The director behind the highly divisive 2012 movie John Carter has spoken out about the movie, suggesting that the premise might work as a streaming series.
During a Reddit AMA, one fan asked Andrew Stanton whether he could share some insight as to why his movie John Carter had problems at the box office, adding that it is “heartbreaking” that it never got a sequel. Stanton replied, “God bless you all for the John Carter love! I loved every second of making that movie. I would not change anything about it. I do think it would be a good franchise for a streaming series.”
Based on the 1912 novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter follows a Civil War veteran who wakes up on Mars and suddenly becomes embroiled in an ongoing conflict between the planet’s inhabitants. The movie stars Taylor Kitsch as the titular character, alongside Willem Dafoe and Lynn Collins.
However, when John Carter hit screens, it was met with mixed reviews and still stands at a less than impressive 52% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Worse yet, the movie quickly became known as one of the biggest box office bombs in film history. During its whole theatrical release, John Carter grossed $284.1 million worldwide compared to an estimated budget of over $350 million, causing a great financial loss for Disney.
Many blame Disney’s lack of marketing for the movie’s poor reception. However, the movie had stiff competition at the time, with Mirror Mirror, The Woman in Black, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, and Wrath of the Titans all releasing within the same month. However, according to reviews, John Carter suffers from uneven pacing and an incomprehensible plotline, despite being praised for its visuals.
There are some fans of the fantasy, though, as other Reddit users continue to show love for the movie. “The reaction to John Carter was brutal. I like the film,” and another added, “I thought it was so imaginative, it has wonderful visuals, excellent acting, beautiful set pieces. Just an awesome space journey.”
John Carter is available to stream on Disney Plus now. For more, check out our guide to the best Disney movies, and keep up with upcoming movies on the way.
