The John Carter story is funny. Originally it was titled John Carter of Mars, a more useful title by far. But then Mars Needs Moms bombed. And Disney for whatever reason decided the movie going public wasn’t into Mars, so they dropped that from John Carter’s title, and generified the trailer. And it bombed too.
Part of the issue as well, is that the general populous didn't know it was based on a highly popular series 'Princess of Mars' - so the name John Carter meant nothing to them. Not knowing what a movie is about on a title that is just a name, is going to cost you money at the box office.
FWIW, I watched the “Tracy Lords” remake and to say it was a disaster would be an understatement.
They tried to be too literal. Because we now know that Mars would not support intelligent life as it currently exists, they decided to make it a planet we named “mars” that orbits a distant star, and inject technology into the story to get the guy there.
John Carter is a real sleeper. Awesome story. Great special effects, acting, cinemetography, etc. I really enjoyed it. And the “dog” is a hoot!
Don’t forget Mars Needs Women.