Who will be the "Tesla" of American animation?

[ElSquibbonator]

That title probably sounded confusing to you, so let me backtrack a little.

You might remember that General Motors tried to market an electric car in the early 1990s, the EV1. It was a neat little car, but for various reasons they decided not to go ahead with it. Its marketing failure kept the Big Three American car-makers (GMC, Ford, and Chrysler) from trying any more electric cars for almost 20 years. When the electric car revolution did come, it wasn't from one of those companies. It was from a startup company founded by Martin Eberhard (NOT Elon Musk), and its success caught the legacy companies completely off-guard. It wasn't until Tesla became a proven success that the old companies began making electric cars of their own again.

What does that have to do with animation? Well, a while back I asked how long it would be before an American adult animated movie that isn't a comedy makes over $100 million at the box office. While I still have no idea when it'll happen, I'm increasingly convinced that whoever does it won't be one of the big, well-established animation studios. In other words, it won't be Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Illumination, Paramount, or even Sony. It'll be someone we haven't heard of yet. The thing that makes me feel this way is the recent announcement that the finale of The Amazing Digital Circus is getting a theatrical release.

This is pretty much unprecedented. Most of the really popular cartoons nowadays, especially with adults, are found on streaming services and the internet, and they typically are not released in theaters. If this theatrical release is successful, it could lead to more indie streaming shows getting theatrical releases. Again, compare to the car industry. The first practical electric car to reach mass production was a private venture by a startup company that was willing to take a risk. Big companies like Ford, GMC, and Chrysler were too deeply entrenched in their old ways to be capable of such a thing.

But that just begs the question-- who will be the "Tesla" of American animation?

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I think Laika more or less had that spot if I'm being honest with you, though despite critical acclaim, some of their films do not do well at the box office and have been nominated for Best Animated Feature Oscar multiple times without a single win.

 

[ElSquibbonator]

Laika isn't consistently successful enough to really be what I'm talking about.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Laika isn't consistently successful enough to really be what I'm talking about.

I know but in that case, I don't think there is a Tesla equivalent in animation at all, hence I'm not sure that it's fair to compare any potential animation studio to the electric vehicle maker.

 

[The Overlord]

I am curious how much money the finale of the Amazing Digital Circus will make in theatres.

 

[Leviathan]

I am curious how much money the finale of the Amazing Digital Circus will make in theatres.

It's worth nothing that the two biggest movies in theaters right now, Obsession and Backrooms, are indie movies with YouTuber origins.

TADC's finale probably won't do THAT well, but it will do well enough for others to sit up take notice.

 

[Golden Geek]

I am curious how much money the finale of the Amazing Digital Circus will make in theatres.

It has no "walk-up" appeal, so not groundbreaking numbers. It'll do well for a niche limited release though.

 

[Scofisticated]

It doesnt have walk up appeal. And, gosh, I feel bad for whatever rando doesnt know what to watch, and chooses it on a lark.

But I would be interested how well it does among niche features like Ghibli reshowings, anime films, and such.

That said, I just checked my local showing for 7pm. It is sold out (of a prob smaller show room)