Pixar’s Elio struggled at the box office, only making $21 million during its first three days in theaters. It’s the worst opening weekend for the studio and there’s concerns the animated film won’t gross enough to make back its $250 million budget.
The go-to explanation for Elio’s underwhelming performance has been that it’s not based on an existing franchise. Original stories just haven’t been doing all that well at the box office, especially films that target a younger audience. But blaming originality alone misses the bigger picture while the truth is more complicated than it seems.
It Was Delayed Twice
Elio was originally slated for release on March 1, 2024. When Disney announced its release date had been pushed back to June 13, 2025, it was reported that the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike was to blame. But there had been speculation that Disney was doubting Elio’s box office potential. This decision was coming at a time when original stories from Pixar weren’t doing too well in theaters. 2020’s Onward flopped at the box office despite positive reviews. 2023’s Elemental had a lukewarm response at first before it gained momentum (and grossed over $494 million worldwide).
The film was delayed again in February 2025 by one week. It finally reached theaters on June 20, 2025 and it’s believed the one week delay was so Elio wouldn’t compete with the zombie apocalypse film 28 Years Later. But timing is everything and some people felt that Elio missed its moment.
The Story Changed Before Its Release
Originally, Elio was supposed to be an autobiographical take on director Adrian Molina’s childhood. Elio was supposed to be accidentally abducted by aliens after they misinterpret a conversation with his mother Olga. It was supposed to represent the loneliness he felt as a child until he attended the animation college at CalArts. When the film was announced back in
However, Pixar’s CCO Pete Docter decided to move away from stories based on personal experiences to focus on films that had universal appeal. As Elio’s plotlines were rewritten to reflect these changes, Molina left the project to direct Coco 2. Turning Red director Domee Shi and Burrow director Madeline Sharafian were brought in, and the story changed to Elio being an orphan who wants to be abducted, while Olga was changed to be his aunt/legal guardian. Molina still maintains a director’s credit since a large amount of his work was kept in the new cut.
Lack of Marketing From Disney
Another problem is that Elio hasn’t gotten much promotion from Disney. Due to being delayed multiple times, Pixar didn’t have enough resources to fund a huge marketing campaign for the film.
Also, it’s pretty clear that Disney’s main focus is one the 2025 live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch (for which a sequel has already been greenlit) and the upcoming Marvel film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Both films are based on established IPs and have a greater chance at making the most money at the box office. What’s also hurting Elio is that the film targets a much younger audience, while most Pixar films tend to appeal across all age groups.
The Originality Excuse
Elio didn’t fail just because it was original. Delays, lack of marketing, and creative shifts played a role in its abysmal opening weekend. Doesn’t help that the film industry doesn’t know what to do with a project that doesn’t already come with a built-in fanbase.
Blaming Elio’s performance entirely on its originality is a lazy excuse that takes blame away from Disney and Pixar, and any mistakes they may have made. It creates a narrative that discourages risk and punishes innovation.
If every original film is dismissed for failing to meet expectations, studios will have every excuse to greenlight only extensions of a popular franchise. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that gaslights audiences into believing original stories aren’t worth their time, and they’ll stop showing up.
And then what?
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. There’s still a chance it could perform better internationally, and when it’s eventually released on Disney+. It could also benefit from word-of-mouth as more people learn about the film on social media. Elio does have potential to be a beloved cult classic about overcoming loneliness and reaching out others who accept you as you are. Hopefully, it’ll get the opportunity to turn things around.
