Disney Has A Pixar Problem
Disney has a Pixar problem on their hands.
After a couple years of releasing films straight to Disney+, Pixar returned to the box office last year with the disastrous “Lightyear”.
The Toy Story spinoff failed to launch, bringing in a measly $226.4 million on a $200 million budget.
Whether Lightyear’s failure was due to the controversy surrounding the film, its convoluted premise, or perhaps the lack of Tim Allen, the film was not the triumphant return that Pixar was hoping for.
Looking to lick their wounds and get back on track, the studio turned its attention to its next film, “Elemental”, which is set to open this Friday.
“Elemental” Heading Towards Disaster
The upcoming film is set in Elemental City, a fictional location where fire, water, earth and air residents live together. It tells the story of, Ember, a young fire element, and Wade, a water element, fall in love despite their obvious differences.
Disney and Pixar have pulled out all the stops in the lead up to the film’s release, even having “Elemental” close out the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
Despite their best efforts however, “Elemental” looks like it is heading for a disastrous opening weekend.
According to the latest tracking numbers, “Elemental” is on pace for a $35 million opening. That number would rival 2015’s “The Good Dinosaur” ($39 million) and 2020’s “Onward” ($39 million at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) as the worst openings in modern Pixar history.
What Next?
Following the disastrous results at the box office for both “Lightyear” and Disney’s “Strange World”, Disney and Pixar brass often stated that in a post-pandemic world, audiences were not returning for family films.
These arguments have since been thoroughly disproved by the success of Universal releases “Minions: Rise of Gru”, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”.
Instead, Disney is going to have to take an introspective look at what films it is producing, and what their target audience is.
In recent years, the studio’s once reliable triumvirate of Marvel, Pixar, and live-action remakes has begun to crumble.
For now, Disney will likely focus on November’s “Wish” to turn things around.
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