Pixar’s “Elio” is expected to have a low opening weekend box office, reflecting the studio’s troubles with original films — but don’t count it out yet.
‘Elio’ Box Office
“Elio” is on track to have an opening weekend similar to that of “Elemental.” The 2023 Pixar film debuted at $29.5 million domestically. According to Deadline, advance ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada for “Elio” are about $1 million, and the film is expected to debut domestically at $20 million, with an additional $30 million internationally.
“Elemental,” however, had a strong comeback thanks to word of mouth, ultimately grossing $154.4 million domestically and a total of $496.4 million worldwide. It’s not the record-breaking $1.7 billion of “Inside Out 2,” but it’s not a flop either. The budget for “Elemental” was approximately $200 million. The budget for “Elio” is somewhere between $150 and $200 million.
“Elio” has better reviews than “Elemental” so far, sitting at 82% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes versus the 73% of “Elemental.” It’s possible “Elio” will have a slow opening but will pick up in later weeks.
Like “Elemental,” “Elio” is an original story. These haven’t proven big hits for Pixar since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pixar’s recent original films “Onward” (2020), “Soul” (2020), “Luca” (2021), and “Turning Red” (2022) were all significantly affected at the box office due to closed theaters and streaming releases. Since then, it’s become clear audiences are more likely to shell out for tickets to familiar franchises instead of something brand new, even if they say they’d prefer the latter.
That said, “Toy Story” spinoff “Lightyear” grossed only $226.4 million with a wide theatrical release in 2022. The film was censored in some countries because of a same-sex kiss.
“You need to be launching new franchises to keep the pipeline fresh,” Doug Creutz, senior media and entertainment analyst at TD Cowen, told the Los Angeles Times. “Since the pandemic ended, original animated films have just been getting killed at the box office … no matter how good they are.”
In an emailed statement to the LA Times, Pixar CCO Pete Docter said:
You wouldn’t have Pixar without ‘Toy Story,’ our first original film 30 years ago! And while we also love digging into new layers of familiar worlds and characters through our sequels, I’d say there’s a unique thrill in unearthing a new story.
We think audiences love originals too. Sure, it might be a bit harder nowadays to break through all the noise out there, but if we do our jobs, and create something that people will love, we trust that audiences will show up.
“Elio” will be followed by another original story, “Hoppers,” in March 2026, then “Toy Story 5” that June, and original “Gatto” in 2027. “Incredibles 3” and “Coco 2” are both in the works. It looks like Pixar is hoping a balance of original films and sequels will propel them forward.
“Elio” is in theaters on June 20, 2025. It’s directed by Madeline Sharafian (“Burrow” short film), Domee Shi (“Turning Red”), and Adrian Molina (“Coco”).
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.