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Credit: Inside the MagicJudging by the performance of movies like Elemental and Strange World at the box office, Disney has been genuinely missing the mark with audiences. However, there might not be anything wrong with the movies themselves. Could Disney simply be marketing to the wrong audience?
From the day Walt Disney’s signature first dried, the Walt Disney Company has focused all its time, effort, and energy into making entertainment and products primarily for younger audiences. As the company expanded, so did its audience. Even Walt himself admitted that the “oldsters” and Disney Adults were the ones that visited Disneyland the most, so why doesn’t the company utilize that information?
Disney Adults are the New Target
Love them, hate them, tolerate them, trash them on social media; there’s no denying that Disney Adults have become the company’s most vocal fanbase. Although Disney will always cater to the kids so beloved by their founder, a different direction for their marketing team might be beneficial. Considering some of the more mature themes covered in recent Disney films, it seems perfectly natural to give the grownups some attention too.
Related: Disney Adults: The Next Generation’s Reconciliation Tale
Disney’s primary audience will always be kids, but what would happen if they marketed for their adult audience just as much? We’re not saying they need to promote lingerie and cigars as they did at Jessicas of Hollywood, but an equal distribution towards both audiences could do the company a world of good.
Pixar’s Elemental was a box office bomb but walked away with decent reviews. Having seen and enjoyed the film, I believe that the failure of Peter Sohn’s mature animated masterpiece was that it wasn’t even marketed as the right genre, let alone to the right audience. Although it’s undoubtedly a Disney production young audiences can enjoy, it’s much more of a rom-com than just an animated movie for kids.
The same principle can also be said of the Disney Parks. With reports of a villain-inspired Park in development, it makes sense that most of its attractions would be geared toward older audiences. Would that really be such a bad thing?
Disney doesn’t have to cater to one audience over the other, but an equal distribution of both would help smooth things over. After all, kids aren’t buying tickets to the movies or the Parks. The company is already aware of its passionate adult fanbase, and it’s time to go full throttle with it.
Has Disney’s audience indeed grown up? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!