Disney Executives Had Hope In ‘Elemental’
When Elemental opened to less than $30 million in mid-June, box-office analysts and pundits were quick to call it another Pixar flop.
With a $200 million budget, the idea that the film could somehow be profitable seemed like a fairy tale in and of itself.
Photo: Pixar
A Comeback Story
Now, over five weeks after its debut, Elemental has shown what films are capable of once they find their audience, and the animated love story is now bearing down on $150 million in the United States. That means, the film will have earned five times its opening-weekend total, something no Pixar movie has done since Toy Story.
Overseas, Elemental has proven to be a winner. The film will cross the $400 million barrier this week when it finally opens in Japan on August 4. That would put the film in line for a projected run of $430 million.
Photo: Disney/Pixar
Tony Chambers, Disney’s head of theatrical distribution, admitted that the opening-weekend numbers for Elemental were disappointing, but he also saw signs of life. Audience scores for the film were overwhelmingly positive, and the film had no real animated competition for weeks.
“There was no way of sugarcoating a $30 million opening,” Chambers told CNN, while adding, “We knew the audiences loved it. … We’re seeing much longer legs on movies if the audience scores are good.”
More Value than Just Box Office Success
While both Disney and Pixar executives tried to explain the importance of seeing the film in theaters, Elemental began to gain momentum.
“We’re trying to make sure people realize there’s a great deal you’re missing by not seeing it on the big screen,” Pete Docter told Variety.
Photo: totallythebomb.com
For Disney, the value of a film like Elemental doesn’t begin and end with profitability. Disney knows that it will later be able to use Elemental to drive traffic to Disney+, sell merchandise, and even perhaps provide characters for theme parks.
“We more than anyone can leverage our theatrical IP across all the various lines of business,” Chambers said. “We never look at it solely through the eyes of just box office.”
Photo: Disney/Pixar
In Elemental, Disney and Pixar finally had a film that could turn all the doomsday predictions into hot air.
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