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Box office

John Carter earned $73,078,100 in North America and $209,700,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total as of June 28, 2012 of $282,778,100. It had a worldwide opening of $100.8 million.

In North America, it opened in first place on Friday, March 9, 2012 with $9.81 million. However, by Sunday, it had grossed $30.2 million, falling to second place for the weekend, behind The Lorax.

Outside North America, it topped the weekend chart, opening with $70.6 million. Its highest-grossing opening was in Russia and the CIS, where it broke the all-time opening-day record ($6.5 million) and earned $16.5 million during the weekend.

The film also scored the second-best opening weekend for a Disney film in China[87] ($14.0 million). It was in first place at the box office outside North America for two consecutive weekends.

Its highest-grossing areas after North America are China ($41.5 million), Russia and the CIS ($33.4 million), and Mexico ($12.1 million).

In the week following the John Carter's domestic release, movie industry analysts predicted that Disney would lose $100-to-150 million on the picture.

However, its box office strength outside North America led some analysts to speculate that the write-down would be significantly less than expected.

On May 8, 2012, the Walt Disney Company released a statement on its earnings which attributed the $161 million deterioration in the operating income of their Studio Entertainment division to a loss of $84 million in the quarter ending March 2012 "primarily" to the performance of John Carter and the associated cost write-down.

The film's perceived failure led to the resignation of Rich Ross, the head of Walt Disney Studios, even though Ross had arrived there from his earlier success at the Disney Channel with John Carter already in development.

Ross theoretically could have stopped production on John Carter as he did with a planned production of Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, or minimize the budget as he did to the upcoming Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp.

Instead, Stanton was given the production budget requested for John Carter, backed with an estimated $100 million marketing campaign that is typical for a tentpole movie but without significant merchandising or other ancillary tie-ins.

It was reported that Ross later sought to blame Pixar for John Carter, which prompted key Pixar executives to turn against Ross who already had alienated many within the studio.

The film rebounded at the domestic box office charts from No. 38 to No. 12 on the first weekend of May 2012 after drive-ins paired it with Disney's release of The Avengers which brought John Carter's domestic gross to about $70.8 million.

The 2013 book John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood cites many factors in the film's commercial failure, but author Michael D. Sellers insists the film tested well with audiences and failed more due to marketing problems and changing management at the studio.

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John Carter Trivia

"A Princess of Mars" was originally published as "Under the Moons of Mars" by Norman Bean (Edgar Rice Burroughs' pseudonym) in The All-Story (six pulp magazine issues February - July, 1912).

Burroughs was originally afraid that he might be ridiculed for writing such a tale, so he decided to use a pen name. The pseudonym was supposed to be a pun "Normal Bean" (as in "I'm a normal being") to reassure people, but the man who typeset the text thought it was a mistake, so he changed it to "Norman".

However, Burroughs' fears turned out to be unfounded: the story and its sequels, collectively known as the "Barsoom series", were almost as popular (and arguably more influential) as those of his most famous creation, Tarzan.

The music in the first theatrical trailer uses two instrumental arrangements of "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. The first (starting at 0:53) was performed by Australian/British string quartet Bond, the second (starting at 1:25) was performed by Corner Stone Cues (this arrangement is called "Ten Years Kashmir Mvt II (Orch, Choir & Perc Mix))".


This marks the third live-action film under the Disney banner to earn a PG-13 rating in the United States. The first being Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (not counting its sequels as they are of the same film series) and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.


The Teaser features the song "My Body is a Cage", originally written by Arcade Fire. The version used in the teaser is by Peter Gabriel, released on his 2011 album of cover versions, "Scratch My Back".

The first "John Carter" story by Edgar Rice Burroughs made its debut in 1912 in a magazine serial. Thus, the 2012 feature film marks the centenary (100th anniversary) of the character's first appearance.


The film was originally titled and marketed as "John Carter of Mars", but director Andrew Stanton removed "of Mars" from the opening credits and promotional material to make it more appealing to a broader audience, stating that the film is an "origin story.

It's about a guy becoming John Carter of Mars." The entire title "John Carter of Mars" is displayed during the end credits.

When Jon Favreau learned that Andrew Stanton had picked up the film, he gave him a call congratulating him and requesting that he could play a Thark. Favreau voices a "Thark Bookie".

The movie's lead couple, Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins, both starred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Kitsch as Gambit and Collins as Kayla Silverfox.


For each of the super jumps that Taylor Kitsch performed, he was attached to a harness that allowed him to free-fall at a speed of 80 mph. Kitsch apparently found it unpleasant.

Willem Dafoe accepted the role of Tars Tarkas because he thought it was interesting for him to act while wearing pajamas and walking on stilts.


About 1,800 costumes were designed--383 yards of cloth material were used to design the Thern costumes, while Dejah's wedding dress, cuffs and crown had 120,000 Swarovski crystals attached by hand.

