Disney keen to find its swing

When Dick Cook went to the All-Star Game last week, the Disney Studios chairman, who during his college days played second base for USC, visited the field before the game. While he took batting practice and hung out with the major league stars, the conversation turned to a topic Cook has become something of an expert on these days: slumps.

In April and May, the New York Yankees’ perennial all-star shortstop, Derek Jeter, was mired in a horrific slump, going 0 for 32 at one stage. “The guys were all talking about it,” Cook recalls. “Sports Illustrated even did a cover story about him. And of course, as soon as the story was out, he promptly hit .400 for the next month and was as good as ever.”

Cook has perhaps the sunniest disposition in Hollywood, but even his optimistic nature has been put to the test recently. Last year, Disney had the best year in industry history, grossing more than $3 billion worldwide, buoyed by two $300-million-plus U.S. hits, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Pixar’s “Finding Nemo,” as well as a trio of modestly budgeted comedies, “Bringing Down the House, “Freaky Friday” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” that each took in more than $100 million.

But it was all downhill after that. Since “Freaky Friday’s” success last August, the studio has failed to notch another $100-million winner. And the few successes have been overshadowed by expensive failures. “Hidalgo,” an adventure yarn about a grueling 1890s Arabian horse race, ballooned way over its original $80-million budget and limped to a $67.3-million box-office finish in the U.S. “Home on the Range,” the last of Disney’s fabled hand-drawn animation features, was a washout, costing $110 million and grossing only $49.7 million. “The Alamo,” bumped from last year’s schedule by editing delays, cost nearly $100 million and was an epic flop, with only $22 million at the box office, and even going straight to video in a number of foreign territories. Earlier this month, Disney released “King Arthur,” a $120-million epic that received lackluster reviews and took in a disappointing $15 million in its three-day opening weekend. Over the weekend, the film dropped off 53%, giving it a paltry 12-day total of $38.1 million.

Losing is always painful. But it’s especially wrenching in Hollywood, a town so consumed by a win-at-any-price mind-set that, after a flop, it’s not unusual for executives to cancel their lunch at the Grill rather than endure the not-entirely-sincere air-kiss condolences from friends and rivals.

When Sony was mired in a hideous slump in the 1990s, studio chief Peter Guber invited New Age guru Deepak Chopra to deliver a pep talk to the studio’s employees. Miramax publicity chief Amanda Lundberg, who was at MGM during one of the studio’s worst slumps in the late 1990s, recalls having a screening for an upcoming film where only one person showed up. “There were weeks when I didn’t want to have lunch with journalists because I could tell by their eyes that they had no intention of even seeing the stuff I was pitching. You feel invisible, like you’re the last person picked for the dodgeball team.”

At Disney, no one is feeling invisible. On the contrary, the spotlight burns even brighter at a studio that is under constant scrutiny, especially in a year when embattled ruler Michael Eisner has fought off a shareholder uprising, mud-wrestled with Miramax czar Harvey Weinstein and struggled to improve the performance of the company’s entertainment divisions.

“Everyone stumbles, but when we stumble it’s on the Jumbotron,” says Nina Jacobson, Disney Studios’ production chief. “People seem a lot more interested when we fail than with someone else. Trust me, it’s painful. It takes a lot of the joy out of the job. When I go to the doctor’s office, I often think, ‘Is he going to ask me about my [lousy] slate?’ ”

No one is immune to failure in Hollywood. The challenge is whether you can weather the bumpy ride without losing faith in your instincts. “If you start second-guessing yourself, you’re really in trouble,” says producer Michael De Luca, who rode the rollercoaster of hits and misses as head of production at New Line and DreamWorks. At New Line, De Luca knew things weren’t working when “I’d bring in a project that was really good and [my bosses] wouldn’t see it as good simply because I was the one bringing it to them.”

Still, how did Disney go from the penthouse to the outhouse -- and so quickly? Many industry veterans think the studio is simply going through a steeper version of a familiar boom-and-bust cycle. Last year was probably too good to be true; this year is snake-bit -- more than anyone could have imagined. Although Eisner cleaned house at ABC after several dismal years, insiders suspect he’ll be more patient with the film studio, especially since Cook and Jacobson are viewed, even by Disney rivals, as two of the most capable executives in town.

