Summary

Elio struggled at the box office, marking a trend of Pixar's original films underperforming.
Despite box office woes, critics and fans rated Elio positively for its quality.
Pixar needs to improve marketing strategies for original films to bridge the gap between quality and box office success.

Pixar has been seen as the pinnacle of the animation industry ever since it burst onto the scene in 1995 with the release of Toy Story, and they haven't stopped producing cutting-edge, state-of-the-art movies ever since. They have won countless awards and dominated the box office with films such as Inside Out, The Incredibles, and Cars, but recent years haven't been as kind to the company.

Pixar's levels of success have diminished, and their latest release is a perfect example of how far they have fallen from a box office perspective. However, that doesn't mean that Pixar has dropped off in terms of quality, with the franchise remaining the best in class when it comes to providing emotion and story-driven content together in a manner that appeals to people of all ages.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

Elio Has Struggled Massively At The Box Office

Pixar Fans and Critics Are Still Rating Elio High In Terms Of Quality

Elio is the latest offering from Pixar, which has seen the studio return to creating fresh, original stories and content without being attached to intellectual property, as so many films are today. However, it delivered Pixar's worst-ever box office return for an opening weekend, with the $35 million return being the lowest the studio has ever received. It's a worrying situation for Pixar because box office disasters such as this cannot be sustained long-term, regardless of how well-established and respected a studio is.

Even though Elio wasn't a hit at the box office on opening weekend, the film performed well in reviews. Those who have seen Elio have given positive feedback on it, with the movie boasting an impressive 86% on Rotten Tomatoes right now, which is a strong score. Even though many Pixar films do trump that, this rating proves Elio is a quality movie that people would enjoy if they were willing to give it a chance. That might end up being Elio's saving grace because if word of mouth is strong enough, people might be convinced to give the film a chance, which could be vital for Pixar.

Elio Continues Pixar's Running Theme Of Box Office Failures

Pixar Is Struggling To Make Original Content Work

Unfortunately for Pixar, Elio's box office results continue a trend of original films struggling at the box office. Movies such as Luca, Elemental, and The Good Dinosaur all fell below expectations, which is creating a long-running trend that the studio needs to escape. Pixar was notorious for creating outside-of-the-box ideas that audiences would be desperate to see, yet nowadays, when they attempt to do that, it feels like the interest simply doesn't exist. This is why Pixar continues to go back to franchises they know that work, which is why movies like The Incredibles 3 are currently being made. Fans do want to see more from those beloved characters, but Pixar must blend it with new films that are able to prop up the studio and move it forward in the long run.

Pixar Needs To Find Stronger Marketing To Bridge The Gap Between Quality And Box Office Results

Pixar Needs To Find Its Way To Another Golden Period

Ember Lumen and Wade Ripple smiling in Elemental

One of the big problems Pixar is dealing with is in regards to its marketing. It is easy to sell people on the idea of a new Toy Story movie as all they have to do is flash a picture of Woody returning, and people are excited and booking tickets. However, more work needs to be put into showcasing that these original ideas, such as The Good Dinosaur and Elio, are equally as interesting and compelling. Pixar hasn't pushed these movies in the same way that they did for Up or Inside Out, and despite being on similar levels of quality, the results have been telling. The fact that Pixar opted to release Elio around the same time as How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch is a massive mistake, as two huge franchises are dominating the family-friendly market. These are all marketing decisions that could be improved upon, which would give future Pixar movies a better opportunity to succeed.

Pixar's decision to delay Elio also didn't help, as the original teaser was released in June 2023. Making fans wait two years will always be a tough sell, and the fact that there were changes made to the movie also didn't help matters. With fans now having the option to sit back and wait for the Disney Plus release, Pixar has to work even harder than normal to deliver something exciting with the right level of promotion to ensure that audiences are captivated and want to see films immediately. This is true for original movies like Elio or future legacy sequels like Toy Story 5. Pixar needs to start driving the franchise forward to enter another golden period because a long run of box office flops could prove to have a disastrous impact.

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