2024 was a pretty turbulent year at the box office. While movies like Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine brought in massive worldwide gross numbers, there was also a significant number of high-profile flops as the industry struggled with the residual effects of 2023’s labor strikes. One of the biggest flops of the year was a fantasy live-action and animation hybrid that ultimately failed to recover its production costs during its theatrical run, and it just arrived on Hulu the same day it left Netflix.
That movie is Harold and the Purple Crayon, Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of author and illustrator Crockett Johnson’s beloved 1955 children’s book of the same name. The movie joined Hulu on April 30th as the streamer’s final arrival of the month and serves as a continuation of the book sequel that imagines what happens when Harold grows up and enters the real world. The movie, however, was one of the biggest flops of 2024, grossing only about $32 million worldwide against a $40 million budget, which doesn’t include marketing costs. It also holds the unfortunate distinction of earning a Golden Raspberry Award nomination, with Zachary Levi earning the nomination for Worst Actor.
Harold and the Purple Crayon wasn’t just one of the biggest flops of 2024: it was also one of the most divisive films of the year. Saldanha’s live-action/animation hybrid adaptation, which follows an adult Harold as he uses his magical crayon to draw himself out of his storybook and into the real world to find his narrator, was roasted by critics, who gave the movie an abysmal 29% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. On the other hand, the film was overwhelmingly well-received by general audiences, scoring a high and “Verified Hot” 89% audience rating.
In the eyes of critics, Harold and the Purple Crayon failed to capture the imaginative spirit of the source material and felt too long and complicated. Beyond that, critics felt Levi’s portrayal of Harold felt more like a dumbed-down man-child rather than a charming, imaginative boy. The movie’s special effects also earned some pushback. General viewers, though, found the movie to be pretty charming, lighthearted family-friendly entertainment. As the movie has begun to appear on streaming in the years since its release, it has continued to be a hit with viewers, becoming a streaming hit on platforms like Netflix after initially struggling at the box office.
Hulu’s streaming lineup saw plenty of great kid-friendly additions throughout April. The streamer kicked off the month with the addition of the first three Night At the Museum movies and the Shrek films and continued to add titles throughout the month like Pets on a Train and Finnick. Hulu will continue to grow that library in May with new arrivals like Disney’s Descendants series, Holes, and Robots.
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