Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel cost Disney $250 million…
Or was that being classified as a “Park” expense and NOT a Star Wars expense?
And just like how it was “only” star wars related items (and not LucasFilms) don’t forget Willow TV series, and how many Lucasfilm announcements were made, money spent on, etc.
How much of the expenses were listed under Lucasfilm/Disney and not directly to Star Wars.
Brainstorming, hiring writers and directors and firing writers and directors (after paying them) were Lucasfilm expenses and not “Star Wars”?
Lies by omission.
@ Legatus_Legionis : I did mention Willow TV , and also Indian a Jones Dial of Destiny.
And what definition did they use for “profit”?
Amount earned (ie global box office totals, without reporting the percentage/cut the theaters keep)?
Or in this case, only the producers profited from Star Wars. Not those whom purchased license agreement and saw their return on investment not worth it. (ie unsold-worthless disney-era star wars products).
If revenues greater than expenses equals profits.
If expenses greater than revenues equals loss.
Under what category/entity does marketing fall under?
That cost is not included in the “budget”.
If Disney’s Star Wars claims to have made a 12 billion USD profits, then did Lucasfilm had to eat the “marketing” under there expenses.
So if:
3.4 billion estimated budget costs across all productions
The distributing and marketing cost would be on average an additional 50% of the films’ budget (1.7 billion marketing estimate on 3.4 billion worth of budget).
And we know places like china takes more (I heard the ccp can easily take upwards of 75% of ticket sales).
This “selective reporting” I don’t trust at all.
Rick James
My Thoughts on Four Spectacular Star Wars Fan Films
The Dave Cullen Show