Despite earning positive reviews, Pixar’s Elio is not doing well at the box office. According to Deadline, the animated film is projected to gross just $22+ million domestically in its opening weekend. That figure would be a new all-time low debut for a Pixar title that received a traditional theatrical release (three Pixar films this decade were released straight to Disney+ due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Pixar’s previous low for a regular three-day weekend was 2023’s Elemental with $29.6 million. The original Toy Story earned $29.1 million over its first Friday-Sunday, but that film opened on a Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Elio is estimated to open in third place on the weekend charts. Repeating in the top spot should be the How to Train Your Dragon remake, which is projected to earn $35.7 million in its second weekend. It looks like horror sequel 28 Years Later will be in second with a projected $30-31 million debut (a new best for the franchise and director Danny Boyle).
Opening on the heels of the successful How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch, Elio was never expected to be much of a draw at the box office. However, the latest estimates are even lower than what was initially projected. Ahead of the film’s debut, it was pegged to gross about $30 million domestically, which still would have been one of Pixar’s lowest openings but still ahead of Elemental.
Though Elemental rebounded nicely from its soft opening to finish with $496.5 million worldwide, Elio is the latest example of Pixar’s uneven box office track record in the post-pandemic era. Last summer’s Inside Out 2 was a monumental success, becoming the studio’s highest-grossing title ever ($1.6 billion worldwide). On the opposite end of the spectrum is Lightyear, which bombed with $226.4 million globally.
It’s disappointing to see Elio perform so poorly in its debut. The film has been well-received, with many critics praising its stunning visuals and poignant narrative that explores heavy themes of grief and loss. It seems likely that Elio was the victim of poor timing. Coming out so soon after two other high-profile family films likely impacted demand for Pixar’s latest. Hopefully, Elio will be able to replicate Elemental‘s turnaround at the box office. Elio has word of mouth on its side, which ideally will help it hold well in its second weekend. There also isn’t anything notable targeting its core demographic coming out until Smurfs, which debuts in mid-July. So Elio could hold its own even as several major studio tentpoles premiere next month.
Pixar plans to continue making original films. Its next release is Hoppers in March 2026, and the recently announced Gatto premieres in 2027. But a look at these numbers highlights why the studio is interested in making sequels to some of its lucrative properties. Next summer’s Toy Story 5 should be a juggernaut, and Pixar also has the likes of Incredibles 3 and Coco 2 on the way. All of those follow-ups will likely be massive box office draws, but it’s sad that Pixar’s original fare is struggling so much. In the late ’90s and 2000s, Pixar became one of the biggest forces in the film industry by crafting multiple original tales that captivated audiences with their boundless creativity. Pixar’s upcoming sequels should be worthy additions to those respective franchises, but the original films need to start hitting too.
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