‘Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken’ Breaks Records – Lowest Earning DreamWorks Movie Ever
DreamWorks Animation holds a reputation for producing iconic hits like Kung Fu Panda the Shrek series, Puss in Boots, and Madagascar, which never miss an opportunity to captivate audiences of all ages. However, amid a history of success, the recent release of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken fell into the flop pit this year. More than that, it ended up being the lowest-grossing movie in DreamWorks Animation’s history.
DreamWorks’ Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken earns disappointing box office
Released on June 30, the movie was fated to gross a mere $30,000 domestically with a worldwide collection of $40.8 million, scoring a miserable rate of $1.56 million against the $70 million budget dollar. Having a propensity for creating timeless hits, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken turned out to be the worst work from DreamWorks Animation. After all, this is the studio responsible for releases like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and The Croods. Unless it ends up doing enormous business on VOD, Universal Pictures is likely to suffer a hit on this one. That seems unlikely. Given the legendary status of DreamWorks as a producer of hits, the outcome is disappointing.
‘RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN’ ends its theatrical run with $42.2M globally.
It’s the lowest box office EVER for Dreamworks. pic.twitter.com/BhZHAgikIW
— The Hollywood Handle (@hollywoodhandle) August 18, 2023
The movie is about the titular character, Ruby Gillman, a shy teenage kraken who feels desperate to fit in at Oceanside High. She discovers that she is a direct descendant of the battle-hardened Krakens, who have protected the land and sea from the evil mermaids for centuries. She then faces off against these evil mermaids, continuing a war that has gone on for generations. The movie has an impressive voice cast including Collette, Jane Fonda, Will Forte, and Lana Condor
Ineffective marketing led to Ruby Gillman’s downfall
The major reason for Ruby Gillman’s downfall is primarily viewed as a poor marketing strategy. In contrast, theaters were packed for competing films like Barbie and Oppenheimer, and no one knew about the movie’s release. As a result, the movie failed to make a mark due to its ineffective promotional planning. Also, due to the lack of marketing, the little promotion spoiled the movie’s whole content. The trailer for the movie revealed all such details from beginning to end, reducing the desire to watch it.
Most of DreamWorks Animation’s biggest successes are based on existing franchises like Shrek, Croods, and Madagascar, which we all know and love. For instance, the studio has a history of hitting $554.9 for the adventure comedy, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which came out as the final movie out of three successful installments. As for Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was an original film that could have been successful, but it is much less likely to become a hit than a movie sequel or reboot.
Another major drawback of the movie was its animation, which was less appealing compared to other DreamWorks movies, having attractive and detailed animation. In the case of Ruby Gillman, it ended up looking cheap and visually unpleasing. The characters have a rubbery appearance, and they have a simple emoji-style look, which is less attractive to the audience, especially young ones.
Therefore, learning from this massive downfall, DreamWorks can regain its reputation for producing captivating and visually appealing movies that resonate with both young and older audiences alike.
Source: X
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