Why wasn't Hercules more successful?

I agree. This is my very favorite Disney movie. It should have been more successful.

Like Pocahontas's box office performance, I wondered the same thing. This was the last animated feature for quite some time that Disney actively promoted as an "event film". However, you would probably get more feedback if you posted this in the Box Office threads.

This movie was trying to ride on the coattails of Aladdin with Ron Clements and John Musker writing and directing, light mood, and the anachronistic humor. However, the biggest reason for Aladdin's success was Robin Williams. Hercules had James Woods as Hades, and while he was praised and compared to Williams's performance by the critics, he was not a box office draw that Robin Williams was.

Hercules did not appeal to adults (and teenagers) as much as Beauty and the Beast through The Lion King who took their kids to see it. Adults elsewhere went to see Face/Off that same weekend, and Men in Black opened a few days later which families went to see, and that really hurt Hercules.

Disney's storytelling formula was getting too stale and homogeneous for general audiences with the same story tropes told again with the identity-stricken protagonist, menacing villain with comedic sidekicks, similar musical numbers (opening song, "I Want" song, villain song, character transition song, romantic song, closing song, and end-titles pop song), comedic sidekicks allied with our heroes that are usually voiced by a celebrity, and etc.


What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

Because it's craptastic

Hercules had great tunes, a hero's story and great Greek settings. The role of Meg had alot of depth.

Probably because it was the first film without any involvement from Jeffrey Katzenberg.