It was only last year that several insiders revealed what a turbulent production DreamWorks’Kung Fu Panda 4went through under the leadership of directorMike Mitchell. The movie earned mediocre reviews, but emerged as a box office hit. This year, the self-aware Pixar quietly released the new original filmElio, perhaps preempting trouble. Not too long after itdebuted with a record-low opening weekend haul, people who claimed to have worked on the project toldThe Hollywood Reporterwhat went down behind the scenes.Eliois now nearing the end of its theatrical run, poised to becomethe biggest flop in Pixar’s history.
The movie hasmade only around $130 million at the worldwide box office, against a budget that has been reported to be as high as $200 million. This is a standard figure for Pixar, a company that hasn’t reduced spending to compensate for the industry-altering trends observed in the last five years, even though every competitor has. For instance,Kung Fu Panda 4reportedly cost $80 million to produce, and it made around $550 million worldwide.Elio, however, is hovering around the same range as Pixar’sSoul, whichdidn’t even get a theatrical release domestically, and was barely exhibited overseas. Several of the studio’s films during the pandemicwere pushed onto the Disney+ streaming service, resulting in major losses and layoffs.
Things seemed to improve last year, when Pixar debutedInside Out 2. The movie grossed nearly $1.7 billion worldwide, and, for several months, was the highest-grossing animated film ever made. It was overtaken by the Chinese mega-hitNe Zha 2earlier this year, but Pixar’s grand comeback seemed to have unfolded successfully. UntilEliorolled around. THR quoted insiders as describingthe film’s production as “catastrophic.“They said that thestudio wanted to downplay the film’s queer-centric themes, and enforced changes that eventually led to directorAdrian Molinadeparting. He was replaced byMadeline SharafianandDomee Shi.
Those Who Watched ‘Elio’ Liked It
Despite the issues,Elioopened to positive reviews, however. It’s currently sitting at an 82% score on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, “Catapulted by its theme of building self-esteem, Pixar’s latest cosmic wonderElioboasts a fanciful world of original creations to dazzling effect.“In his review, Collider’sRoss Bonaimewrote that the movie is “proof that Pixar can tell original stories in a way that speaks to a larger audience.” But the studio has made its vision for the next few years very clear. In addition to more original films such asHoppersandGatto, Pixar will releaseToy Story 5,Coco 2, andIncredibles 3. You can watchElioin theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Elio struggles to fit in until he is transported by aliens and becomes the chosen one to be Earth’s galactic ambassador while his mother Olga works on the top secret project to decode alien messages.
