My Favorite Martian

  • my favorite martian 1999 box office
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  • Directed By: Donald Petrie
  • Written By: John L. Greene, Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver
  • Release Date: February 12, 1999
  • Domestic Distributor: Disney
  • Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels, Elizabeth Hurley

Box Office Info:
Budget: $45 million Financed by: Disney
Domestic Gross: $36,850,101 Overseas Gross: $10,400,000


The budget for My Favorite Martian was $45 million and Disney financed this big screen version of the 1963 sitcom.  The project was also greenlit during a period where the mouse housed mined many old properties with name recognition, hoping the nostalgia would attract baby boomers and the easily packaged concepts would bring in children.  Along with My Favorite Martian, there was Mighty Joe Young, The Parent Trap, Mr. Magoo, Flubber, George of the Jungle and That Darn Cat.

My Favorite Martian wrapped production in mid 1997 and Disney originally dated the picture for a summer 1998 release, but then delayed it to February 12, 1999.  Reviews were poor and most adults would be turned off from the obnoxious sight gags and childish slapstick.  It bowed against Message in a Bottle and Blast From The Past and pulled in a soft $8,828,586 — placing #3 for the weekend led by Message in a Bottle.  My Favorite Martian was the only movie in release directed at kids and had the market to itself and dipped 21.7% the following frame to $6,911,596 and continued to post modest weekly declines in attendance.  The domestic run did close with a disappointing $36,850,101.

Disney saw My Favorite Martian post terrible overseas numbers, which stalled at $10.4M.  The worldwide cume was $47.2M and Disney would see returned about $25.9M after theaters take their percentage of the gross — which leaves much of the global P&A expenses in the red and the budget untouched by the theatrical receipts.

One Comment

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  1. Not surprised it didn’t do well overseas, again it’s a movie that relied on nostalgia, but it either never caught on in other countries, or never aired at all.

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