Disney CEO Robert Iger said Wednesday that The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian isn’t performing as well as expected because its May 16 release date was too competitive, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Disney originally had “Prince Caspian” set for the 2007 Christmas season but made the change in deference to The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, a fantasy vying for the same audience.
Disney might also have been taking into account the feelings of Walden Media, its production partner on “Narnia” and the production company behind “Water Horse,” which was distributed by Sony.
Iger, speaking at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York, said “Prince Caspian” is a better movie than the first installment but because it was released between a couple of the year’s biggest hits (Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), audiences are overlooking it.
Right now, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is still scheduled for May 7, 2010, only a week after Iron Man 2. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep the spot.
