'Indiana Jones' Franchise Ends at Disney With $134 Million Loss

Disney had a rough time at the 2023 box office.

Harrison Ford Indiana Jones Dial of Destiny — Credit: Lucasfilm

The final results are in, and Harrison Ford’s latest adventure has become one of Disney’s biggest theatrical losses ever. The Walt Disney Company has had quite a few issues at the box office lately, with several recent releases failing to resonate with audiences the same way previous releases have.

From Marvel Studios to Lucasfilm and Pixar, at one point, it seemed Disney could do no wrong, releasing back-back hits. However, in 2022, Disney faced immense struggles at the theaters, with several films failing to generate buzz or revenue. Strange World (2022) is perhaps one of the more infamous Disney box office bombs of late, only grossing a little over $70 million worldwide. Disney Pixar’s Lightyear (2022) made over $200 million, an impressive number but still nowhere near what audiences and Disney had expected. Moving on to 2023, this trend continues with one of Disney’s biggest losses of all time.

Indiana Jones Loses Disney Millions

Excitement was palpable after the first official trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was released, offering fans a sneak peek at Dr. Henry Jones Jr.’s final adventure. The film came 15 years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) and sought to bring back the Indiana Jones franchise to the forefront, even if it was for one final time. Unfortunately, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny failed to up the excitement necessary to justify the film’s massive budget.

According to Forbes, the official financial statements for the film confirm Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was a massive loss for Disney, losing the company a total of $134 million. The budget for the film was a whopping $387.2 million.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had an interesting story to tell and featured Harrison Ford as the iconic archeologist, as well as series newcomers like Mads Mikkelson, Pheobe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, and Boyd Holbrook. Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t enough, with the film coming in well under what analysts had predicted and what The Walt Disney Company had hoped.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in 'Dial of Destiny' (2023) — Credit: Lucasfilm

To make matters worse, the previous entry in the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was considered an embarrassment upon release and was widely panned by critics and fans. However, this 2008 film grossed over 50% more than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, making this massive loss even worse.

The Indiana Jones franchise is in rough shape, no doubt, with no new entries or releases in the known pipeline. Disney previously talked about bringing an Indiana Jones series to its Disney+ platform, but this has not been officially confirmed. With how Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was treated in cinemas, it’s likely Disney has changed course on “Indy” going forward. It’s an unfortunate series of events, as most, if not all, these “bombs” are still good films in their own way.

Did you enjoy Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?