Elemental is out in theaters, but you wouldn't know it based on the lack of noise. The latest romantic comedy-drama from Disney's Pixar Animation Studios arrived to favorable reviews last Friday but audiences weren't quite welcoming. While the critics on Rotten Tomatoes thought the film was good enough for a 75% rating and audiences on the same platform gave it a 92% score, the box office tells a different story - a sad one, in fact.
Over its three-day debut weekend, the film only managed to rake in $29.5 million. This is the lowest debut gross of any film in Pixar's history, which is just slightly higher than the first Toy Story, which grossed $29.1 million upon its release.
When you consider that Toy Story was released in 1995 and its box office gross, adjusted for inflation, is more than $50 million, then things look even more grim for Elemental.
Elemental's lackluster performance is bad for the entertainment industry. During a time when many studios are doubling down on franchises and rehashing old material, Pixar is one of the few that has consistently churned out original content.
Given Elemental's struggles, we might see a change in strategy that will see them lean heavily on already established IPs.