Latest news with #Elemental
The Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Pixar has its worst box-office opening ever with 'Elio'
Pixar knew that Elio (pic), an original space adventure, would most likely struggle in its first weekend at the box office. Animated movies based on original stories have become harder sells in theatres, even for the once-unstoppable Pixar. At a time when streaming services have proliferated and the broader economy is unsettled, families want assurance that spending the money for tickets will be worth it. But the turnout for Elio was worse – much worse – than even Pixar had expected. The film cost at least US$250mil to make and market. It collected an estimated US$21mil from the evening of June 19 to June 22 at theatres in North America, according to Comscore, which compiles box-office data. It was Pixar's worst opening-weekend result. The previous bottom was Elemental , which arrived to US$30mil in 2023. In May, when the Elio marketing campaign began to hit high gear, Pixar and its corporate owner, Disney, had hoped that it would, in the worst-case scenario, match the Elemental number. Instead, it fell 30% short. In wide release overseas, Elio collected an additional US$14mil, on a par with the initial international results for Elemental . Quality did not appear to be a factor. Reviews for Elio were mostly positive, and ticket buyers gave the movie an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 91% positive on June 22. On June 22, Disney said it hoped a broader audience would find Elio over the coming weeks. The company pointed to Elemental , which overcame weak initial sales to ultimately collect nearly US$500mil worldwide. – ©2025 The New York Times Company
CNBC
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNBC
Pixar's 'Elio' is emblematic of a bigger headwind for Hollywood
Disney's Pixar animation studio had its worst opening ever over the weekend — and its problems aren't unique. "Elio," the story of a young boy who is mistakenly identified as Earth's ambassador to the universe, tallied just $21 million in ticket sales during its first three days in theaters, a record low for the studio. The underwhelming performance fits a recent pattern among Pixar's releases. While franchise films have lured in moviegoers, the studio's original fare has had far less success in recent years. Just look at 2023's "Elemental," which brought in the previous lowest-opening haul of $29.6 million, compared to 2024's "Inside Out 2," the studio's second-highest opener at $154.2 million in domestic ticket sales, according to data from Comscore. But, it's not just Pixar that has seen its original storylines fall flat. Disney's other animation arm, Walt Disney Animation, and even rival animation studios within Universal and Paramount, have seen sequels outperform new stories like "Elio" that aren't tied to previous works. This phenomenon has also held across the board with live-action films, as well. "A survey of animated film performance post-pandemic shows that the gap between original [intellectual property] and sequel film performances has grown enormously wide, which is a potential problem for studios looking to grow their IP portfolio," Doug Creutz, analyst at TD Cowen, wrote in a note to investors published Monday. In the wake of the pandemic, studios have sought to deliver films that audiences are already familiar with, including sequels and stories based on books or comics. That's contributed to a flood of franchise content from studios with massive media libraries. Of nearly 30 animated wide releases since 2022, less than a third can be categorized as original, Comscore data shows. Disney has long been an animated feature empire, since its very first title "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937. It's been a dominating force in the industry for decades, with only a few hiccups along the way. Part of that strength came from the acquisition of Pixar in 2006. At the time, Walt Disney Animation was coming off several years of misses — "Treasure Planet," "Brother Bear," "Home on the Range" and "Chicken Little" among them — while Pixar had delivered hit after hit with titles like "Monsters Inc.," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." Over the next decade, the two animation engines churned out popular original films like "Frozen," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Zootopia," "Inside Out" and "Coco." At the same time, Disney began to tap back into successful, well-known stories. However, in the wake of the pandemic, its animation arm, especially Pixar, struggled. With ongoing restrictions and worries about emerging Covid variants, parents kept their kids at home, and Disney sent "Soul," "Luca" and "Turning Red" directly to its newly minted streaming service Disney+. For a while, industry experts blamed this strategy for Disney's inability to lure in audiences to see non-franchise movies in theaters. There were also some who felt the company had become too socially conscious with its storytelling and alienated a segment of potential moviegoers. However, at the same time, competition in the animation industry was on the rise from Universal, Sony, Warner Bros. and Paramount. Families had more content to choose from, not just on the big screen, but at home from streaming services. So, parents became pickier about what titles they'd take their kids to and which ones they'd wait to enter the home market. "Elio" opened on June 20, just weeks after the live-action remakes of Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" and Universal's "How to Train Your Dragon." Those films were still drawing audiences by the time the new Pixar film entered the fray. This heightened competition and the shift in consumer habits has led Hollywood as a whole to rely even more heavily on existing stories with built-in fan bases. "For audiences, sequels are comfort food," said Peter Csathy, chairman of Creative Media. "It's the anti-'Forrest Gump' effect, you always know what you're going to get." The movie industry has long relied on franchise films to drive revenue at the box office, but that trend has expanded exponentially in recent years. Since 2016, no more than five films in the top 20 highest-grossing domestic releases each year have been original titles. In fact, in 2024, none of the top 20 films were original storylines. "For Disney and the other major traditional studios, animation sequels are the one safe bet in a world filled with growing existential threats, as they face forever-altered streaming economics, new big tech Hollywood moguls, and now the great unknown of generative AI," Csathy said. "The media landscape has never been murkier. Wall Street has never been more demanding. So sequels to animation success stories are the one remaining safe haven. Sure bets for a highly unsure time." The saving grace for original fare like "Elio" is the potential for a second wind. The films could still have long runs in theaters, collecting ticket sales in the weeks and months after opening weekend, and thrive on streaming platforms down the line. Belated fandom then opens up further opportunities for future installments, tie-ins or merchandising. Look at "Encanto," which hit theaters during the pandemic. The film had limited theatrical success because it arrived in theaters at a time of great uncertainty around public health safety, but became popular in the home market. So much so, that Disney is incorporating the film in updates its making to its Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida.
