Pixar has a reputation for churning out quality films, but its latest, Onward, didn't light up the box office in its opening weekend. Meanwhile, Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog blew the competition out of the water and continues to make bank across the glove.
But why is there such a disparity in how these films two were received? Let's breakdown some key differences between these two seemingly comparable films and how they came together to hurt Onward and lift Sonic.
Marketing is key to the success of a movie. Plenty of great films have been ignored because studios didn't spend enough on marketing or target the right people. Even for a project from an esteemed company like Pixar, some marketing needs to be done. Onward seemed to be really lacking in this department, only releasing a couple of trailers and lacking a social media presence. A marketing campaign isn't only about getting people interested in a movie, but also keeping the project on people's minds.
Even when people saw the marketing for Onward, there was a possibly even bigger issue holding the film back: the trailer basically gave the entire film's plot away. Marketing is supposed to give audiences a general idea of what the film is about, setting the tone they can expect from the movie while also building some interest in what happens past what is shown. Onward's trailers layout exactly what happens from start to finish, minus the ending. And that's not to mention the fact that the trailers targeted a younger audience exclusively. The best Pixar films have something for everyone, and Onward seemed to be lacking that.
SONIC SUCCESS
Sonic the Hedgehog admittedly had a very rough start. The design of the titular character was met with such backlash that the movie became a meme months before its release. However, instead of pushing forward and rolling the dice in the hopes some people wouldn't care about the jokes, Paramount completely redesigned Sonic. While a gamble, the decision to give into fan outcry paid off and built a huge amount of goodwill with would-be movie-goers.
Once the movie was released, it proved to audiences that it was able to take a cartoony and outlandish world and make it just realistic enough to work in live-action. Add Jim Carrey's larger than life performance and Sonic had more than enough working for it to become a worldwide success. Onward, on the other hand, didn't do enough to set itself apart in an oversaturated market.
Written and directed by Dan Scanlon, Pixar's Onward stars Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer. The film is now in theaters.