The new Pixar movie “Elio” has faced a disappointing opening weekend at the box office. The film earned just $21 million in ticket sales at domestic theaters from Thursday night through Sunday. This marks the studio’s worst debut in its history.
“Elio” significantly underperformed expectations.
#Elio is "one of the studio's most poignant films". 🤩
See it in theaters & 3D NOW! pic.twitter.com/4NMmw0UpGK
— Pixar (@Pixar) June 23, 2025
Giving the people what they want… BLOOPERS! 🎬
Go see #Elio in theaters & 3D now! pic.twitter.com/wZoB7fs098— Pixar (@Pixar) June 22, 2025
Industry analysts had hoped that the film would at least match the previous low of $30 million set by “Elemental” in 2023. However, “Elio” fell 30 percent short of that figure.
The film managed to garner an additional $14 million in international markets. This is consistent with the initial overseas performance of “Elemental.”
Final opening wknd #boxoffice for #Elio came in a bit below estimates at $20.8M. Lowest EVER for #Pixar and well below its last original toon Elementals ($29.6M). Compared to rival DreamWorks Animation, it's in same range as Turbo ($21.3M) and Abominable ($20.6M).
— Gitesh Pandya (TikTok @gitesh.pandya) (@GiteshPandya) June 23, 2025
“Elio” cost at least $250 million to produce and market. The lackluster performance underscores the growing challenge for studios to draw audiences to theaters for original animated content.
NEW WKND #BoxOffice Chart
▶️ #HowToTrainYourDragon repeats at #1
▶️ 2nd place opening for #28YearsLater
▶️ #Elio sinks to Pixar's lowest debut ever
▶️ TOP 10 did $120.6M, -19% vs last year when Inside Out 2 held at #1NEW WKND chart at: https://t.co/Bddzz9HNCr
— Gitesh Pandya (TikTok @gitesh.pandya) (@GiteshPandya) June 22, 2025
Pixar and its corporate owner, Disney, are now assessing the implications of this underachievement. They must navigate the evolving landscape of cinema in the age of streaming. Pixar veteran Pete Docter has discussed the company’s current struggles in creating new films and franchises.
Elio faces box office struggle
He stressed that Pixar needed to “find out what people want before they know it.
The doctor said the alternative was just feeding audiences “more of what they know.” This would lead to endless sequels. “We’d be making Toy Story 27,” Docter remarked.
“It’s a rough time, and all we can do is try to make movies that I think are led by us. We have to believe in them,” Doctor said. It takes as much work and effort to make something that doesn’t make money as it does for something that does.
And you can’t really plan for this kind of thing. Sometimes you just hit the right little combinations of things.”
“Elio” has received mixed reviews but has not sparked the level of interest among audiences that Pixar had hoped for. This represents a notable shift from the audience’s response to Pixar’s last movie, “Inside Out 2.” That film overperformed expectations and became Disney’s biggest box-office hit ever, netting $1.69 billion.
Aside from the performance of individual films, longer-term trends are affecting the industry. There is lingering audience hesitation due to COVID-19. There is also an expectation that animated movies from that era are quickly becoming available on streaming services.
To mitigate risks, Docter said Pixar was sticking to a rough schedule of one original film followed by a sequel to a past hit. Looking ahead, Pixar’s future slate includes a mix of original ideas and sequels.
