Many criticized Disney’s former Bob Chapek regime for training families to watch Pixar films in the comfort of their own living rooms versus promoting the theatrical experience.

and other select major markets, even though the box office was in recovery mode by the time Turning Red came out. The next three Pixar films - 2020’s Oscar-winning Soul, 2021’s Luca and 2022’s Turning Red - were sent straight to Disney+ in the U.S. The film limped to a global gross of $133.4 million as theaters began shutting down en masse. Then, just as the crisis struck overseas and in the U.S., Pixar and Disney launched Onward in theaters in early March 2020. The Incredibles 2 (2018) and Toy Story 4 (2019) both ultimately topped $1 billion. 'Elemental' Team on Pixar Films Returning to Theaters: 'It's Disappointing When People Watch Them on iPhones'īefore the pandemic, such an opening for a new Pixar title would have been hard to imagine. (There were plenty of negative headlines when 2007’s Ratatouille opened to $47 million, but the naysayers were proven wrong when the pic transformed into a box office sensation.) Only a handful of Disney’s releases have debuted to less than $50 million. Additionally, the movie is tracking to soft numbers, just $37 million to $38 million over the June 16-18 opening weekend, which it shares with Warner Bros.’ The Flash. Among early reviews, the title has an underwhelming 64 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a low number for Pixar. Now, Pixar faces a major test of brand strength as it prepares to unveil Elemental, its first original theatrical feature since COVID-19 hit.ĭirected by Peter Sohn, the film is based on an original story set in a world where fire, water, earth and air residents live together.

After one of the most impressive winning streaks in Hollywood history, Pixar has seen its fortunes reversed in recent years, with last year’s flop Lightyear and a pandemic-era policy of sending its features straight to streaming at Disney+.

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