The Lone Ranger might lose $150 million for Disney

Disney is looking at a loss of $150 million thanks to the bombing of their most recent effort, The Lone Ranger.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the big budget western is set to follow in the footsteps of the studio’s notorious 2012 flop, John Carter.

Produced for approximately $250 million (not including marketing costs), The Lone Ranger opened to just $48.9 million in the United States.

It collected a far-from-spectacular $3.2 million in Australia, contributing to its $73.2 international tally.

Disney was hoping to replicate the billion-dollar success of their Pirates of the Caribbean series, also spearheaded by director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and star Johnny Depp.

Instead, box office analysts suggest the movie’s poor performance could lead to a $150 million write-down for the studio.

John Carter, by comparison, cost the company $200 million.

Depp remains a reliable quantity internationally, but westerns do not traditionally travel well. It will be a true test of his star power if he can attract audiences around the globe to The Lone Ranger, and help bolster its abysmal American returns.

Don’t feel too bad for Disney, though. They’ve still got the blockbuster grosses of Iron Man 3 and Monsters University to keep them warm at night.

However, those two were produced by Marvel and Pixar, respectively, whereas The Lone Ranger was an in-house development.

Any way you slice it, this’ll smart.