There's still hope for the Jonas boys

A little over a year ago, every individual over the age of 16 – excluding parents of tweens – had probably never heard of a young Disney actress by the name of Miley Cyrus who doubles up as a pop-star in disguise in her television show, Hannah Montana.

Fast forward 14 months, endless tabloid column inches about her private life, and yes, that oh-so-shocking Vanity Fair photoshoot, and the 16-year-old is one of the richest kids on the planet; worth $25 million (Dh91.8m).

That's all thanks to the hype around her concert movie, Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds, released after her 70-date United States tour sold out in record time, leaving legions of screaming girls (and boys) scrambling for tickets.

Rather than have Cyrus extend the tour, Disney's Buena Vista came up with the genius idea of releasing the concert as a film that fans could go to over and over again for less than half the price.

The result? Over $70m in global ticket sales, a ton of merchandise, and a very happy Mickey Mouse running to the bank.

This month, Disney is back on the bandwagon with its second tween magnet, the clean-cut Jonas Brothers and their concert film, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. Unfortunately, due to the lack of Imax theatres in the UAE, the 3D has been dropped from the title and many cinemas are showing it as a normal film. No fun.

With the Bros' immense popularity in the US, you'd be forgiven for thinking their film did even better than Cyrus's. On the contrary – it tanked spectacularly.

It has made $19.7m to date, nothing compared to the $32m Montana made in its opening weekend.

To rub salt into the wound, Cyrus's film actually opened in less theatres in the US than the Jonas'.

But the trio isn't fazed. In a recent interview with America's Star Tribune, Joe Jonas (the middle brother with the straight hair) put it in perspective: "At first, you think it's not doing as well as, but then you look back and be thankful," he said.

"It's the second-highest grossing concert film of all time and that's one of the most amazing achievements."

Actually JJ, you should get your facts straight. Irish band U2's 3D movie, which premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival and went on general release last month, has made $20.6m so far. And Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones film, Stones: Shine a Light is not far behind; a respectable fourth place with $15.8m.

So has Disney lost its magical touch, are people sick of tween idols, or can parents not afford going out as much due to the credit crunch?

That's yet to be determined, but with concert tickets ranging from $29.50 to $89.50, and the unfavourable odds of these bands making it to the UAE anytime soon, chances are these movies will still make money in the region.

And considering there is even an online petition for the Jonas Brothers to come to perform in the UAE, there's still plenty of cash to be made. That'll give Joe something to smile about.

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