Disney hasn’t had the easiest year when it comes to its box office earnings. While 2023 started off strong for the Mouse House with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water, the year quickly dipped after, with movies from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios ostensibly not performing as well. In fact, recently, one analyst did the math, and it came to light that the Walt Disney Company has lost almost $900 million with their productions this year.
Related: Despite “Woke” Backlash, Disney Still Fails at LGBTQ+ Representation
Conservatives Blame Disney’s “Woke” Ideology for its Failure
Disney’s apparent wokeness has been constantly labeled as the reason for its failures. Many conservatives have said time and again that the Mouse House is failing because it’s moving away from “family values” and family-friendly entertainment through its inclusion of diverse perspectives and characters in its movies and productions.
Most recently, Disney’s Elemental has been on the receiving end of backlash for speaking too overtly about the immigrant experience, though many have also shared how much they loved the movie, and the movie has continued to play in theaters, with audiences going to watch it after friends and family recommended to them.
Pixar's #Elemental made $10m on its 4th weekend, only a 17% drop from last weekend. Total $109m US and currently outpacing The Flash. #Elemental at $251m globally and will soon pass Encanto ($256m globally) – which means it will be Disney's biggest hit since pandemic. pic.twitter.com/oeTBO6z5Vh
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 10, 2023
Elemental is Disney’s Biggest Hit Since the Pandemic
Per the latest from journalist Scott Gustin, Elemental has one more accolade it can add to its list. Gustin shared that “Pixar’s Elemental made $10m on its 4th weekend, only a 17% drop from last weekend.” In addition, with these latest numbers, Elemental has earned $251m globally and will soon pass Encanto ($256m globally), making Disney’s biggest hit since the pandemic.
Fans were quite happy to hear the movie has been doing well, crediting its “strong legs.” One shared, “Elemental will probably make its money back as an IP…movie itself is in the red 100 Million but the strong legs gives it hope for being incorporated in other ways for Disney.”
Another fan added, “This is impressive considering coming off a very rough start. Word of mouth and not too much competition helped it stay afloat!”
This said, the numbers are still not quite what they should be to be a decisive hit. One fan pointed out:
I’m surprised at how good the numbers are, but when you factor in inflation and consider production costs it’s clear that this still is a disappointment like most of Disney’s recent releases.
— Krishna (@10KrishGR) July 10, 2023
Another fan agreed, sharing, “To be a hit wouldn’t a film have to you know, not lose money? $256 million would still be like $150 million in the red.”
Despite this, Elemental is certainly impressive for its comeback after a rough opening weekend and has proved its worth in how it won over audiences and recreated momentum to succeed through word of mouth.
More on Elemental
Elemental is a noteworthy film from Disney/Pixar Studios as the first non-franchise original from the studio to be released in theatres rather than as a straight-to-Disney+ (Disney Plus) release. While the movie is struggling at the box office, with lower numbers than one might have hoped, it has received mixed reviews from audiences. Elemental explores the themes of connection, celebrating differences, and finding one’s place in the world through protagonists Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) and Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie). It was directed by Peter Sohn, written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh, and its larger cast includes Shila Ommi, Catherine O’Hara, Ronnie Del Carmen, and more talented actors.
