Without a doubt, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been one of the best films this year. The Sony production is loved by critics and audiences alike, so much so that it has a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating and grossed almost $700 million during its theatrical run. However, Pixar's Elemental has dethroned the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. 

What's more, it did so after a slow start. Even though critics rated the film well, it opened below projections and had one of the worst ever debuts for a Pixar movie. Some of us thought it was headed for the rocks, like recent Disney releases.

Yet, thanks of good word of mouth, the film's fortunes changed and it became a bonafide box office hit. Even then, we would never have thought Elemental could compete with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on any front, let alone win. However, that is exactly what has happened.

According to data from The Numbers, Elemental has now surpassed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's gross at the international box office. Over the past weekend, Elemental's international take climbed to $307.1 million. Meanwhile, Across the Spider-Verse could "only" manage $302.1 million on the international front during its run.

Overall, Across the Spider-Verse stays ahead. That film has grossed $380.9 million at the domestic box office to Elemental's $151.1 million. And this late into its run, Elemental has no chance of catching up to Across the Spider-Verse's total gross.

Elemental's producers won't be too bothered, though. Even though the film is not a massive box office hit, it has been a huge success. For one, its $458.2 million gross means it will turn a profit, albeit a modest one, despite its $200 million production cost.

With its total gross, Elemental is now the highest-grossing original Hollywood film since the pandemic. So, the film is also a success because it proves that audiences are interested in original stories and will troop to theaters to watch them.

Because of this, studios will naturally invest more in original content than they have done in recent years. Ironically at the same time Sony recently announced it was postponing Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse indefinitely. Originals-Sequels, 1-0. 

The film will be the final installment of the Spider-Man series and was slated for release next year. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes that have brought the industry to its knees and this left Sony with no choice but to delay the film.

Elemental is still showing in theaters across the world. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has ended its theatrical run but it is currently available via digital download.