Tom's Guide
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
When is 'Elio' coming to streaming? Here's our best guess
"Elio" is another charming family movie from Disney and Pixar, but it's off to a rocky start. The movie sees alien-obsessed 11-year-old Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) being beamed up after being mistakenly identified as Earth's ambassador by a coalition of alien representatives from the "Communiverse." Elio subsequently ends up tangled up in an intergalactic incident. Although it's reviewed well — "Elio" is currently rated 83% from critics and 91% from fans on Rotten Tomatoes — "Elio" brought in just $21 million over its opening domestic weekend. That's Pixar's worst-ever box office opening, and that's a crying shame; as someone who has seen "Elio," this is one of my favorite Pixar releases in recent memory. It deserves to find more fans, and you can read my full "Elio" review to find out why. If you're currently waiting to watch the new family movie at home, we do not yet have a confirmed "Elio" streaming date. However, I've made an educated guess at when the new movie might come to Disney Plus; here's when you might be able to stream "Elio." At the time of writing, the only way to see "Elio" right now is to see it on the big screen. It only hit theaters on June 20, so the wait's only just begun for a streaming date. Plus, unless it doesn't follow the usual pattern, we'll first have to wait for Pixar's latest effort to come to Premium Video-on-Demand (PVOD) storefronts, first. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Being a Disney and Pixar movie, though, we can expect it to stream on Disney Plus when it does become available. Based on the average wait for a new Pixar release, I'm predicting that "Elio" could come to Disney Plus in late September 2025. If I had to guess a specific day, I'd opt for September 24, 2025. That's based on the fact that we typically wait around three months for Disney movies to come to Disney Plus. For example, 2024's megahit "Inside Out 2" hit theaters on June 14 and started streaming on September 25, while "Elemental" dropped on September 13, 2023, after hitting theaters on June 16. Admittedly, given "Elio" isn't exactly doing well at the box office (which is a real shame, it's great), there's always a chance that Disney decides to bring "Elio's" streaming release date forward. Of course, this is all speculation, as we do not have an official "Elio" streaming date at the time of writing. As soon as one's confirmed, though, we'll be sure to share it here, so keep checking back. And if you're looking for Disney Plus suggestions in the meantime, check out our guide to the best movies on Disney Plus for tons more top streaming suggestions.
Business Wire
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Elemental Advanced Materials Closes $20M to Scale Production of Carbon Nanomaterials, Clean Hydrogen, and Recovered Critical Minerals
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elemental Advanced Materials, a leader in low-emission carbon nanomaterials and hydrogen production, today announced the close of a $20 million funding round led by Taranis, a climate technology investment firm. 'Elemental's platform not only reduces carbon intensity and waste but also creates value from discarded resources. That's the kind of circular innovation the world urgently needs," said David Sorin, Managing Director of Taranis. Share The funding will enable Elemental to scale its patented, single-step manufacturing process that converts hydrocarbon-rich waste – such as plastics, tank bottoms, and gas by-products – into high-performance carbon nanomaterials and clean hydrogen. This CO₂e-neutral process also supports the recovery of critical minerals from end-of-life electronics, further contributing to circularity in supply chains. 'Our mission is to transform waste hydrocarbons into high-purity carbon nanomaterials and hydrogen,' said Ian Bishop, President and Co-Founder of Elemental. 'This funding will allow us to scale production and deliver performance materials at the cost, quality, and volume industry demands, while expanding our capabilities to recover critical minerals from e-waste.' Elemental's carbon nanomaterials, including graphene and carbon nano-onions, enhance the performance of batteries, capacitors, and electronics. These materials also increase durability, thermal and electrical conductivity, and EMI shielding of cement, resins, composites and lubricants– while significantly reducing their embedded emissions. 'Taranis backs technologies with the power to bend the industrial emissions curve,' said David Sorin, Managing Director of Taranis. 'Elemental's platform not only reduces carbon intensity and waste but also creates value from discarded resources. That's the kind of circular innovation the world urgently needs.' About Elemental Advanced Materials Elemental is a Houston-based advanced materials company turning waste plastics, gases, and hydrocarbons into high-performance carbon nanomaterials and hydrogen at commercial scale. Its patented, CO₂e-neutral process replaces toxic, resource-intensive legacy systems and supports sustainable industrial innovation. Learn more at About Taranis Taranis is an investment and impact project development entity of the Perenco Group. The mission is to research, finance and operate innovative initiatives in the fields of sustainable energy, carbon management and nature-based solutions. Drawing on Perenco's industrial expertise, Taranis aims to reconcile economic performance and environmental responsibility, while generating a tangible social impact. The investment in Elemental was made through Taranis Carbon Ventures, Taranis' fund investing in breakthrough technologies that accelerate the transition to a sustainable low-carbon future. To learn more, visit
Los Angeles Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Pixar had its worst opening weekend ever with ‘Elio.' What happened?
