One of the saddest stories from over the weekend was the disastrous box office for Robert Zemeckis' Mars Needs Moms, the final motion-capture film from ImageMovers Digital. The studio was responsible for such animated features as The Polar Express, Monster House, and A Christmas Carol. Disney shut down the studio when it became clear the very expensive films just couldn't turn a profit. As if to prove the point, Mars Needs Moms opened with a $6.9M against a budget over $150M. That's a serious turd in the punchbowl. Now THR is reporting there's been some unintended fallout, as Zemeckis' animated remake of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine has been dropped by Disney as well.
To be fair, Deadline notes a source who says the film was dead months ago amidst serious budget concerns. The point is that Zemeckis is free to take the pic elsewhere.
Despite the budget issues, I think there's a good chance Yellow Submarine will emerge elsewhere. Based on the classic(and still extremely lucrative) sound of The Beatles, the plan was to use 16 of the band's hits, which Apple Corp granted him. The "Fab Four" would be portrayed by Cary Elwes, Dean Lennox Kelly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Adam Campbell.
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