Fresh off a barrage of negative reviews, Haunted Mansion (2023) has officially flopped at the box office – adding to a string of financial cinematic disappointments for the Walt Disney Company.
Inspired by the Disneyland (and Walt Disney World) attraction of the same name, Haunted Mansion follows a family as they attempt to ward off ghosts from their newly-purchased mansion in New Orleans. The film stars Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Lakeith Stanfield, Danny DeVito, Owen Wilson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more in a cinematic adventure that brings everyone’s favorite 999 happy haunts to the big screen.

Related: Disney Seemingly Punishes ‘Haunted Mansion’ Director After “Nightmare” Production
Of course, this isn’t the first time Disney’s attempted to draw a franchise out of one of its most popular attractions. Back in 2003, Disney released its first adaptation of the ride – this time starring Eddie Murphy. While panned by critics, the film fared pretty well at the box office, making $182.3 million on a $90 million budget.
However, this second attempt at a Haunted Mansion movie has very much flopped in both regards. Despite director Justin Simien spotlighting all the staples of the Haunted Mansion ride – including Madame Leota and the Hatbox Ghost – his retelling of the story has failed to strike a chord with critics and audiences alike. Not only does Haunted Mansion have 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has so far made just $35.6 million on a $150 million budget. Yikes.

With such a passionate fanbase for the ride, why did Haunted Mansion flop? A huge reason is likely its poor reviews. Another factor may be that Disney – for some reason – chose to release what is very much a Halloween film in late July, a solid two months before the spooky season. However, some feel like it also signals that Disney needs to stop trying to make films out of its attraction IP.
While Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) may have become a runaway success and generated a multi-billion dollar franchise, it’s clear that not every Disney Park ride is cut out to achieve the same. Haunted Mansion hasn’t just proved this once now, but twice. It’s the latest in a string of attempts to make a Disney movie based on a Disney ride, with The Country Bears (2002), Tomorrowland (2015), and Jungle Cruise (2021) all proving that it’s not as easy a feat as Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and co made it look.

With that in mind, is this the last of Disney’s attempts at taking stories from the ride to the screen? There may be one last attempt in mind for Walt Disney Studios. Scarlett Johansson is currently pegged to star in an adaptation of Tower of Terror, the infamous thrill ride found at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But should that meet the same financial and critical fate as Haunted Mansion, however, we’re willing to bet that they spell a spooky end for what could have been Disney’s Theme Park Cinematic Universe.
Do you wish Disney would make more movies based on rides? Let us know in the comments!