Cook has a soothing, upbeat presence, even in adversity. During the delicate Pixar negotiations, when Steve Jobs wasn’t speaking with Eisner, it was Cook who would regularly fly north to see the Pixar wizard, keeping the lines of communication open. Jacobson gets high marks for candor, decisiveness and abiding loyalty to filmmakers. Under her production reign, the studio has developed strong relationships with such highly regarded directors as Wes Anderson, the Coen brothers and M. Night Shyamalan.

Unlike many studio executives, who seem to think they are auteurs themselves, when a Disney film does well, Cook and Jacobson give credit to the filmmakers. When a movie tanks, the executives take the heat. As Jacobson put it: “Character shows more in adversity than in success.” Jacobson gave John Lee Hancock his first shot as a director with “The Rookie,” a surprise success in 2002. She hasn’t lost faith. Even after “The Alamo” bombed, Jacob- son offered Hancock another job.

Still, the Disney team must shoulder the blame for some grave miscalculations. The studio’s biggest busts were period films, a tough sell to young audiences unless they come adorned with a bona-fide star like Russell Crowe or Brad Pitt. Disney has largely steered clear of big stars -- and star salaries and profit participation -- preferring to hire actors on the way up (“Freaky Friday’s” Lindsay Lohan) or on the rebound (“The Rookie’s” Dennis Quaid) or both (“Bringing Down the House’s” Queen Latifah and Steve Martin). But the strategy that worked last year came up short this year, with Quaid unable to carry “The Alamo,” Lohan underperforming in “Confessions of a Drama Queen” and up-’n’-comer Kate Hudson fizzling in “Raising Helen.”

Another Disney bet, that Viggo Mortenson would bring some “Lord of the Rings” magic to “Hidalgo,” didn’t pan out. The film was a tweener, too rough-edged to be a sweet Disney family adventure, too old-fashioned to satisfy young moviegoers weaned on “X-Men” special effects. “King Arthur” and “The Alamo” were costly period films lacking any real stars. Even worse, they were war movies whose heroes die, something American audiences possibly don’t want to see at a time when the country is mired in a painful war of its own.

Please, no westerns

Consequently at Disney the period western is in the deep freeze. Jacobson was a big fan of “Manhunt,” a story about the search for Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. After “The Alamo,” she put the script in turnaround. “When it comes to period dramas with dusty people on horseback, I’m just not in the mood,” she says. “It’s like having food poisoning. I’m not saying I won’t eat sushi again but not tonight.”

Will Disney rebound? Of course. But when? That’s harder to answer. The studio has high hopes for “The Village,” a July 30 thriller from Shyamalan, who’s delivered hits in the past. In November, it has “The Incredibles,” the latest animated film from Pixar. The buzz has also been good for Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic,” due in December. But with its animation division in a rocky rebuilding phase, Disney doesn’t have as deep a bench as other studios, with only Shyamalan and “King Arthur” producer Jerry Bruckheimer as reliable commercial brand names.

On the other hand, it’s darkest before the dawn. Ask De Luca, who was let go by DreamWorks just before “Anchorman,” a project he championed, became a hit. Or ask Columbia Pictures Chairwoman Amy Pascal, who was derided for making chick flicks until “Spider-Man” and “Charlie’s Angels” silenced critics. Maybe I’m a sucker for a class act, but I suspect Cook and Jacobson will be at Disney long enough to hit a few more home runs.

“I’m sure Joe Torre didn’t have to tell Derek Jeter that he was 0 for 32,” says Cook. “When the Yankees put on the pinstripes, they expect to win. And we’re the same way -- we’re held to a higher standard and we know it. But you can’t beat yourself up or point fingers. You just have to find a way to win again.”

“The Big Picture” runs every Tuesday in Calendar. If you have questions, ideas or criticism, e-mail them to patrick.goldstein@latimes.