Disney has quietly pulled the planned January 7 release of Ella McCay in France after the 20th Century Studios film struggled to find an audience in the United States. The movie, described as a political comedy drama, had a production budget of about $35 million but earned only around $4 million at the U.S. box office. With numbers that low, it’s not surprising Disney decided to cancel the international rollout.

The studio hasn’t offered an official reason for the cancellation, but the poor ticket sales are likely to blame. When a film performs this badly at home, it rarely does well overseas. That logic seems to be guiding Disney’s latest move.

World of Reel reported that “After 15 years away from directing, Ella McCay marked the return of James L. Brooks—once a great filmmaker who has had his latest film outright panned by critics. The film, currently in U.S. theaters, has just had its January 7 release canceled in France by Disney.”

Brooks wrote and directed the film, which stars Emma Mackey as the lead character. The cast also includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Spike Fearn, Julie Kavner, Rebecca Hall, Albert Brooks, and Woody Harrelson. On paper, that’s a strong lineup. But strong talent doesn’t always mean a film will connect with audiences.

From the start, Ella McCay faced an uphill battle. The trailers made it look flat and overly sentimental, and the marketing didn’t seem sure what kind of movie it wanted to sell — not quite political satire, not quite romantic drama. Viewers who might have been curious about Brooks’s return after 15 years likely found little to draw them in. The result was a quiet box office collapse and a quick retreat from further releases.

Disney’s decision to cancel the French release suggests the studio is cutting its losses. Many viewers who saw the early promotion called the movie “unappealing” or “out of touch,” and the box office numbers confirm they mostly stayed away. Whether Brooks will try again after this disappointment remains to be seen, but for now, Ella McCay will go down as one of Disney’s most forgettable experiments in years.

Luckily they stilhave Avatar: Fire and Ash to save their bottom line.

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