Critics and audiences devoted to box office numbers quickly wrote off Disney/ Pixar’s newest animated film Elemental after the movie had an underwhelming opening weekend. In fact, Elemental had one of the worst opening weekends in Pixar history, leading writers like me fearing Disney/Pixar had lost its spark. However, it’s a true Pixar-like underdog story regarding Elemental‘s box office numbers in the end.
Since the film hit theaters in mid-June, The Walt Disney Company reports Elemental has made five times its domestic box office of $30 million. Disney notes that this is “so rare that no Pixar movie has had a multiple that high since the one that started it all: 1995’s Toy Story.” Globally, Elemental has made over $420 million.
Disney’s EVP of Theatrical Distribution, Tony Chambers, noted the lackluster opening weekend but felt “really pleased that audiences have discovered what a great movie it is.”
Elemental‘s Slow Burn to Success and International Boost
Directed by Peter Sohn and modeled after his life growing up in an immigrant family, Elemental stars the voice talents of Leah Lewis as Ember and Mamoudou Athie as Wade. Here’s how The Walt Disney Company thinks Elemental achieved its slow burn:
Many of the highest-grossing animated films in recent years have been sequels or based on established franchises. Elemental is the first original animated film from any studio to reach the $400 million mark since 2017.
It’s been a hit with moviegoers with a 93% audience score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and it carries an “A” CinemaScore, which undoubtedly led to strong word of mouth. It’s also been a solid choice for moviegoers of all ages during a summer in which family films have been hard to find.
Lastly, international audiences were big fans of the film! Mexico, France, and the UK all pulled big numbers, but South Korea alone hit $48 million. That translates to “one out of every eight people in Korea have seen it.” Elemental is the most-viewed Pixar film that country, estimating “6 million admissions.”
While big opening weekends may get the headlines, Elemental shows that a true box office success story is about how a film finishes rather than where it begins.
Disney has released an article on the box office performance of ‘ELEMENTAL’:
“While big opening weekends may get the headlines, Elemental shows that a true box office success story is about how a film finishes rather than where it begins.” pic.twitter.com/2vxp8BnpAT
— Disney Animation Promos (@DisneyAPromos) August 7, 2023
Tony Chambers continues,
Recently it’s been more challenging for original animated and live action IP to break through. But you can’t create a franchise without taking a swing, and no other studio has taken more swings than Disney.
What are your thoughts? Have you seen Elemental in theaters, or are you waiting for it to hit Disney Plus? Tell us your opinion of Ember and Wade’s adventures in Element City and which element you’re most like!