Aliens may have embraced Elio, but earthbound audiences did not, marking the lowest opening weekend ever for a Pixar film and highlighting the challenges for original animated movies. 'Elio' hauled in $21 million at the box office in the U.S. and Canada through Sunday, according to studio estimates, falling short of Walt Disney Co.-owned Pixar's previous lowest domestic opening, 2023's 'Elemental,' which made $29.6 million in its debut. (1995's 'Toy Story' had a domestic opening weekend total of $29.1 million, not adjusted for inflation, though it was released ahead of Thanksgiving weekend and reached $39 million over that five-day period.) The family-friendly film, which centers on an alien-loving boy who longs for a community that understands him, came in third at the box office behind Universal Pictures' live-action remake 'How to Train Your Dragon,' which maintained its grip on theaters, and Sony Pictures' Danny Boyle-directed horror franchise revival '28 Years Later.' 'Elio' had strong reviews (84% 'fresh' on Rotten Tomatoes), but its soft opening underscores the postpandemic difficulty that original animated films have faced in attracting audiences, analysts said. The movie's performance could also have been hurt by its timing — the film was up against 'How to Train Your Dragon' and the long tail of Disney live-action remake 'Lilo & Stitch.' 'It feels to me that it's a good movie that got lost in the shuffle,' said Eric Handler, media and entertainment analyst at Roth Capital. For families, he said, 'there's only so many summer weekends a year, and you have to pick and choose which movies you do. 'Elio' just got squeezed out.' Marketing may also have played a factor, with analysts noting that audiences may have been unfamiliar with the title, a critical issue especially for an original film with new characters. People grew up with Sonic the Hedgehog long before he got his own movie. A fresh story is a tougher sell with so many entertainment options out there. Disney said in a statement that it was encouraged by the movie's audience and critics' review scores and hopeful 'Elio' would be discovered by families and moviegoers throughout the summer, similar to what happened with 'Elemental.' Despite a disappointing opening-weekend haul, 'Elemental' went on to gross $496 million worldwide, propelled by word-of-mouth reviews. The company also said it would continue to take swings on original animated intellectual property so it wasn't reliant only on sequels and existing franchises. Pixar plans to release another original animated film next year called 'Hoppers,' about technology that helps humans and animals communicate, followed by a 2027 original film called 'Gatto.' It also plans to release 'Toy Story 5' next year. While originals have had a harder time at the box office, animated sequels or films based on existing intellectual property have proved consistent hits. Films like Pixar's 'Inside Out 2,' Disney's 'Moana 2' and Universal's 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' each grossed more than a billion dollars in worldwide box office revenue, with Universal and Illumination Entertainment's 'Despicable Me 4' hauling in $969 million. By contrast, Universal's 2023 original animated film 'Migration' brought in $300 million worldwide. Even the critically acclaimed DreamWorks Animation title 'The Wild Robot,' which is based on a 2016 children's book, grossed $333 million. But industry insiders and analysts have said that focusing solely on sequels and reboots risks making the animation business stale and that fresh stories are necessary for the health of the industry. 'We should celebrate when studios and production companies like Pixar and Disney take their best shot, create a really great movie — an original film — and with everyone decrying the lack of originality out there, at least they went for it,' said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. 'It will certainly be a big winner on Disney+. But there's no sugarcoating the fact that this was an incredibly low opening weekend for a Pixar movie.' Pixar's track record with original animated films was nearly flawless for decades, with the occasional miss such as 2015's 'The Good Dinosaur.' But the box office reception for its latest original films have been muted, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pixar sent three of its original films — 2020's 'Soul,' 2021's 'Luca' and 2022's 'Turning Red' — straight to Disney+ to give families something to watch during the stay-at-home orders. But as the pandemic waned, families were some of the last to return to theaters as they got used to the ease of watching animated movies at home and were concerned about the health implications of enclosed spaces. The reported budget for 'Elio' was between $150 million and $200 million, which compounds the opening-weekend problems for Pixar. That number doesn't include the tens of millions of dollars that go into a global marketing campaign. Studios split box office revenue with theaters. Disney has said animation budgets are higher for Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios films because the work is done in the U.S., as opposed to outsourcing overseas where the work is cheaper. The low opening weekend may not be the end for 'Elio,' even if 'Elemental'-esque box office longevity is not in its future. The fact that 'Elio' had a theatrical release bodes well for its eventual debut on the Disney+ streaming platform since it will benefit from the additional marketing, Dergarabedian said. And 'Elio' could be incorporated into Disney merchandise and theme park events, which could boost its visibility. 'Disney's big enough and broad enough,' he said. ''Elio' will be a well-received film that's absorbed into the Disney ecosystem.'
