Does it say something about your movie when more people are talking about a complete digital creation than the film’s real life stars? Well Woola is getting some of the best comments from John Carter. Disney Marketing is finally getting on the Woola love train and has released this fun infographic:
Click for larger Woola
That said, I hope everyone goes out and watches John Carter this weekend. Let’s see if word of mouth can sustain the movie’s momentum.
i really want a plush Woola but cant find one anywhere, sad times
i am waiting for it too!
gotta have a WOOLA!
Give it another month…Let’s face it, John Carter the movie isn’t going to break any box office records (though I’d argue that it is good enough to do so) but the merchandising? Disney really knows how to merchandise.
Woola was one of my favorite characters from both the book “A Princess of Mars” and in the movie “John Carter”. I was glad to see that the movie captured the spirit of the faithful Calot as well as they did. “John Carter” is a good movie and I’m sad that Disney did not offer it the marketing push that it deserved. Frankly, I’d love to see Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars made so we have a nice movie trilogy!
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I cannot believe how bad Rich Ross and Disney dropped the ball on this. The movie is really good. But the marketing.. oh mann was it bad. I’m really hoping word of mouth helps keep the movie in the top 10 for a while.. but with The Hunger Games and more right around the corner.. I’m not really sure it can hold out.
Yes Woola is really great. The Tharks were my favourite though.
The wife and I both went to the matinee showing last week at a local theater. We loved the show, the characters, the critters, and everything about the movie. We did the 3D version which made it so realistic.
Anyway, I was born in 1946 and read all the Edgar Rice Boroughs’ Mars stories. They captured my imagination and I read them all many times. So, I was looking forward to the movie which was quite spectacular. The critics have not been too kind with the reviews, but I think the critics are all young whippersnappers who never read the original books and are looking for too much to read into the stories. This is pure fantasy. It is to be enjoyed by just taking in the beauty that modern day technology can bring to a story like this. It is a sword and sorcery kind of story to take your imagination soaring. So, go see it and just enjoy it for action and adventure and don’t listen to those crazy critics. They are obviously not REAL fans of John carter and his adventures on Mars. I can’t wait for all the other Mars stories to appear on the big screen. We will see them all.
I have to agree w/ so many others about the marketing. Embarassingly horrendous. The primary poster alone is less than interesting.
When you have a “bland” title that is just a name (like John Carter) then use a bland font and your bland poster is of a guy WALKING in front of a huge red orb, it screams one thing to movie-goers…BLAND!!!
And this movie is anything but. The writing, special f/x and acting are top notch! It’s interesting, exciting and compelling. Most people who SEE the movie absolutely love it, but getting them to see it is the trick. Money’s tight for everyone and with Hunger Games and everything else coming out, a little more effort to make John Carter seem more appealing might have been a good idea. And they wouldn’t be losing so much money if they could get people’s butts in the theaters.
Disney’s marketing department is 100% to blame for this films failure at the box office.
Sci-fi & fantasy are really big in what multi-million-dollar medium? VIDEO GAMES! Why in the worlds would you not go after video game fans?! The movie is cool. Package it as COOL! Give it a kick-butt, embossed, 3D video game-style logo — at least something more like Conan or Underworld! It’s a “property”…treat it like one!!
I’ll stop ranting or I’m gonna’ pop a blood vessel.
Please God, let them use their freakin’ brains when they put the DVD together. Offer the same thing w/ the same stupidity and you’ll get the same results.
The movie was actually quite good, a little slow in parts but have seen way worse. Poor, poor marketing on Disney’s part. Horrible name! Why not keep it the title from the book? No merchandise? I think they had it failing before it even made it to the big screen. Woola was so cute and would love to have a plush of it! Bad job Disney! Hope you’re reading this.
Just saw the movie today. I have not focused on the marketing much, but just looked at fan reviews. I rate this movie higher than Avatar and the level of enjoyment I had today was comparable with watching the Star Wars movie as a twelve years old boy. Imagine! Absolutely, one of the very best movies I have seen in the theater in many years. A pity that Disney lost money on it, but at least myself had a great time. A big thank you to all that made this movie happen. Unfortunately, because of the marketing disaster, we cannot expect a sequel to be produced. And maybe we will not even able to buy a plush version of Woola…..!!!!!!
i want to buy the muppet !!!!!
My husband and I saw the movie 4 TIMES at the theater. I got the 5 original books AFTER seeing it and reading the absolutely idiotic comments I saw on a couple sites about the movie that showed that the people posting didn’t understand the simple concepts that were portrayed in the movie BEAUTIFULLY, but at least their ignorance led me to the books which I have enjoyed immensely because of the movie. I agree with the others who have pointed out the poor marketing, but I dare to hope that the recent positive comments and sales will get Disney to react properly by making a sequel and letting Mr. Stanton continue to create such amazing films with his passion and inspired talent as a true storyteller. I pre-ordered the DVD and have watched it 5 MORE TIMES in the past two weeks since getting it. My point? JOHN CARTER DESERVES MORE! There SHOULD be a Woola Plushie or Pillow because I WANT ONE AND I’M ALMOST 40 YEARS OLD! There should be character figurines based on the people who were in the movie (Taylor and Lynn especially)! There should be a sequel and the marketing should be not only to pre-teens through young adults or sci-fi/fantasy fans but also ANIME fans and WOMEN! The romance really could be even more consuming in the next one when Carter and Thoris are reunited and I find it hard to believe that any red-blooded woman (or blue-blooded one for that matter) would not like that aspect. I DID AND I WANT MORE OF JOHN & DEJA! Seeing Carthoris coming to life and Kantos Kan helping Carter again like in the books would be VERY appealing too. Andrew Stanton did an amazing feat with this storyline in how he and the other writers took the characters of the books and rearranged them in a masterful way that kept the spirit of the books but made it current with themes that this world needs now more than ever. It breaks my heart to see the possibilities ignored simply because some people are too blind to see the White Apes attacking when they need to be able to sling pieces of intelligent rock at them to save two friends who may be green and ugly but are beautiful! PLEASE, for the sake of Woola, do something more and don’t give up on this amazing ground-breaking literature that has finally been brought to present day filmography that only Stanton can bring to life completely. “Leave a Thark his head and one hand and he may yet conquer.”… do Disney executives have as much intelligence as Tars Tarkas? I truly am hoping so and will keep clenching my imagined medallion as I whisper, “Och ohem, och tay, wyees, Barsoom…”
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