Julie Andrews was every spoonful of sugar about Mary Poppins Returns before it came out -- strongly supporting Emily Blunt, but also staying out of the way so the new Mary Poppins star could shine. But Andrews didn't say much publicly after the movie's 2018 release. What did she think about it? Did she like it?
Well, the Mary Poppins icon recently shared her reaction, and offered up an unprompted defense of Mary Poppins Returns to anyone still complaining it's #NotMyMaryPoppins.
I loved it. Yeah. Look, the first film was made over 50 years ago, 60 years ago. I think it's about time a second one was allowed. But also, this had nothing to do with the first one. It wasn't as if they were repeating the first story. They had umpteen P. L. Travers books of Mary Poppins in the vault. So they had to make a new one.
That's what Julie Andrews said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in answer to a fan's question. Whoopi Goldberg was a fellow guest on the show, and Andy Cohen asked what she thought of the movie. Goldberg hesitated because, as she said, Julie Andrews is always going to be Mary Poppins to her. However, she appreciated that now kids can watch both movies, and in another 30 years there will be another movie. Julie Andrews really liked that idea:
There will, I hope.
So Julie Andrews loved Mary Poppins Returns and hopes we get another movie in 30 years, or whatever. Every generation gets another Mary Poppins! Why not? Fans often have knee-jerk reactions to things based on their own treasured childhood experiences -- just ask many Star Wars fans -- and that can lead to an aversion to change.
But this new generation of young'uns can watch both Julie Andrews' classic and also enjoy some of the new songs in Mary Poppins Returns. And maybe, just maybe, families can even be inspired to read the eight children's books by P.L. Travers to get a full picture of the author's version of Mary Poppins.
Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall sounded open to returning for another Mary Poppins movie, and probably sooner than 30 years from now. Emily Blunt also said she'd love to play Mary Poppins again.
However, while Mary Poppins Returns was generally well-received, it wasn't a huge blockbuster, and it remains to be seen if Disney would want to invest in another movie from the current team.
Mary Poppins Returns got mostly good reviews from critics and it has a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 65% from 6,888 users. It got a CinemaScore of A- from moviegoers who were polled on opening night. The Disney movie made $349,537,494 worldwide, per Box Office Mojo, which isn't exactly a blockbuster. That money was a pretty even split between domestic and foreign and probably not quite what Disney was hoping for.
Mary Poppins Returns was expected to be one of Christmas 2018's major hits, and instead it was pretty much washed away by Aquaman -- which, ironically, co-starred Julie Andrews. Watch the full clip of her Mary Poppins discussion:
Now that almost a year has passed, what are your thoughts on Mary Poppins Returns? Would you like to see another Mary Poppins movie? If so, soon-ish, or would you rather Disney wait several years?
