Disney lost $134M on 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,' including $80M in postproduction to de-age Harrison Ford

Financial documents out of the United Kingdom have revealed that "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" lost Disney over $130 million due to an explosive budget that included nearly $80 million in postproduction efforts.

Disney's latest "Indiana Jones" franchise installment saw much of its production take place in the United Kingdom in order to capitalize on an incentive for film companies that shoot in the region.

The 25.5% cash reimbursement incentive means that many studios create companies in the U.K. for this purpose, but it also has meant increased transparency. These companies must file financial statements that indicate staffing, salaries, costs, and reimbursement they receive, according to Forbes.

Such documents revealed that Disney lost approximately $134.2 million after adjusting for budget, theater takings, and postproduction costs.

The aftereffects, which predominantly required a drastic de-aging of star Harrison Ford for a dramatic train chase scene, cost Disney approximately $79 million. This reportedly brought the budget to a monstrous total of $387.2 million.

Though the movie grossed about $384 million worldwide, the studio receives approximately half of theater earnings, which landed Disney at approximately $192 million.

What is seemingly a massive total is actually half of the movie's prequel, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The 2023 adventure seemingly took in a similar dollar figure to the first three Indiana Jones movies from the 1980s but clearly loses when adjusted for inflation.

The film was plagued from the start with rumors, reshoots, and secret scenes shrouded in mystery, as fans raged online about the possibility that Harrison Ford's lead character would be replaced in the film.

In June 2021, a movie insider revealed that there could be two endings considered for the movie. "In one of the rumored endings, young Indiana Jones dies alongside old Indiana Jones, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge swoops in like a vulture, picks the hat up, and takes his place moving forward,” the insider claimed.

Once these rumors leaked, fans were not pleased at the idea of the iconic character getting the Disney treatment from studio head Kathleen Kennedy.

Reports that the studio got the message from fans were seemingly confirmed in 2023. The same insider claimed at the time that an on-set leaker told him that filmmakers seemed to have cut any of the scenes that would have the female character taking over the lead role.

In the end, Ford hung onto his role and his trademark hat.

Disney had an abysmal 2023 and went into 2024 with ongoing wars over board seats, production, and the overall direction of the movie studio. Despite Disney's parks and recreation sector having a strong post-COVID bounce-back, losses generated by streaming platform Disney+ have seen share prices fall by around 40% compared to a peak price of over $200 in March 2021.

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