Why Pixar’s Elio Deserves More Than Its Box Office Debut

After its release on June 20, 2025, Pixar’s latest original film, Elio, opened to a modest amount at the box office. After the news broke, fans and critics alike have raised concerns about what this means for the future of Pixar, whose films have always been regarded as unique in their ability to connect with and tug at the heartstrings of their viewers. While these conversations continue off social media, it’s essential to note that judging a film’s profitability solely based on its opening weekend box office isn’t always the most accurate formula. Scoring 84% at Rotten Tomatoes, and with Pixar being no stranger to its films experiencing a sort of slow burn at the box office, it wouldn’t be outlandish to say that Elio could still be on the path to success.

Stiff Competition at the Box Office

Elio, while having the luxury of being a Pixar film in its corner, debuted alongside the long-awaited live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon and the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later, which was a sequel to an already successful horror film. Pixar, as a brand, has several franchises under its belt. Still, Elio, being an original concept and not a sequel like Toy Story or The Incredibles franchises, had to compete with two films that already have built-in fan bases. Franchises offer familiarity, as people want to see what happens to the characters and story they’re already familiar with, which creates a sense of longing that will otherwise guarantee sales and influence their performance at the box office.

How to Train Your Dragon also benefited from concentrated campaigns across multimedia platforms. With the original film debuting nearly 15 years ago, nostalgia played a huge role in its success. On the other hand, Elio, although it had its campaigns, adopted a more subdued approach, with some fans stating that they had never even seen a trailer for it until after it had already been released.

Slow Start and Strong Finishes

Looking back, we can see that the film that previously held Pixar’s title for having the lowest opening weekend box office numbers might mean that Elio still has a chance to be a commercial success. Elemental, released in 2023, originally debuted with $29.6 million domestically. Similarly to Elio, people talked about what this meant for the future of Pixar until it went on to earn $496.4 million after it achieved success internationally.

Considering that Pixar has been in this exact position before, and the fact that it happened with their last film, it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Elio might achieve the same trajectory, even if it doesn’t achieve success at the international level.

The Streaming Effect

I don’t need to delve into the economy and its impact on the average American citizen; we see, hear about, and experience it in our everyday lives. The truth of the matter is that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, especially families, have opted to wait for films that will inevitably be released on streaming services like Disney+.

Pixar films like Soul, Turning Red, and Luca all debuted on Disney+, which showed families that theaters and waiting for films to have physical releases were no longer the only options for watching movies they anticipated. With transportation costs, tickets for parents and children, and added concessions, families realize it’s cheaper to stream a film on a service they’re already paying for than to plan an entire outing to see a movie that could easily cost $70 or more.

Even films like Disney’s Encanto found much of it’s success after it’s virality from hit songs like “We don’t talk about Bruno” and “Surface Pressure,” with the latter gaining traction because of streaming, proving that impact doesn’t just exist in the theater.

The Future isn’t Set in Stone

While I prefer original IPs, the average consumer is meticulous when deciding where to spend their hard-earned money. Today, every dollar needs to be accounted for, and some would choose the familiarity of franchises, something that they know they can trust, over something original that they can’t guarantee will need to be prioritized.

Still, despite Elio experiencing an underwhelming opening at the box office, we’ve seen Pixar come out on top time and time again. Expectations for movie theaters have changed over the last five years, and studio executives are aware of this. With a high score from critics for its original story, Elio might be playing the long game for success, but that wouldn’t be anything Pixar isn’t prepared for if films like Elemental serve as any indication.

So often, critics expect films to be successful overnight. Still, in this current market, it might be safer to let films, especially those with original concepts and stories, grow into their success organically. We need to be patient.