Strange World Star Breaks Silence on Film Bombing at Box Office

Disney’s latest movie, Strange World, is now in theaters, but the film hasn’t exactly performed to expectation at the box office. The animated film brought in a mere $18.6 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend, falling far short of the projected $30 million. Now, Gabrielle Union is weighing in on why she thinks the film bombed at the box office. Speaking with Variety at the Gotham Awards on Monday, Union — who voices Meridian Clade in the film — chalked the issue up to people being comfortable at home.

“I don’t know, I think people get comfortable watching things at home,” Union said. Strange World is currently exclusively in theaters.

In addition to underperforming at the box office, Strange World also isn’t doing particularly well in terms of audience reception, either. The film is presently sitting at a 74 percent critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a 64 percent audience score. The film also has a CinemaScore of B from opening day audiences, the first film from Disney Animation to not earn an A or A- by that metric since 1991.

What is Strange World About?

Disney describes the film as follows: “Walt Disney Animation Studios’ original action-packed adventure “Strange World” introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob, a three-legged dog, and a slew of ravenous creatures. The voice cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission; Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger; Jaboukie Young-White as Searcher’s 16-year-old son, Ethan, who longs for adventure; Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things; and Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world. Helmed by Don Hall (Oscar®-winning “Big Hero 6,” “Raya and the Last Dragon“) and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writer “Raya and the Last Dragon“) and produced by Roy Conli (Oscar®-winning “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled“), “Strange World” releases November 23, 2022.”

Strange World’s voice cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, described as a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission; Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger; Jaboukie Young-White as Searcher’s 16-year-old son, Ethan, who longs for adventure; Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things; and Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world. 

Strange World is in theaters now.