Pixar President Explains Why Elemental's Box-Office Success Has Finally Sparked

"Elemental" is finally flaming up at the box office.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented time for cinemas, forcing multiplexes around the world to shutter their doors. In a bid to boost engagement on their newly launched streaming services, several studios like Disney, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. decided to forgo theatrical releases for a number of their blockbusters in favor of streaming debuts. It was a move that made sense at the time, forcing studios to confront the shifting reality of the theatrical landscape and the uncertainty that the pandemic brought. Disney aggressively focused on this strategy, sending projects like Pixar's jazz-focused "Soul," the comedy "Luca," and the coming-of-age flick "Turning Red" to Disney+, among others. While this managerial decision certainly boosted Disney+'s clout among Pixar fans and parents eager to occupy their children, the move seemed short sighted. 

With theatres open around the world and audiences eager to return to cinemas, Pixar gave "Lightyear" the theatrical green light, only to have the "Toy Story" spin-off crash and burn with a $218 million global gross against a budget of $200 million, per Reuters. Pixar's diminishing clout and goodwill seemed to impact "Elemental" as well, which debuted to a $29 million in mid June. Thanks to positive word of mouth, the film has grossed over $140 million domestically and boasts a worldwide cume north of $420 million, making it a modest hit for the animated juggernaut, signalling that Pixar isn't out of the animated race yet. 

For Pixar President Jim Morris, it's the engaging narrative of "Elemental" that has animation fans filling up cinema halls months after its initial release. "It's rare you have an animated film that's a love story," Morris told Variety. "It has an immigration story, which is fundamentally American, but speaks to people in other cultures as well." 

Pixar President Jim Morris isn't wrong when he says that "Elemental" has broad, international appeal. The animated film has grossed over $275 million in foreign markets, thanks in part to key territories like Asia. The film has done exceptionally well in South Korea, where it's on track to gross over $50 million. China, which has largely remained indifferent towards American blockbusters, showed up with a $15 million gross. Countries like Mexico, France, and Brazil also boast totals north of $15 million, making "Elemental" a true worldwide crowdpleaser. 

While Morris and the brass at Pixar were certainly disappointed by the film's opening weekend numbers, it became clear that the audiences were willing to give the romantic-comedy a chance. "The numbers were falling off so little," the Pixar boss told Variety. "In some markets, it would be a 12% drop from the week before and we had a handful of markets where [ticket sales] were rising. You just don't see that in this day and age." "Elemental" opened alongside "The Flash," a film that largely fizzled at the box office after a modest debut — the DC flick has a domestic total just barely over $105 million. 

While "Elemental" isn't the billion-dollar grosser that Pixar became accustomed to pre-pandemic, the Peter Sohn-directed flick is profitable for the company. "We have a lot of different revenue streams, but at the box office we're looking at now, it should do better than break even theatrically," Morris confirmed. "And then we have revenue from streaming, theme parks and consumer products. This will certainly be a profitable film for the Disney company," Morris said, before adding his hopes that the film touches $460 million worldwide before bowing out of cinemas. 

While Pixar seems to be happy with "Elemental" and its comeback story at the box office, it's important to note that it boasts some of the lowest receipts this year for a blockbuster animated production. Illumination and Universal Pictures' "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" stands tall with a global gross of over $1.3 billion, while Sony Picture Animation's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" boasts a global total shy of $700 million. Despite barely cracking the domestic top 10 for the summer ("Elemental" is in tenth place, just ahead of "Fast X" and "The Flash), Pixar's latest is proving that Disney is going in the right direction with its theatrical first approach. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney conditioned audiences and families around the world to expect the latest blockbuster releases on Disney+. Pixar head honcho Peter Docter said as much in a separate chat with Variety in early June, saying that the company "trained audiences that these films will be available for [them] on Disney+." Illumination, meanwhile, saved "Minions : The Rise of Gru" for a theatrical debut. 

After the mediocre debut "Elemental" had in June, Disney could have easily dumped the film on Disney+. Instead, it decided to have faith in its film, and allowed audiences to slowly discover it, resulting in profitably. Now, the film is on track to have its digital debut on August 15, when audiences can either rent or purchase the film on their favorite platform, implying that a Disney+ release is a few ways away. With "Elemental," Disney and Pixar should learn the importance of patience in a crowded theatrical market. Pundits should also remain skeptical when a film debuts poorly. After all, "Elemental" proves that even the best films can move past opening weekend woes.