So much for that report the other day that predicted John Carter losses might be fewer than expected. Disney informed investors today about some sour news concerning the sci-fi blockbuster. The film will likely lose $200 million for the company when it is all said and done inferring that production and marketing costs may have been slightly under estimated in previous reports. This is bleak news for the prospects of a sequel for the Andrew Stanton-directed film as it now appears to be a financial impossibility.
The major figure that we know of that lead to the loss was that hefty $250 million price tag given to the actual feature. Disney is hell bent on establishing new hit franchises, so do not expect this write-down to detour the studio from any further big budget attempts at the genre. To them it is merely a cost of doing business and movies like The Avengers are expected to help pay for such future endeavours.
In terms of stock impact, the announcement was negligible as the street already factored in the flop. Disney is diverse enough to not see the ticker move significantly when these scenarios present themselves.