FX.co ★ Johnny brings no cash - Disney's hopes dashed

Walt Disney, one of the most valuable companies in terms of capitalization, is going to count losses. According to the experts' preliminary estimations, the movie, which was supposed to hit the jackpot, failed at the box office. The adventurous western directed by the Pirates of the Caribbean creator Gore Verbinski gained only $29 million for the first weekend, and the further returns were only falling. Until this time, everybody had considered that this American corporation managed to uncover the secret of the successful blockbuster. Everything was taken into account: extremely popular and almost legendary director, distinguishing operators' work, large-scale revolutionary special effects, and, of course, the main ingredient the world's cinematography cannot live without – Johnny Depp. Such a recipe was used by the Hollywood studios many times, but this time it did not work it magic. There is no doubt that it is rather tough to pull the strings alone, even if the lone one is Johnny Depp. In comparison with the Pirates of the Caribbean, where he was accompanied by the shining cast, The Lone Ranger' stars were rather faint. As Walt Disney CFO Jay Rasulo said, the negative return of the western will be recorded in September. Meanwhile, Disney shares have already dropped by 1.9%.