Pixar‘s new animated movie crosses a major box office milestone after a disappointing opening. The studio aims to release one original animated movie per year to focus on quality, except for sequel releases, which sometimes lead to a year having two films.

Recently, the studio brought beloved animated films such as Inside Out 2, Elemental, Turning Red, and Lightyear to theaters. Except for Inside Out 2, which became Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time, Elemental, Lightyear, and Turning Red all suffered different levels of challenges at the box office.

Despite initial underperformance, Elemental saw rare box office growth and ended up being a sleeper hit for the studio. So far, Pixar’s upcoming slate includes Hoppers, coming out in March 2026, Toy Story 5, in June 2026, and Gatto, scheduled for 2027.

Elio Pᴀsses $100 Million Box Office Milestone

The Movie Is Approaching Its Fourth Weekend In Theaters

Released on June 20, Pixar’s new animated sci-fi movie, Elio, follows an imaginative boy as he accidentally becomes Earth’s ambᴀssador to the rest of the universe. Despite being highly rated by critics and audiences alike, the movie had the worst opening box office in the studio’s history, having only earned $21 million domestically and $35 million globally.

According to The Numbers, Elio has made over $100 million globally after nearly three weeks in theaters. This figure comes from $57.6 million at the domestic box office and $42.6 million at the international box office. However, with a production and marketing budget of at least $150-200 million, the movie still has a long way to go before turning a profit.

What This Means For Elio

Can Elio Repeat Elemental’s Box Office Phenomena?

Elemental similarly had a disappointing opening weekend at the box office. Before Elio took over, the 2023 animated film held one of Pixar’s worst openings, but over two months, ticket sales improved and eventually saw the movie concluding its theatrical run with $154 million at the domestic box office and $496 million worldwide.

In contrast, it doesn’t appear that Elio will be able to replicate that unique phenomenon. Elemental reached $100 million domestically in its fourth weekend, while the 2025 Pixar movie has reached that milestone only globally in that same timeframe. This is an unfortunate circumstance since Elio is unlikely to recoup much of the budget as more new releases come to theaters.

While the box office momentum is slowing down for Elio with no sight of hitting profitable margins, there is still a chance for the movie to redeem itself. Streaming on Disney+ may allow the Pixar movie to find some success, and given the positive reception, that may be the best way for some redemption.

Source: The Numbers