Disney/Pixar’s New Theatrical Release Flops at Box Office

The Hollywood strikes of 2023 significantly impacted movie theaters and studios. To help combat that, Walt Disney Studios has decided to re-release some its films that were direct to Disney+ because of the pandemic.

Related: Theaters Show Never Before Released Disney/Pixar Movies

Disney/Pixar Movies Returning to Theaters

These movies, which never enjoyed a theatrical release, include Soul (2020), Turning Red (2022), and Luca (2021).

The theory, in part, is that it would give movie theaters Disney Pixar content to show and perhaps get back some of the money that Disney has lost at the box office over the past year.

Soul Flops

The first movie to hit the theaters was Soul. This past weekend was the first weekend of the movie’s theatrical release, and the results were…not good.

Soul was released to about 1,350 theaters. It is currently looking to bring in about $560 thousand by the end of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

Related: Disney’s Box Office Bombs May Be Nominated for Oscars

It’s unclear just the how much money Disney/Pixar expected to make with this effort. Considering that the movie went straight to Disney+, you could argue that ANY money it makes at the box office is a win.

But most movies nowadays are pulling in millions in a single day.

Pixar suffers a ‘Soul’-crushing defeat at box office. In a previously unimaginable scenario, Disney released a Pixar film in theaters and no one showed up. https://t.co/kSvZFKFx2Q

— cartoonbrew.com – Animation News (@cartoonbrew) January 15, 2024

 

Soul stars the voice talents of Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, Tina Fey as 22, Graham Norton as Moonwind, and Angela Bassett as Dorothea Williams. The Disney Pixar film was nominated for three Academy Awards and won two.

Related: Is an ‘Among Us’ Disney Movie Being Made by Pixar?

What Now?

The Walt Disney Company and its CEO Bob Iger have long claimed that poor performances of movies such as Haunted Mansion (2023) and The Marvels (2023) was because those interested would just wait until it comes on streaming.

If that were accurate, then it makes the decision to even release older films back into theaters (while they are still available on Disney+) odd.

Related: Robert Downey Jr. Says Marvel ‘Let the Lunatics Run the Asylum’

In the case of Soul, people have had over three years to enjoy the film on Disney+. Even if you hadn’t seen it, that doesn’t mean you  are willing to drop $20 to see it at a movie theater. That might explain why Soul flops when you put it in theaters.

This is especially true for families…for which a movie trip can add up quickly.

The poor numbers for Soul don’t bode well for the other two Disney/Pixar movies being released. Turning Red will hit theaters on February 9, and Luca will come to theaters on March 22.

Related: Disney Pixar’s New Harry Potter Movie

It’s also not a good sign for Pixar, which is laying off 20% of its workforce.