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Disney’s new and big-budget theme park adaptationHaunted Mansionmade its way into the theatres on 22 August 2025. But ever since its release, the film faced an unprecedented phenomenon working in its favor. And now, despite having great expectations, Justin Simien’s movie simply turned out to be the worst opening of this year for the production company.
Making $33.3M in the worldwide box office,Haunted Mansionbecame the biggest flop of the summer. The movie not only cost Disney hundreds of millions but also failed to compete with other films released at the same time. Losing over $102M at the box office, Justin Simien’s movie further turned out to be worse than MCU’s disaster,The Marvels.
Also read:“I don’t think that lasted”: Jamie Lee Curtis Abandoned Scary Attempt That Suffocated Her Inside a Real Crystal Ball For Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’
Disney Suffered Its Biggest Flop WithHaunted Mansion
2023 has certainly been a difficult year for Disney, as the production company repeatedly released high-profile films that eventually underperformed at the box office. So far, the company could only scoop up a fair share with its smash hitGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Thus, eventually, they came up with a highly anticipated theme park adaptation –Haunted Mansion.
Released in the summer of 2023, Justin Simien’s humorous horror movie immediately underperformed at the box office, right after its release. Facing fierce competition from the double hitter ofBarbieandOppenheimer,the film’s budget also faced a major hurdle from the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Forced to cancel promotional events, the film’s underwhelming start affected its popularity.
Eventually,Haunted Mansionearned mixed reviews only because of the fun ride experience and its improvement over its 2003 version from which it was actually adapted. Unfortunately, the movie only made about $33.3M globally at the box office on opening weekend. This contributed to the movie’s disappointing domestic total of $67M, with a worldwide total of $116M, as perMovieWeb.
Also read:Brie Larson Was Saving a Sinking Ship: The Marvels Plot Hole Makes Whole $274M Movie Pointless
Haunted Mansionis a Far Worse Disaster ThanThe Marvels
Disney’sHaunted Mansionwasrequired to make around $450M to break even and about $500M to be considered a success. However, the movie failed to hit its goal and lost millions of dollars at the box office, almost giving a warning sign to the production company about reevaluating its strategies. Justin Simien’s movie turned out to be such a massive failure that it didn’t even stand a chance against MCU’s latest disaster.
Projects under the banner of Marvel Cinematic Universe have been facing a traumatic fate since they last releasedAvengers: Endgamein 2019. Although MCU managed to earn its success withGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,which simultaneously helped Disney, the studio as been struggling with its other projects at the global box office.
MCU’s latest project featuringBrie Larsonhas been majorly struggling to make a steady collection at the box office. However,The Marvelsstill managed to make more thanHaunted Mansion, despite being the lowest-grossing MCU movie in history. Generating merely $197M at the global box office, Larson’s movie delivered an abysmal performance and yet managed to earn more than Disney’s disaster.
Read more:“It will always be a wonderful film”: Brie Larson Fans Remain in Denial Hell after Latest Excuse Why The Marvels Bombed
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3217
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
