Hollywood, we have a problem.
Pixar Animation Studios, one of its most reliable cash cows over the last 30 years, has been sputtering lately when it comes to original movies.
The latest example is “Elio,” a sci-fi-fueled tearjerker about a young boy who is obsessed with being abducted by aliens. It didn’t just underperform at the box office this weekend; it wound up being Pixar’s worst opening weekend ever, taking in $21 million domestically and $14 million overseas for a paltry $35 million globally.
The beloved animation house under the Disney umbrella was given all the tools for “Elio” to find success: a healthy $150 million budget and a release on over 3,700 screens. But by Sunday, it had landed in a disappointing third place at the box office, with Sony’s zombie horror “28 Years Later” coming in second and Universal’s live-action remake “How to Train Your Dragon” coming in first for the second weekend straight.
“The truth is, Pixar has had a difficult time launching original films lately, as sequels have been all the rage,” Jeff Bock, the senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider.
Pixar was in the same spot around this time two years ago, when its original title, “Elemental,” bombed at the box office, opening in June 2023 to $29.6 million domestically, then the lowest opening ever for Pixar.
That film’s poor performance was blamed on audiences being programmed to stay home to see Pixar titles, as previous releases like “Luca” and “Turning Red” went straight to Disney+ instead of theaters.
That’s no longer the chatter these days, as Pixar’s big release last year, “Inside Out 2,” wasn’t just a colossal box office sensation — it took in over $1 billion globally during its theatrical run — but showed that what audiences really want from Pixar are sequels to their beloved legacy IP.
“Expect many more Roman numerals in the near future from Pixar, as nostalgia has never been more lucrative for studios,” Block said.
It’s looking like Pixar will oblige, as the Disney release calendar already has “Toy Story 5” coming in 2026 and “Incredibles 3” in the works.
But all isn’t lost for original releases like “Elio.”
“From my perspective, ‘Elio’ performed in line with our expectations this weekend,” Russell Vannorsdel, president of the Iowa-based chain Fridley Theatres, told Business Insider.
“Pixar titles often have legs at the box office,” he continued. “Even if the opening weekend isn’t massive, these films tend to build momentum over time and finish with impressive final grosses. ‘Elemental’ is a great recent example.”
Despite the low opening for “Elemental,” it held strong through the summer of 2023, grossing close to $500 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run. Vannorsdel said he won’t be surprised if word of mouth and loyalty to the Pixar brand will lead “Elio” on a similar trajectory this summer.
And Pixar isn’t stopping with the original films.
Its next release is “Hoppers,” which will be released in March. The film follows a young girl who transfers her consciousness into a robot beaver to go undercover in the animal kingdom.
At least it’s not set in space, which seems to be Disney/Pixar’s Achilles’ heel of late. Before “Elio,” both “Strange World” and “Lightyear” fell flat with audiences when they were released in 2022.
“Expect Disney to abort all future launches,” Bock said of Disney/Pixar’s plans for films in the sci-fi genre. “Unless it’s a sequel to ‘WALL-E,’ of course.”
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