The Fate of Indiana Jones: Signs of Decline for a Legendary Franchise
“Disappointing”
The once iconic Raiders March, originally composed by John Williams, is facing a grim future. In France, the fifth and final installment of the Indiana Jones saga, Dial of Destiny, has shown signs of fatigue as it enters its sixth week of release. According to Allociné, as of August 2, 2023, James Mangold’s film has garnered just under 150,000 admissions in France. This figure falls short by 100,000 when compared to Elementary, the new Disney Pixar movie now in its seventh week. The prospects of boosting the Indiana Jones score seem unlikely. Interestingly, Dial of Destiny managed to generate $370 million worldwide while having an estimated budget of $295 million.
“The performances of some of our films have been really disappointing,” said Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, expressing his concern. He was referring to the underwhelming response to Disney’s recent releases, Haunted Mansion and Indiana Jones 5. Since Lucasfilm’s acquisition in 2012, Disney gained the rights not only to Star Wars but also to the beloved treasure hunter franchise. Unfortunately, their first attempt to revive Indiana Jones did not live up to expectations. The critics have also not been kind to the film. Rotten Tomatoes, a renowned review platform, gave it a press consensus score of 69%, stating that the adventure “lacks the excitement of its predecessors.”
Thus, it seems that the farewell to the legendary character of Indiana Jones, portrayed by Harrison Ford, is rather bittersweet. At the age of 81, Ford confirmed that Dial of Destiny is his final appearance as the beloved character. “It’s time for me to grow up,” he declared in an interview with CNN. However, Ford clarified that retirement was not on his agenda. He can still be seen in various projects such as the TV show Shrinking on Apple TV+ and the 1923 series on Paramount+. Additionally, he will even star in an upcoming Marvel movie.