Disney had high expectations for its most recent Indiana Jones action blockbuster to be the perfect summer movie. That hope has diminished as the movie fails to lure audiences, and it is currently the subject of a lawsuit.
Before it even opened in theaters, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” came under fire for appearing to establish a reprimanding “girl boss” as Jones’ replacement in subsequent movies.
In its three weeks in theaters, the film hasn’t even come close to earning back its enormous production costs. It received a mixed bag of reviews as well, earning a meager 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney has suffered a terrible setback with the fifth Indiana Jones movie’s mediocre opening. Even as a little faith-based movie, “Sound of Freedom,” swoops in to dominate at the box office, “Dial of Destiny” has turned into a massive disappointment.
But “Indiana Jones and the Dumpster Fire of Destiny” has put Disney, which currently seems to be losing money at every step, in even worse difficulties.
A lawsuit against the media company is currently pending because of an Indy backpack from the movie.
Frost River Trading Co., a provider of outdoor clothes and gear, filed the case against Lucasfilm, a Disney division, on Wednesday, alleging unauthorized use of its goods.
Even worse, the business claims that the studio attempted to pass off the backpack as being made by one of Frost River’s rivals, Filson.
“This lawsuit concerns two corporate juggernauts, Filson and Lucasfilm, exploiting the hard work and intellectual property of Frost River, a small American company,” the filing states.
According to the lawsuit, there is a brief mention of a Frost River backpack in movie promotion materials created in collaboration with Filson.
“Lucasfilm and Filson produced a 60-second commercial prominently featuring video clips from the Indiana Jones 5 film intertwined with video clips of actors using Filson’s own products,” the complaint says. “Shockingly, one of the intertwined video clips was one from Indiana Jones 5 featuring Frost River’s Geologist Pack.”
Frost River says the spot violates the Lanham Act, a federal trademark law.
“Liability under the Lanham Act for misappropriating Frost River’s products is a boulder that Lucasfilm and Filson cannot dodge.”
The company is seeking $75,000, which, even if Disney loses the lawsuit, won’t be too expensive.
But every little amount counts when the Mouse House has lost close to $1 billion over the past year.