Pixar’s Pandemic Streaming Hits Coming To Theaters Amid Disney Box Office Woes

Topline

A handful of Disney Pixar movies that were released exclusively on the streaming platform Disney+ during the Covid-19 pandemic will retroactively play in theaters nationwide next year, the company announced Tuesday.

Key Facts

Key Background

Pixar movies have returned to more traditional theatrical releases following streaming-only launches during the pandemic, but recent titles have struggled at the box office.“Elemental,” released in June, had one of the lowest-performing opening weekends in Pixar history when it brought in $29.6 million in domestic sales, according to Box Office Mojo. “Elemental” had the lowest three-day weekend debut for a Pixar film since “Toy Story,” which premiered in 1995 in fewer theaters than “Elemental” and grossed $29.1 million without adjusting for inflation, data from Box Office Mojo shows. “Onward,” a Pixar film released a few weeks before the start of the pandemic, also struggled at the box office, bringing in $39.1 million in its opening weekend in theaters, according to Box Office Mojo. Pixar films were hugely successful at the box office in years prior, including “The Incredibles 2” which brought in $182.7 million in its opening weekend in 2018, “Toy Story 4,” which brought in $120.9 million in its opening weekend in 2019, and “Finding Nemo,” which brought in $70.3 million in 2003.

Tangent

It’s not just Pixar movies that are struggling for Disney at the box office. Disney’s “Wish,” which opened last month, fell well below projections and grossed $19.5 million in its three-day domestic opening weekend. In the days before the film’s premiere, Deadline and Variety projected the five-day domestic opening would bring in up to $50 million—instead the film brought in some $31.7 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Disney’s latest Marvel film “The Marvels” also had a disappointing opening weekend bringing in $46.1 million in it’s first three days in theaters and marking the worst domestic opening weekend performance for any Marvel Cinematic Universe film.

What To Watch For

The next new Pixar film to be released in theaters will be “Inside Out 2,” which will be released in June.

Further Reading

‘Wish’ Had One Of Disney’s Worst Openings Ever For An Animated Movie—Here’s Why (Forbes)

‘Elemental’ Posts Pixar’s Worst Box Office Premiere In Decades As ‘The Flash’ Underperforms (Forbes)