"Elemental" flops

 

Pixar's chief creative officer, Pete Docter, spoke with Variety about Disney's decision to premiere the company's recent output on Disney+.  The company's most recent feature, "Elemental," just opened to just $29.5 million at the box office, the worst performance from any Pixar film during its opening weekend. Docter referred to Disney's decision to release the studio's films "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red" directly on Disney+ as a "mixed blessing." On the one hand, he said Pixar artists are "thankful" for the streamer, which allowed people to view their work during the pandemic, rather than having it "sit on a shelf for a year and a half." However, Docter fears that Disney trained audiences to expect new Pixar content on Disney+, leading them to skip the theater entirely.