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Pixar's CCO, Pete Docter, recently discussed why Elemental struggled at the box office early and how he blamed Disney+.
When Elemental landed in theaters in June, it did so with a flop. The animated feature was the worst-performing opening in the studio's history, according to Cartoon Brew.
Docter mentioned that a streaming-focused release plan at the beginning of Disney+ caused long-term damage to the theatrical prospects. Disney is the parent company and distributor of Pixar.
He vented that Disney was hoping to grow subscribing numbers to their streaming platform and, in return, is way too eager to release there instead of strictly in theaters, as he talked about in a recent New York Times piece.
So far, three consecutive Pixar films bypassed theaters and went immediately to Disney+. They include Soul, Luca, and Turning Red.
Pete Docter on Elemental opening and Disney+
“There has been an overall shift in viewing habits as a result of the pandemic, but it's also specific to Disney+,” the CCO said.
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He added, “We've told people, ‘Hey, all of this is going to be available to you on Disney+!”
Luckily, Elemental eventually became a hit, earning close to $500 million worldwide.
“I always felt that Elemental would speak to a lot of people, and I'm so happy it has,” he said. “But we have also taken another look at the projects we're working on now. What are the kinds of films we want to be making? I really think I want to double down on what allowed us to speak to audiences to begin with.”
We'll see if the flop, then success, of Elemental will change how new Pixar movies are released in the future. After all, when it comes to releasing films, there are a lot of elements to it all.
