(USNewsMag.com) – Just seven weeks after its initial release date, Disney+ has removed the teen science fiction movie “Crater” from its streaming platform.
The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it movie centers on a boy living on a lunar mining colony in the year 2257. He visits a strange crater with his four friends, fulfilling his father’s last wish before his death. The film chronicles his journey during a meteor shower amidst a lockdown.
Crater cost a staggering $53.4 million to make. By being taken down so quickly, the film has gained the distinction of being the first movie on Disney Plus to last under two months.
Despite the quick axing of the film, it received positive reviews from critics and a decent 64% Tomatometer rating from popular site Rotten Tomatoes, putting it ahead of another Disney+ movie, Peter Pan & Wendy.
Perhaps a reason for the film’s failure is simply a lack of marketing and advertising. Few people knew about the film’s existence.
The science fiction adventure movie was directed by Kyle Patrick-Alvarez and starred McKenna Grace (The Haunting of Hill House, Annabelle Comes Home) and Kid Cudi (X, Comedy Bang Bang), along with Isaiah Russell-Bradley and Billy Barratt (from Apple’s Invasion). They filmed it in Louisiana and Los Angeles.
Crater is one of many casualties on the streaming service. Disney+ is deleting content that didn’t earn revenue to get tax benefits on the losses. Some shows that were removed included the Willow series, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Y: The Last Man, Earth to Ned, and a recent version of Black Beauty.
Unfortunately, Disney hasn’t been cranking out hits with its latest releases. Films such as Ant-Man and the Wasp, Elemental, Indiana Jones, and Dial of Destiny are barely recovering production and marketing costs through movie ticket sales.
Disney will need to sell Crater to another streaming service; otherwise, it will most likely be shelved and never seen again.
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