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While Disney had a good Q2 with the release of Lilo & Stitch, they were not as successful with Elio. Made by the major animation branch Pixar, the original movie focuses on the titular space-obsessed little boy who finds himself on an intergalactic adventure wherein he must befriend alien life forms.
Elio was the first Pixar movie released since Inside Out 2 came out last year, but the first non-sequel Pixar film since Elemental in 2023. This created a lot of pressure, as Elemental underperformed at first before eventually making a comeback, whereas Inside Out 2 was record-setting at the box office.
Elio‘s performance opened to just $20.8 million, setting a Pixar record for the lowest debut opening, and has made only $130.2 million worldwide. So far, the film has made less than its estimated $150 million budget, but its potential to hit a negative box office record makes its future look pretty grim.
Elio Will Be Pixar’s Lowest-Grossing Movie Worldwide That Got A Full Theatrical Release
Onward Was Cut Off By COVID
Elio is not actually Pixar’s lowest-grossing movie worldwide. The film Onward made only $61.5 million domestically, which Elio has already passed at $69 million. The 2025 film will likely beat out Onward on a worldwide scale, as it has just over $11 million to go.
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This does not tell the full story of Onward, however. Onward was released in early March 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world. As such, it only played in theaters for 11 days before an eventual pause.
For this reason, Onward did not have a full theatrical release. The film beat out Elio‘s opening weekend, and, as such, would have earned a larger sum if it had been able to be in theaters for a longer period.
It’s also worth noting that Pixar did release its straight-to-Disney+ movies, including Luca, Turning Red, and Soul, to theaters. None of these made a major box office splash, but they do not count against the studio’s theatrical releases, as they were intended to be Disney+ films.
That said, it is looking nearly certain that Elio will become Pixar’s lowest-grossing movie of all time among those with full theatrical releases. Even The Good Dinosaur, which is widely considered one of the animation group’s weakest films, made over $332 million worldwide.
This is not a good sign for Pixar’s future. While they have a near-sure success next June with Toy Story 5, Pixar’s next release is another original movie, Hoppers. Elio could set Pixar on a bad trend when it comes to original films, and that is not a good path to go down.
