Raya & The Last Dragon Opens Lower Than Tom & Jerry At Box Office

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Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon opens to a lower gross than fellow family film Tom & Jerry did the weekend before. The first major release from Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2016's Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon pays homage to the legends of Southeast Asia. The live-action/animated hybrid Tom & Jerry, Warner Bros.'s latest take on the iconic duo, debuted in theaters and for free on HBO Max last Friday.

Raya and the Last Dragon takes place in the mystical land of Kumandra, where Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) must find the last surviving dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), to save the world from evil monsters known as the Druun. Directed by Disney veteran Don Hall and rising star Carlos Lopéz Estrada, critics warmly received the film, particularly regarding its cultural tribute, gorgeous visuals, and vocal performances. Despite all the positive buzz, the animated fantasy struggled to make a serious dent in the domestic box office.

According to Deadline, Raya and the Last Dragon grossed just $8.6 million over its first three days. Despite debuting the weekend NYC reopened its movie theaters (with limited capacity) for the first time since March 2020, the film earned about 41% less than Tom & Jerry's opening weekend gross of $14 million. Additionally, Raya earned about 11% less than the $9.7 million that Universal/DreamWorks Animation's Croods: A New Age raked in over three days last Thanksgiving. Including its international distribution, Raya and the Last Dragon has pushed its global debut to a mere $26.2 million as of this writing.

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Circumstances surrounding Raya and the Last Dragon's release certainly help explain its underperformance at the box office. Like last summer's Mulan, Raya and the Last Dragon was released online simultaneously with its theatrical run. Still, the steep $30 price point on Disney+ could have put off some viewers, especially with the film expected to arrive on the platform for free in early June. Additionally, several notable exhibitors, including Cinemark and Canada's Cineplex, declined to screen the film, with Cinemark citing an inability to reach agreeable licensing terms with Disney. Those factors, combined with the still-raging pandemic, potentially dampened what should've been a financial victory for Disney Animation.

That being said, it's important to remember that Raya and the Last Dragon is far from an abject failure. Raya and the Last Dragon marks an essential step in the latest effort to bring greater representation to popular American family films, spotlighting Asian myths, characters, and talent of all kinds, much in the way that Moana did for Polynesian culture. Apart from the film's financial performance, which could improve as vaccination access increases, its critical acclaim, Disney Animation's track record, and the relative scarcity of excellent animated releases mean that Raya and the Last Dragon could garner a healthy list of nominations.

For now, Disney fans will have to wait and see what effect Raya and the Last Dragon's meager debut has on the rest of the company's release schedule. Black Widow, Disney's hotly-anticipated next installment in the MCU, is scheduled to debut in theaters on May 7th. While the state of the pandemic will surely help determine how Black Widow arrives, its predecessor's uninspiring income may cause Disney to at least rethink their release strategy. Regardless of how you decide to watch it, Raya and the Last Dragon is 2021's most well-regarded new animated film so far and one likely to grow in stature as the year goes on.