Nearly 7,500 people are expected to be laid off as a result of the merger between Disney and Fox and that looming threat is leading key marketing personnel at Fox to jump ship now rather than wait for the ax to fall.
As a result, key positions that would normally oversee the marketing of a major blockbuster like Dark Phoenix are currently being managed by consultants and temp workers.
Speaking anonymously to Vanity Fair, one exec stated, "We know when we are dropping a trailer, but we are nowhere near where we should be at this time. It’s frightening. I would be mad if I were a filmmaker." The exec went on to discuss the many vacancies, stating, "Nobody has come around and said, ‘This is what’s going on.’ Why can’t they just tell us that there is no place for us? Why can’t they let anyone know? We are not leaving because we didn’t make money for the company or we did a bad job. We are leaving because of pure capitalism."
Things have reportedly been tense on the Fox lot, ever since the merger was first announced. New Mutants continues to be rumored for release on Disney+, skipping theaters altogether. One has to wonder what will become of Dark Phoenix's marketing efforts once the merger becomes official by month's end. There will still be a little over two months left before Dark Phoenix hits theaters on June 07.
Marketing budgets and promotional schedules for the actors will be in the hands of Disney and it will be interesting to see how much effort and resources they expend on a franchise that's set to be rebooted- with announcements that could arrive as soon as Comic-Con a month later in July.
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