While filming at Big Water in Utah, the crew accidentally discovered a 60 feet long sauropod skeleton. The site of discovery was then put into the handling by the state's land management bureau.

Ciarán Hinds, James Purefoy, Polly Walker and Nicholas Woodeson also played together in the TV series Rome.

The change in title from "A Princess of Mars" to "John Carter of Mars," and later simply to "John Carter" is the subject of some controversy.

Conflicting reasons given include that the Disney marketing department or director Andrew Stanton wanted to appeal to a broader audience, or that the studio had hoped to create a film series with the "John Carter" banner title.

Industry lore also suggests that films with "Mars" in the title tend to under perform financially, most notably Mars Needs Moms which was also distributed by Disney and proved a colossal flop for the studio.

Ironically, "John Carter" would prove to be the biggest financial disappointment for Disney since "Mars Needs Moms."


Robert Zemeckis turned down the chance to direct, quipping "George [George Lucas] already pillaged all of that" with the "Star Wars" films.

Excerpts and References:
wikipedia.org, imdb.com

Up the winding river they find an inverted stone pyramid.

Carter and Dejah Thoris enter and glowing blue graphics show the solar system. Dejah Thoris realizes the blue light is not supernatural but generated by machines -- it's the ninth ray, the same blue ray she had been researching and that the enemy had been using as a weapon.

They also realize that Carter's entry into Mars likely had been due to telegraphing a copy of himself from Earth to Mars.

Outside, an army of Tharks approach, directed by Matai Shang.

He is curious about the stranger that is getting himself involved with the wars, and intends to test his ability. Carter and the two women mount up and scramble.

As the hordes approach, Carter tells the others to flee (over Dejah Thoris's objections).

He returns to fight the rampaging army with only his pet, Woola. Killing many, he recalls the devastation of war and finding his dead wife and child in a burned farmhouse.

Carter is eventually overcome. Just then a Helium battle cruiser arrives to end the fight.

Tardos Mors and Sab Than disembark. Sab Than offers his sword to Dejah Thoris as a sign of trust and asks her to marry him.

Dejah Thoris almost kills him anyway, but stops herself and instead makes them take the wounded Carter to Zodanga to be healed.

Carter awakes in a guarded room. At first he thinks he is in Helium but the red clothed guards tells him no.

A man dressed in blue appears. He is Kantos Kan and he issues orders about putting Carter under higher security.

Once close enough, he whispers to Carter to take him hostage, but Carter is too confused, and an exasperated Kantos pretends to be held hostage as he leads Carter away from the guards.

The two jump to a nearby tower. Inside, Dejah Thoris is dressed in wedding finery.

After thanking Kantos for bringing Carter to her she dismisses everyone in the room. Again she asks Carter again to fight on her side.

He refuses again, and finally she sees the marriage ring on his finger.

Understanding that his heart belonged to another but now knowing that the other woman is dead, Dejah Thoris tells him the magic words that will transport him back to earth.

Outside, Zodangan guards demand entry, but when the door opens Carter has vanished.

Dejah Thoris and the others leave, but the Matron of Chamber returns to the room and finds Carter in a ceiling recess.

She uses a blue ray to immobilize him then transforms into Matai Shang, leader of the Therns.

He forces Carter to come with him and explains how the Therns are managing the end of Mars.

To prove their ability, Matai Shang changes into a Zodangan officer as he leads Carter outside, then into an elderly woman as they watch Dejah Thoris being paraded down a street.

Almost lightly, Matai Shang tells Carter that after the marriage Dejah Thoris and anyone else who knows about the blue ray will be killed.

Suddenly Carter's pet Woola arrives in a flurry, and he manages to escape on a flying single seater. He crash lands ouside of town, close to Sola.

Knowing he is unable to challenge the Zodangan military or the Therns by himself, he decides to return to Tharkville and ask for their help.

Carter and Sola arrive safely but the Tharks throw Carter in jail, where he finds an imprisoned Tars Tarkas, also in chains. Tarkas tells Carter that he had been overthrown by one-tusked Tal Hajus.

Tarkas is furious when he learns that Carter brought Sola back, and would have killed him were not for the fact that he had been beaten and drastically weakened.

The prisoners are eventually taken to a large coliseum and made to fight giant white apes.

Sola causes a distraction in the stands and Carter manages to kill the two beasts.

As the Tharks cheer for him, he challenges Tal Hajus for the role of Jeddak.

Carter quickly beheads him. Now leader of the Tharks, he had an army willing to fight for him.

He leads them back to Zodanga to stop the wedding. On arrival they find the city empty -- everyone has gone to Helium. An unimpressed Tars Tarkas smacks Carter on the head, since there is no way they can make it to the wedding in time.

Carter points to the airships but the Tharks refuse, so he takes off by himself in a single-seater. Zodangan guards spot him as he approaches but as he's flying a Zondangan aircraft, they assume he's part of their plan and let him pass.