Ron’s Gone Wrong is a 2021 animated movie directed by Sarah Smith and Jean-Phillipe Vine, and stands as the first feature film for Locksmith Animation. The movie focuses on Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer), an awkward teenager in middle school. While everyone in school has become entranced by the B-bot, a robot that befriends the user, Barney is the only kid without one. His father, desperate to get him one to help his loneliness, gives him a defective bot named Ron (Zach Galifianakis), who befriends and protects him. Barney saves Ron from being destroyed, and must protect him from the technology executives who want Ron shut down for his defects.
The movie received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences, who praised its design, cast, and timely themes about technology and its role in our lives, though some felt it was overstuffed or cliché. It made $60 million in a combination of domestic and international profits, but it’s uncertain how successful it was because the budget has not been made public. It saw bigger success on streaming, however. It debuted on Disney+ on December 15, 2021, and became the top movie within two days, per ScreenRant. As more people are still discovering this underrated gem, let’s explore some of the reasons it went unnoticed.
Mode of Release
20th Century Studios
Ron’s Gone Wrong released directly into movie theaters on October 22, 2021, and this mode of release might have hurt its chances of success. By this time, slightly more movies were being released in theaters, instead of on streaming or on demand, as they had during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the theater releases weren’t always proving successful, even for Disney: 2021’s Luca skipped theaters and became a hit in its direct Disney+ release, while Raya and the Last Dragon faced similar challenges in theater releasing, but saw a boost on streaming. The way more people choose to watch movies has changed, and in October 2021, many were favoring at-home viewing for its convenience and often lower costs. This, along with timing and low marketing, made Ron’s Gone Wrong a bad fit for a theatrical release.
Competition and Timing
In addition, the timing of the movie’s release and competition from other movies likely played a part. The movie was released around the same time as some other big, family-oriented movies, and some of these releases might have further pushed Ron’s Gone Wrong under the radar. The animated sequel The Addams Family 2 released two weeks prior, while Marvel’s The Eternals also came out a few weeks later. Disney’s Encanto was released a month later in November, and proved successful in theaters and on Disney+. While not a kids’ movie, Dune also opened the same weekend, to massive profits. With so many big releases at roughly the same time, people might have chosen just one or two to watch in a theater. It’s also worth noting that the animated family movie The Mitchells vs. the Machines, which had a similar premise, released on Netflix earlier in the year. The movie was considered one of the best animated movies of the year, and might have overshadowed Ron’s Gone Wrong.
Another important area is the timing of release, and the conditions at that time. Though COVID-19 restrictions were not as strict at the time of release, there were new variants, and many children could not get vaccinated. As the movie was geared towards kids, some parents may not have wanted to bring their children to a crowded theater setting. Along with the competition limiting choices, the risk of the pandemic may have also pushed people into being more selective towards what movie they would see in theaters; if they were going to risk it, they would likely choose a bigger release like Encanto. It also could have caused viewers to skip out on the movie entirely, which would make sense with why it’s done so well on streaming, as people can watch in their own homes.
Low Marketing
The movie also received low marketing and merchandising. Though Ron’s Gone Wrong was distributed by 20th Century Studios, a division of Disney, it didn’t have the Disney tag and hype attached to it. The previously mentioned Disney releases, The Eternals and Encanto, saw much more marketing, spread over a longer period of time. A teaser for The Eternals, for example, debuted in May 2021 – six months before the movie’s release, which built excitement. The first look for Encanto was in December 2020, with a teaser premiering in July 2021; Deadline Hollywood also reported that Disney spent $14 million on TV spots for the movie during the week of its release. Ron’s Gone Wrong’s trailer debuted at the same time as Encanto’s, but the movie did not see the same marketing budget or focus, though it did have merchandise and toy sales. It simply didn’t have the same financial promotion or attention as other films, and this hurt its success.
Through a combination of timing, competition, and low marketing, Ron’s Gone Wrong faced many setbacks that likely contributed to it flying under the radar. Despite this, the movie remains a fun and engaging watch, and is one definitely deserving of your attention.
